Nicki Minaj Accused of Bot Activity in Political Posts

On Monday, Politico sparked controversy with a report alleging that rap artist Nicki Minaj had employed a network of bots to elevate her political commentary on social media. However, the evidence cited by Politico seems to have significant flaws.

To make matters worse, the analysis was conducted by Cyabra, a firm linked to Minaj’s competitors, including Jay-Z and Cardi B. This connection raises questions about the report’s credibility.

According to Cyabra, they found that a considerable amount of Minaj’s social media engagement resulted from “inauthentic amplification” of her political posts on her X account. They also alleged that she had recently recruited 18,000 fake bot accounts to promote pro-Trump content.

The report claimed that Cyabra conducted a focused analysis on Minaj’s official X account for two months, specifically looking at politically related posts to assess the authenticity of interacting accounts. They stated, “The study identified significantly elevated levels of fraud within the comment sections of these posts, with 33% of attractive accounts being deemed fake, which is notably higher than what is usually seen in genuine social media conversations.”

Ultimately, Cyabra expressed strong confidence that a coordinated effort was underway to artificially boost political content on Minaj’s account during the review period.

Yet, critics highlighted that the organization behind the report has ties to Minaj’s rivals, including David Wander from Jay-Z’s Roc Nation and Mike Guirguis, who represents Cardi B. This relationship has led some to suggest an agenda to undermine Minaj’s career.

Trump advisor Alex Brucewicz dismissed the Cyabra findings as “100% BS” and noted that Politico failed to mention these affiliations, accusing them of “fake news hacking.” He critiqued Politico for being “unethical” by not disclosing the full context surrounding the report.

Additionally, the Cyabra report has its own inconsistencies. It incorrectly labeled several legitimate X accounts, including those for Turning Point USA, former President Trump, and UN Ambassador Michael Walz, as fake. Critics argue that if these accounts were misidentified, it’s likely that many others were too.

Several well-known X commentators have voiced their concerns about Politico’s reporting as well, pointing out perceived shortcomings.

In a turn of events, Cardi B has publicly condemned Brucewicz for linking her to the Cyabra report, asserting that her agent’s involvement is merely as an investor and does not imply any control over the company. She has even threatened legal action against him for his statements.

In response, Brucewicz appears unfazed by the rapper’s threats.