JACK WHITE: NICKI MINAJ Is Brilliant, Hip-Hop Is the New Punk Rock

Jack White sang praises of Nicki Minaj and hip-hop in general, branding the genre “the new punk rock.”

Explaining to Clash Magazine how he’s been listening to a lot of Kanye West, Minaj, A Tribe Called Quest and “’80s and ’90s hip-hop,” White said: “In a lot of ways, it is the new punk rock. They’re doing the dangerous things – whether it’s Trippie Redd or Tekashi69; these are a very punk, dangerous side of music.

“If you listen to Nicki Minaj’s ‘Only.’ I mean, some of those lyrics are like, ‘Holy s**t!’ I, as an adult, listening to that by myself, am shocked at some of the words that I’m hearing.

“But it’s brilliant! It’s brilliant to be able to say that, to be able to say whatever you want. I couldn’t get away with saying half of those things that Nicki Minaj says in that song. It’s just brilliant to see how far things have gone in that sense, and how cool it is for people to talk about these moments and say, ‘Wow, check this out.’

“I want someone to blow my mind right now, like a brand new band to come out and be like, ‘I can’t wait to hear that next song…’ That’s that moment that we don’t get enough of nowadays.”