Nicki Minaj dumps Twitter account to protest Web piracy
Rapper sees tracks from new album leaked on fan site and tells fans 'Good f---ing bye.'
A decade after Metallica took on Napster, rapper Nicki Minaj has launched a silent protest against Web piracy.
"Like seriously, it's but so much a person can take," Minaj wrote Sunday on Twitter just prior to closing down her account, telling fans "Good f---ing bye," according to numerous reports.
The tantrum came after Minaj accused fan site NickiDaily.com of leaking several songs from her new album, "Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded," online. Minaj, whose first album, "Pink Friday," was considered a major commercial success last year, risks inviting the wrath of the Internet crowd.
Ever since Metallica attempted to thwart the use of Napster in 2001 and alienated many fans, most artists have steered clear of the debate on illegal file sharing.
But seemingly more artists are taking a stand about what's fair for them when it comes to online distribution. Recently, popular blues-rock band The Black Keys have criticized subscription music services such as Spotify and Rhapsody for not returning more money to artists.
In Minaj's defense, studies have shown that rap music is among the most pirated genres. That said this could all be a marketing ploy. If her label really was upset about the leaks and could prove where they came from, whoever did it could be in trouble.
There's a criminal penalty involved when distributing copyrighted material before it's released to the market. Something tells me no one is going to jail over this.