Nicki Minaj has been accused of stealing some of the choreography on her Pink Friday 2 Tour from a viral dancer.
The drama ramped up on Sunday (March 3) when one of Nicki’s dancers, Beau Casper Smart, revealed that the “Roman’s Revenge” rapper offered to compensate Donte Colley, who had previously earned millions of views with a video of him dancing to “FTCU.”
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Smart wrote: “Please STOP spreading false narratives. We offered to pay him as a choreographer even though it was less than 10 seconds of choreo that we altered. ALSO offered him tix to his hometown w/ a meet a greet. He declined all this & demanded a shoutout and to get dance on stage w/ her.”
Colley shared footage from Minaj’s tour that shared striking similarities to his own moves.
Please STOP spreading false narratives. We offered to pay him as a choreographer even though it was less than 10 seconds of choreo that we altered. ALSO offered him tix to his hometown w/ a meet a greet. He declined all this & demanded a shoutout and to get dance on stage w/ her!
— Beau Casper Smart (@BEAUcasperSMART) March 3, 2024
@dontecolley
The dancer seemingly denied Smart’s perspective on the situation, saying that he was never offered payment nor was he even looking for money.
Colley said: “I was reached out to by a member of her team and I wasn’t after payment for this. I was just looking for the opportunity to potentially collaborate and to receive credit, and neither one of those options seemed possible and have been rejected.
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“I want to thank you so much for your words of encouragement. Y’all saw something, knew it wasn’t right, and brought it to my attention and we should be uplifting and supporting each other and continuing to do so.
“So I encourage other artists to seek credit for their work. Keep being you. What other people think of you is none of your business. And just keep it pushing, babe.”
@dontecolley #stitch with @yen ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*
Colley then doubled down on his side of the story, offering up a second TikTok detailing what he was told by Nicki’s team.
“I did not decline any concert tickets. I didn’t deny the opportunity for a meet and greet,” he said. “I didn’t demand; I asked for the opportunity to perform on stage, and that wasn’t a possibility so we moved on.
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“I was offered an amount that was under $100, and I was told that $2,000 is for a song and that I would be prorated an amount for an eight count.
“I would never consider selling my work for that amount,” he continued. “I really appreciate Nicki for tweeting that she wanted to make things right.
“However, the person that she put in charge has not made this a positive experience. And all I’ve asked for is for her to repost the original video and to tag me, just like the other videos.
“And if that’s not possible, just to remove the choreo. I come online, her choreos in the show, and there’s no video. The only reason why I posted today was because I was being tagged in concert footage with people saying that I was paid, hired, etc.
“That was not true. I have to stick up for myself because no one’s gonna stick up for me.”
@dontecolley
When it was first revealed that Donte Colley was the inspiration behind some of the moves that Nicki Minaj was rehearsing, she promised to take care of the situation.
She wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “I thought a lady Zara made it up? thought she was an artist having fun w|it…? so glad barbz brought it2 my attention in time [making me proud as always].
“I’ll have Casper reach out to this VERY TALENTED & seemingly VERY sweet guy ASAP to figure out the best way to make him feel seen, appreciated & paid #PinkFriday2 #GagCityTOUR.”
I thought a lady Zara made it up? thought she was an artist having fun w|it…? so glad barbz brought it2 my attention in time [making me proud as always]
I’ll have Casper reach out to this VERY TALENTED & seemingly VERY sweet guy ASAP to figure out the best way to make him feel… https://t.co/qVXdDDQzjK
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) February 7, 2024
Nicki’s Pink Friday 2 Tour kicked off on March 1 in Oakland and has already been embroiled in drama.
According to TMZ, a fight broke out between multiple fans in the crowd during the opening show.
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Though Nicki didn’t address the scuffle, she did send a message to her loyal Barbz on social media following the performance.
“Dear Barbz, I love you. I really do. Always have. Always will. -HB,” she wrote, signing off as one of her many alter-egos, Harajuku Barbie.
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The tour continues on Friday (March 8) in Las Vegas and will keep Nicki on the road until May 13 when the North American leg wraps up in Oklahoma City.
She’ll then head overseas for the European leg which runs from May 23 to July 14, with stops in the UK, Germany, France, Portugal and Italy, among other countries.
