Melbourne
(ANI):
Barbadian
singer
Rihanna
reportedly
kicked
Nicki
Minaj
off
her
tour,
as
she
feared
the
rapper
would
“upstage" her
performance.
According
to
Mediatakeout,
Rihanna,
22,
has
grown
increasingly
worried
that
her
popularity
is
starting
to
fade,
and
after
learning
that
Minaj,
25,
was
joining
the
bill,
she
allegedly
became
very
upset.
“No
one
(in
Rihanna"s
camp)
is
panicking
yet,
but
there
is
deep
concern
that
Rihanna
has
peaked,
and
is
on
the
downside
of
her
music
career," the
Daily
Telegraph
quoted
a
source
as
saying.
“Nicki
(Minaj)
was
brought
in
to
sell
tickets,
but
Rihanna
did
not
want
her
on,"
the
source
said.
Rihanna
reportedly
used
her
influence
to
reduce
Minaj"s
role
on
the
tour,
causing
the
rap
newcomer
to
be
the
opening
act
and
be
limited
in
the
number
of
songs
she
could
perform.
“Nicki
is
not
an
opening
act,
and
we
would
never
put
her
out
there
like
that,"
a
source
close
to
her
label
Young
Money
added.
Minaj,
who
earlier
announced
that
she
will
not
be
going
on
tour
with
Rihanna
and
Ke$ha
to
concentrate
on
her
second
album
via
her
Twitter
account,
has
fired
her
management
over
the
incident.