TLC’s T-Boz Lashes Out at ‘American Idol’ Hiring Nicki Minaj as a Singing Judge

TLC's T-Boz is about as fond of Nicki Minaj and 'American Idol' as she is of scrubs. The R&B singer recently lashed out about (not necessarily at) the Harajuku Barbie and 'Idol' producers for having a rapper judge a singing competition ... and then some.

She started with a doozy: "Just because you’re on TV gyrating and boning and sucking penises, it’s not talent, honey," T-Boz said. (Dude, what?) "Maybe in the porn industry, but over here, we entertain. I don’t respect half [of] the people I’ve seen lately."

Speaking of her disdain for talent competition shows, she said, “I don’t respect half [of] the people I've seen lately. How the Hell is she gon' tell me what I should be doing when her a-- can’t even sing?" she fumed. "Why is she there? And then … now they've got rappers that don’t even sing judging? So, this is totally based off of popularity I guess. I mean, to each their own. Get your money, honey. All I’m saying is, I will never watch [your] shows again.” T-Boz may have put her foot in her mouth with the money comment, as her group famously went bankrupt despite selling millions of records -- why would she fault another artist for capitalizing further on her moment in the spotlight? Additionally, Minaj does sing on her records, even if rapping is her bread and butter, so we're confused by the drama here.

To be fair to T-Boz, she spoke in relatively general terms -- but it's pretty clear at whom her remarks were targeted. It doesn't sound like T-Boz was necessarily attacking Minaj as much as she's criticizing the industry. Still, considering Minaj's temper and on-camera feud with fellow 'Idol' judge Mariah Carey, as well as a longstanding beef with rapper Lil' Kim (whose heyday was around the same time as TLC's), it will be interesting to see how -- and if -- she responds to what we think may be some really sour grapes.