Nicki Minaj has voiced her thoughts on the violent Drake and Chris Brown feud that went down at Manhattan's W.i.P. nightclub a few weeks ago, and — big surprise! — she's team Young Money all the way. Also, the Flaming Lips broke a record previously held by Jay-Z, Katy Perry wants to be Madonna, and a metal band's frontman has been arrested and charged with manslaughter over an incident that took place two years ago. Here's the music news.
• It sounds like Drake got a serious lecture from his Young Money sister Nicki Minaj after that nightclub brawl that left a bunch of people injured in New York City a few weeks ago. In an interview with the UK's Tim Westwood, Minaj insisted, "I don't approve of talented people doing things that aren't conducive to an amazing career. I spoke to Drake and I told him from the bottom of my heart how I felt. I'm like, 'Baby, you are a superstar and I need you to realize that.'"
Though Minaj quickly insisted Drake had done nothing wrong, she did say that the whole thing could have been avoided: "Sometimes you just need to go to bed. Go to the hotel and have an early nap. There's nothing wrong with that."
Nicki also addressed her decision not to perform at Hot 97's Summer Jam, telling Westwood, "I feel like it happened and there is no animosity, I still love them over there at the station. They've helped me a lot as well."
• The Flaming Lips have broken Jay-Z's record for the most performances in 24 hours, having performed in eight cities between Memphis and New Orleans between Wednesday and Thursday. The band was joined by a variety of special guests along the way, including Jackson Browne and Neon Indian's Alan Palomo. Frontman Wayne Coyne called the experience an "absurd joy."
• Wayne Coyne says he might re-shoot the video for "The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face" with Amanda Palmer, since Erykah Badu basically called him a jerky egomaniac after he released the first version without giving her any editorial say over the finished product. Maybe the new version will skip over that whole whole "bathtub full of semen-like substance" segment.
• Katy Perry, like pretty much every female pop star, wants to have a career as enduring as Madonna's. In the latest issue of Vogue Italia, the singer explains that her "much darker" next album is partially inspired by the Material Girl.
"I think Madonna, especially in the beginning of her career when she was laying the foundation, was evolving every single time and giving a new visual and a new idea to the public. She kept everybody interested because you never knew what she was going to do next, but whatever she delivered was a solid product."
"I just hope to be the same. I hope to continually make people interested and hopefully in 10 years look back and have written songs that have become timeless," Perry added.
• Lamb of God singer Randy Blythe has been arrested and charged with manslaughter in Prague over an alleged altercation that took place onstage over two years ago. In May 2010, a fan died of injuries reportedly sustained during an onstage altercation with Blythe. A spokesperson for the band claims the metal singer has been "wrongfully accused."
• The Presets are back! Check out their mesmerizing new music video, directed by visual artist Yoshi Sodeoka.
