THE ‘King of Soca’ Machel Montano yesterday issued an apology to Trinidad-born US rapper Nicki Minaj following statements he made while performing at the Stink N Dutty fete on Saturday evening which received a mixed response online.

Montano yesterday asked for forgiveness and attributed his reference of Minaj and local artiste Trinidad Killa (Kern Joseph) to an emotional ‘overwhelming’ moment, which he said did not come out as he intended it to.

During his performance of the song “Good Spirits” at the event on Saturday, Montano sang, “Trinidad Killa stop fight me down. Nicki Minaj stop fight me down. I is yuh daddy, I is yuh daddy, my beard is grey.”

The statement, which was clipped and circulated online, prompted a response from both Minaj and Trinidad Killa, with Minaj (who is featured on a remix of Trinidad Killa’s song titled “Eskimo”) taking to her Instagram account to respond.

Sharing the clip to her Instagram stories, Minaj wrote of Montano’s statement, “Allyuh see now? If I help, they talk. If I don’t help, they talk. Lol. Lemme go back Jamaica Oui. Ima be blasting Eskimo…”

She also shortly after posted an expletive-riddled video, in which she stated, “What the a** is this, what the a** is this. What the a** I do? I will cuss you very, very (expletive) stink, you understand? I will cuss you very, very (expletive) stink.”

Trinidad Killa, who also shared the clip to his page, posted on Instagram on Saturday night, tagging Montano and later calling for an apology.

“Tell @machelmontano Stop calling my name and the queen @nickiminaj name in stink and dutty! You are a bigger artist than me—I could never fight you down.

I actually look up to you. Do the right thing and give the future generation a chance to be great like you, so your name can leave a real legacy.

You can’t stop greatness! If you want to be the face of Soca for Trinidad and Tobago, what are you really doing for the culture? Big up!” he wrote.

Montano: ‘I am

not perfect’ ► sub head ◄

Approached for a comment by media production company OvertimeTT on Sunday, Montano said he had nothing but love and respect for Minaj.

“Honestly, it did not come out the way it was supposed to come out,” he said. “I really was trying to tell Nicki Minaj, tell Trinidad Killa to stop fighting me down…In the fete you know, I was just compelled to sing the ‘Good Spirits’ song and as soon as I started to sing the ‘Good Spirits’ song you know, 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 this song being the feeling of support for a young upcoming artist and I just went into my feelings and I got overwhelmed…” he added.

Montano said that he had spoken to Minaj at length after she reached out to him, and that she was graceful towards him.

He said he made the statements as a result of a rise of emotions and because he had felt a bit of push back as a result of previous comments made about him.

He said that he has never felt as though Minaj had done anything to ‘fight him down,’ but rather that they had a cordial relationship, and that they both uplifted each other.

“In no way I want Nicki to feel I don’t understand, respect and honour her. I really love Nicki Minaj, I look up to her as an artist and let me make it absolutely clear, she has never done anything to fight me down and neither have I to her…But in that moment the emotions, I was so overwhelmed because Trinidad Killa did say some things and it felt like a fight,” he said.

“She reached out to me, and she said in her own words, you know what, we are all not perfect but we are forgiving people. She made sure he (Killa) apologised to me.

That is why I am apologising too. I am saying forgive me. I am not perfect. At 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,” said Montano.

He added, “I just feel like It was a misunderstanding, a mistake on my part, and I’m a big man and I will say that.

Nicki, 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 also expressed interest in a collaboration among the three, calling for a bridge to be built via music.

Commenting under one of Killa’s posts yesterday, he wrote, “It’s all love! and yuh done know when I said I is d daddy I meant this grey beard of wisdom didn’t come just so is from being in this game since 1982!

And Killa doh forget the time we just had on stage in the national stadium where yuh had a whole zess segment celebrating alongside Bredda and Tempa and was all love!”