By Breeanna Hare, CNN
(CNN) — With her Mariah Carey spat put aside, Nicki Minaj has stepped into the ring with a different singer once attached to the “American Idol” behemoth: Steven Tyler.
The Aerosmith frontman felt Minaj’s wrath on Monday after he critiqued her judging style. Tyler told MTV that there wasn’t enough “camaraderie” among the new judges, and that the “Starships” rapper would’ve sent Bob Dylan to a cornfield if he auditioned.
When she heard about it, Minaj fired at Tyler on Twitter: “Steven Tyler said I would have sent Bob Dylan to a cornfield??? Steven, you haven’t seen me judge one single solitary contestant yet! I understand you really wanted to keep your job but take that up with the producers. I haven’t done anything to you. That’s a racist comment.”
The rapper questioned why Tyler would think she wouldn’t enjoy a Dylan audition, tweeting, “why? black? rapper? what? go f*** yourself and worry about yourself babe.”
But Tyler told Canadian entertainment show eTalk that Minaj has him pegged all wrong.
“I apologize if it was taken wrong, Nicki,” Tyler said. “But I am the farthest from a racist. I am the last thing on this planet as far as being a racist. I don’t know where she got that out of me saying I’m not sure how she would’ve judged Bob Dylan. I was just saying that if Bob Dylan came on the show, he would’ve been thrown off. Maybe I spoke out of turn, but a racist I’m not, Nicki.”
