Mariah Carey steps up security after Minaj threat

Season 12 of "American Idol" is going to be a long one, because neither Mariah Carey nor Nicki Minaj is backing down in their feud.
After getting into a verbal altercation at an "American Idol" audition earlier this week, during which Minaj allegedly threatened to "shoot" the "Vision Of Love" singer, Carey told Barbara Walters that she wasn't taking the rapper's threats lightly, and the mom of two has beefed up her security team to keep her safe during her "Idol" duties. Well, it should come as no surprise that Carey's comments about the feud didn't sit well with Minaj, who took to Twitter to escalate the drama.

Thursday on "The View," Walters said she spoke with Carey following her spat with Minaj on Tuesday and the 42-year-old singer told her that Minaj had threatened her life. "Nicki walked off the set and multiple people heard Nicki say, 'If I had a gun I would shoot the b---h," Walters shared on the show. Carey said that while she didn't think things would turn violent, she called Minaj "unpredictable" and said she hired extra security just in case. Despite their spat, the feuding judges were actually together in a meeting on Wednesday — but neither seemed to be waving a peace flag. Carey told Walters that during the meeting Minaj said, "I love you but we might fight again," to which Carey replied, "No, we will not."
After "The View" aired on Thursday, Minaj — who denies she threatened to shoot Carey — tweeted her response: "I thought we resolved it yesterday but I see u want ur pity party to continue." The "Super Bass" singer then launched into a full-on rant. "I don't call tmz n Barbara Walters cuz I stand on my own two feet. Never needed an army. God is good. Insecurity is as cruel as the grave," the 29-year-oldwrote. "I guess it hurts 2 have the producers tell u to ur face that nicki is the best judge we've had since simon. Awww, poor u. Keep them lies cmn."
She continued, "All I do is compliment u. That's not enuff? Ur a legend, cheer up. U don't have to run down ur resume or feel intimidated. Shady McGrady."
Carey has kept quiet on the topic on her own Twitter account. On Tuesday, following the argument, she posted one word, "Whyyyyyyyyy?" but then quickly deleted it.
Keith Urban, who was literally between the woman during the war of words, has also weighed in on the fireworks. "I was the UN," he cracked to "Extra" on Wednesday. Then he added, "I love it, I gotta say. I love working with passionate people. I love artists. Everyone just sort of expressing themselves. It's a very alive and very invigorating work environment. A lot of passion."


Mariah Carey was born in Long Island, New York, on March 27, 1969. Her parents are Patricia Hickey (Irish-American) and Alfred Roy Carey (African-American/Venezuelan). Mariah attended Greenlawn's Harborfields High School. In June of 1990, Mariah made her debut with "Mariah Carey" which entered at #73, but on August 4, 1990, it reached #1. Her 1990 self-titled debut album went multi-platinum and spawned an extraordinary four consecutive #1 singles: "Vision of Love," "Love Takes Time," "Someday" and "I Don't Wanna Cry," and led to Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Female Vocalist. Her 1993 album titled Music Box went ten-times platinum. On September 30, 1995, she made music history. Her single "Fantasy" from her 1995 Daydream album debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making her the first female artist to accomplish a number one debut in the U.S. Her other Daydream's single "One Sweet Day" remained for 16 weeks at the top of the charts. She is the only artist since The Beatles to have so many #1 singles and albums. With "Heartbreaker", the first single from her 1999 album Rainbow and also her 14 #1 single, she became the only artist to top the charts in each year of the 1990s, and with "Heartbreaker" at its 60th week atop the Billboard's charts, she pushed ahead of The Beatles's 59-week record as the only artist with the most cumulative weeks spent atop Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart. Following "Heartbreaker," her second single "Thank God I Found You" also from her Rainbow album became her 15th #1. "We Belong Together" from her 2005 album The Emancipation of Mimi became her 16th #1 single and was also her first #1 without any guest artists since her song "My All" (also a #1 single) captured the top spot in May 1998. The single "Don't Forget About Us" also from her 2005 album Emancipation of Mimi became her 17th #1 single, tying her with Elvis Presley's 17 #1 singles. Three more Grammy Awards were gained from The Emancipation of Mimi album. She is the most successful selling female artist in music history and is the only female artist to have the most #1 singles and albums and also holds the record for straight #1 singles and albums each year. Along with numerous awards and incredible vocal range, she also composes all of her own material, with the exception of song covers.

Nicki Minaj, born Onika Tanya Maraj in 1984, grew up with an abusive, drug-addicted father. After attending La Guardia High School for the Arts, she was introduced to rapper Lil Wayne, who launched her career. Her 2010 debut album, Pink Friday, and her single, "Your Love," topped Billboard's charts. A frequent "cameo" singer,