Nicki Minaj: People 'assassinating my character' over vaccine tweets

TRINIDAD-born rapper Nicki Minaj says people are "assassinating" her character after a series of covid19-vaccine-related tweets on Monday.

Minaj said she needs to do more research before she makes a decision about being vaccinated against the covid19 virus, which went viral on social media.

She also said a cousin of hers who lives in Trinidad is hesitant about the vaccine because his friend's testicles became swollen and he became impotent after taking one of the vaccines. She did not say which brand.

Health professionals have since said there is no link between covid19 vaccines and impotence, and Minaj has been the topic of many jokes and has been highlighted on late-night talk shows.

In an Instagram live video on Wednesday night filled with expletives, she explained she felt people were attacking her character rather than the actual tweet.

She said people are probably saying, "Hmm. We can't make fun of the actual story anymore and talk about testicles and balls till they drop dead, so now we have to attack her personally."

"I want you guys to see what is happening."

She also said she was in "Twitter jail," but Twitter has since said it did not restrict her account in any way.

"If they assassinate me and assasinate my character and make me look crazy or stupid, guess what? No one else will ever ask questions again. Don't you see what's happening? And ya'll are sitting down f----- laughing?

"They can't deal with smart women. Whenever a smart woman challenges anything, they get called a b---- or crazy."

She said the US does not have free healthcare, so anyone living there "has every right to question anything about their health."

She said her family in Trinidad told her if they do not take the covid19 vaccine, they cannot work.

"Could you imagine?" she asked. "Could you imagine in a country where it's not that easy to get on Instagram? A lot of my family members in Trinidad don't even have Instagram. So if I have to be their voice then I will."