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HHE spoke exclusively with Debra Antney, the person responsible with the success of some of the biggest acts in the south who informed Dennis Byron that she is no longer representing rapper Nicki Minaj.
Antney states that she received a letter from Nicki’s attorney that she must “cease and desist” from all activities pertaining to the management of her career. “Of course I was disappointed with receiving the letter in light of the fact that I have done so much for her career.” I have not even spoken to her since receiving the letter and although I have to respect her wishes I believe she could have at least called me to discuss whatever issue there was.
The Barbie rapper’s career took a turn for the best after signing with Antney’s Mizay Management company a year ago however after several high profile appearances on shows like David Letterman, BET’s Rip The Runway and Nicki’s signing with the Young Money label she made an abrupt shift in her management team. Some have speculated that her change in management had nothing more to do with her just wanting to become a more mainstream artist while others attributed the change due to Nicki being extremely difficult to work with.
IS NICKI MINAJ AN OPPORTUNIST?
According to our sources, veteran entertainment manager Troy Carter who was responsible for the successful management of rapper/actress Eve Jeffers and whom is the current manager of pop superstar Lady Gaga is heading Nicki Minaj Management team. Did Nicki ever have intention on staying with Debra Antney in the first place? We were told by reliable sources that Minaj has a history of changing management teams and that she can be very difficult to work with. In one particular incident we were told that during rapper Waka Flocka’s recovering from a gunshot wound he received from a robbery in Atlanta Minaj wanted her then manager Antney who is also the mother of Waka Flocka Flame to leave her son’s bed side so she could accompany her to an event in Hawaii. Antney explained to us at the time she had just learned that one of her son’s lungs had just collapsed and she was in no way leaving his side. According to Antney Nicki Minaj caught a temper tantrum and stated “I’m Nicki Minaj and anyone would love to manage me” stated Antney who was quick to let Minaj know her kids came first before anything or anyone else. Could anyone really blame her?
What Do We Know About Her New Manager?
Minaj’s current manager Troy Carter began his career as a retail manager of a woman’s boutique in Philadelphia back in the 90’s and was Eve’s road manager during the Cash Money/Ruff Ryder 2000 US Tour. “Eve was so impressed with his devotion to her career she fired her then manager Dominican Al and hired Carter full time to manage her overall career” according to our sources.
Since then her first three albums have reached a total of over 8 million albums sold worldwide. In 2003, she became the star of her own TV show, Eve, which lasted for 3 seasons. The rapper/singer/actress has also achieved success in fashion as she started a clothing line titled “Fetish.” She ranked number 48 on VH1’s “50 Greatest Women Of The Video Era” show list.
Debra Antney’s Track Record is An Impressive One As well
The amount of female rappers who have made an impact on the culture of hip hop is far and few and arguably no one knew of Nicki Minaj until music veteran Debra Antney started managing her career. Antney began her career working in NYC as a caseworker for Bureau of Child Welfare (BCW) where she would bring young kids to meet celebrities all the while helping them cope with family issues. This nurturing quality proved to be an essential characteristic later on when she launched her Mizay Entertainment company which is home to the So Icy’s Gucci Mane, OJ Da Juice Man and several other southern entertainers. As a former native of New York City she explains that she just didn’t start running things…she was born a leader and also has family members who have been in the game for some time. Just last year Antney coordinated one of the biggest toy drives in the south when she and her So Icy label which is co-owned with rap star Gucci Mane gave hundreds of toys away to under privileged children. She was also responsible for assisting rapper/actor Ludacris with his Ludacris Foundation.
HHE has just learned that Antney is about to make a power play of her own which has something to do with the signing of a well known pop singer however the official announcement has let to be made.
