As Nicki Minaj’s polarizing Grammy performance of her new record “Roman Holiday” on Sunday night (Feb. 12) continues to trigger controversy, her YMBCB brethren, Lil Twist, says he doesn’t know what all the fuss is about. In fact, Lil Twist applauded Minaj’s colorful performance.

“I loved Nicki’s song and performance,” Twist beamed to XXLMag.com in New York City recently. “I love Nicki’s whole swagger. She doesn’t care what anyone else thinks. That’s what I really love about my sister and how she goes about herself. That performance was Nicki. That’s all I can, say—it was so Nicki.”

Several days removed, most music fans know that Minaj's Grammy performance included her rapping through a makeshift confessional to a priest and ended with her alter-ego Roman being levitated.

19-year-old Twist isn’t likely to forget Nicki’s performance any time soon, but that isn’t the only Grammy-related event he’ll remember. Twist said he’ll unfortunately always remember the Grammys for the news that preceded the Awards the previous day—the shocking death of legendary singer Whitney Houston.

“It was super surreal,” he says. “It was crazy. Being in L.A., I got the news and I was the first person to tell my mom. She was very hurt. It was crazy, man. I talked to Bobbi Christina a minute ago—when I first came into music—through a mutual friend in L.A. My heart goes out to her family.”

Houston’s funeral will be held on Saturday (Feb. 18) in her hometown of Newark, N.J. —Shaheem Reid

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