ttgapers.com

VR Entertainment, is calling for a public apology from Member of Parliament for Diego Martin Central Amery Browne for the "disrespectful words used to describe Nicki Minaj (Onika Maraj) in Trinidad and Tobago Parliament, as well as the erroneous information being spread about the artiste in the media". VR Entertainment is the United States affiliate of D Project Records. Nicki Minaj performed in Trinidad and Tobago on October 30, 2010 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.

CEO of CVR Entertainment and VP Operations for D Project Records, Richard Hope, said that Maraj's management has been following the negative fallout stemming from Browne's comments in the House of Representatives over the past two weeks and had contacted him and asked him to address the matter before they pursued legal action.

He said: "We feel that Mr Browne's comments are disrespectful and damaging to all the personalities and companies involved with this event and have contacted our lawyers to examine his statements for libellous material. We booked Ms Minaj through Total Access Talent out of Miami and their CEO, Melissa Sessom, is extremely upset over this unwarranted, unnecessary and unsubstantiated controversy surrounding the event a full month after it has occurred. Mr Browne could very well be facing several lawsuits coming from each of the parties involved, whose reputations are being damaged by his words and actions."

Held on October 30, 2010 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, the concert launched D Project Records' label and its signed acts and featured a 45-minute performance from Maraj. Browne first highlighted the event in Parliament on November 26 when he questioned the use of the stadium as the venue. He also demanded that Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Anil Roberts declare the exact costs of the concert and apologise for subjecting the children in the audience to profanity.

Hope said: "Clearly Mr Browne knows nothing about promoting or organising events and his call for an audit into the finances is utterly ridiculous and will amount to nothing more than a waste of taxpayers' dollars. This event was done to promote Trinidad and Tobago and already we have seen some of the results with the MTV documentary that showcased the country beautifully and the recent signing of D Project Records to iMG/Universal. Everything was done above board and with the good of the country in mind. Mr Browne's tone and his allegations suggest otherwise."

Hope added that Minister Roberts had been assured by Minaj's team that she would not use any profanities during her performance, well in advance of the event. Hope said that Maraj has embraced and endorsed her homeland publicly and felt that Browne's comments are amount to a "slap in the face of someone who is promoting the beautiful twin-island of Trinidad and Tobago on a global scale".

Hope added that Maraj was deeply disturbed by the negative press surrounding the event as a result of Browne's statements and will issue a direct statement later this week, "if necessary". Browne could not be immediately reached for comment yesterday as calls to his cell phone went unanswered.