Soca star Machel Montano has apologised to rapper, singer and songwriter Nicki Minaj for what he deems “a mistake misunderstanding on his part” for comments made at the Stink N Dutty fete.

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He explained in a video posted on social media, “In the fete, I was just compelled to sing the Good Spirit song and as soon as I started to sing the Good Spirit song, it started to resonate deep within me especially when I said the line “don’t fight me down” – the response from the audience was so overwhelming that I felt the joy of the full blown crew who had been writing these songs for me for so many years and that song being the feeling of support for a young upcoming artiste.”

Montano says “it didn’t come out the way it was supposed to come out.” For fans and Minaj alike, it appeared Montano was accusing her and Trinidad Killa of fighting him down.

Instead, he says he was trying to tell Minaj to tell Trinidad Killa “to stop fighting me down.”

Minaj took to social media on Saturday in an explicit video asking what she did and threating to curse Montano.

However, Montano sought to clear up his statements in the five-minute-long video. He said in no way he wants Minaj to feel he doesn’t respect and honour her.

“I really love Nicki Minaj. I really look up to her as an artiste and let me make it absolutely clear, she has never done anything to fight me down.”

Later in the video, he said, “It was a misunderstanding – a mistake on my part – and I’m a big man and I will say that.

Nicky, you know I respect you and you know I love you and I did not try to jump out there and attack you and I didn’t want any of your fans or you to feel that you have ever done anything to fight me down. You did the opposite. You always lift me up.”

Montano says this is a time where both artistes need to make a bridge with their music. He called for a collaborative effort between himself, Minaj and Trinidad Killa.

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In 2023, Montano and Minaj collaborated on a song titled Shake The Place. They also spent carnival with each in Trinidad in 2021.

He admitted while delivering the statements on stage, he was very emotional and Trinidad Killa said some things about him “that felt like a fight.”

He said it’s something that he and Minaj had talked about and she ensured that Trinidad KIlla apologised to him. “I am saying forgive me.

I am not perfect. In that moment, I was a little hot and I didn’t want it to sound to Nicki or her fans that she was the one fighting me down because I did feel like I got a little fight from Killa and I want Killa to know it was never me. I love Killa songs. I’ve been singing it every night on stage.”

Montano says he has always supported Trinidad Killa’s musical career and he would never fight down young artistes.

He also announced that today he will be launching a song programme “to big up all the youths of this country and of this region.”