Nicki Minaj and Justin Bieber are at war … sort of. They’re actually competing against Jason Derülo, Broken Bells and Ke$ha in the Best New Artist VMA category. To some people, though, it’s a two-horse race. Nicki’s nominated for “Massive Attack,” Justin for “Baby.” To an outsider, “Baby” was a much bigger hit than “Massive Attack,” but Best New Artist is voted on by the fans, so come Sunday, who’ll rep harder, the Barbies or the Beliebers?
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“[Nicki] has no chance at beating Bieber,” says Brendan Frederick, deputy editor at Complex. “ ‘Baby’ was a genuine hit for Bieber, a highlight of a huge year where he really proved himself as a pop phenomenon who makes surprisingly decent R&B music. Nicki has proven herself to the hip-hop community, but she’s just starting to make her presence felt in the crossover pop world. This is definitely Bieber’s year.”
But not everyone thinks he’s a shoo in. Some argue that Bieber isn’t exactly a new artist, and that he doesn’t really have any big hits besides “Baby.” “I think Nicki Minaj has a very strong chance of taking home the Best New Artist VMA,” says Kathy Iandoli, media director at HipHopDX. “Nicki may not be causing malls to shut down, but her presence has been felt on almost every important hip-hop track that has been released this year. The Biebs only had one real hit that most people are still ashamed of liking.”
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