Nicki Minaj
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The year 2011 was a fever dream for pop culture enthusiasts, marked by neon aesthetics and an unapologetic sense of the absurd. At the heart of this kitsch revolution was Nicki Minaj, who famously stormed the iHeartRadio Music Festival stage wearing a neon pink, life-sized fried chicken wing around her neck.

However, the playful camp of the early 2010s has curdled into a bitter political standoff in 2026. The designer behind that viral accessory is auctioning the original item, signed by the rapper, after Minaj's MAGA turn disappointed the artist.

'It Matters to Me'

Onch, the Taiwanese-American immigrant designer behind the popular accessory, has confirmed to Page Six his decision to auction the original pink fried chicken wing necklace. The designer expressed a profound sense of 'disgust' following Minaj's definitive pivot into the MAGA movement.

He noted that while the piece was once a symbol of artistic freedom and trend-setting, it has been tainted by the rapper's recent political associations. In December, Minaj embraced her full MAGA side and even appeared alongside President Donald Trump, hand in hand, on stage at the US Treasury Department's Trump Accounts Summit in Washington, DC, on 28 January 2026.

'As an artist of colour, it matters to me how my work is remembered', Onch told the outlet. 'Redirecting this moment toward giving back allows the design to carry new meaning beyond the current spectacle.'

The necklace went on the auction block on 24 February with a minimum bid of $30,000 (£23,000). By sending the item to auction, the designer seeks to sever the link between his brand and the rapper's current persona. Onch intends for the proceeds to mark a new chapter, one in which his celebrated designs are not tied to figures he believes are harming the community.

Reassessing the Viral History of the Chicken Wing

When Nicki Minaj first donned the accessory in 2011, it was an instant sensation that blurred the lines between high fashion and internet memes. Onch, who had previously called the rapper 'the perfect muse', saw his career skyrocket as the 'Barbz' clamoured for their own versions of the 'meat-lace'.

The demand was so immense that Onch Movement eventually released various iterations, including a gold-cast version to celebrate the 2017 Remy Ma diss track 'shETHER'. For over a decade, the design was viewed as a harmless staple of pop art, representing the vibrant energy of the rapper's early 'Harajuku Barbie' era.

A Public MAGA Transformation

The shift in Minaj's public image reached a climax in late 2025 and early 2026. In December 2025, she made a surprise appearance at Turning Point USA's AmericaFest. She joined Charlie Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, on stage for an interview, during which the Bang Bang hitmaker spoke fondly of Trump and VP JD Vance.

At the event, Minaj also suggested that the MAGA crowd was the 'cool kids' and praised the current administration. This was followed by an even more significant appearance in January 2026 at a Treasury Department Summit in Washington, DC.

Standing on stage with President Trump to launch the 'Trump Accounts' programme, the rapper declared herself the president's 'number one fan'. She doubled down on her stance, claiming that the 'smear campaigns' against the administration would not work.

'I will say that I am probably the president's number one fan, and that's not going to change,' Minaj said. 'And the hate or what people have to say, it does not affect me at all. It actually motivates me to support him more.'

Fans Call for Deportation After Perceived Betrayal

For many of Minaj's long-term fans, particularly those in the Black and LGBTQ+ communities, her right-wing pivot feels like a personal betrayal. This sentiment is amplified by the fact that the rapper once criticised the very immigration policies she now seems to support.

Public anger has reached such a pitch that online petitions calling for her deportation have surpassed 120,000 signatures. Critics argue that her alignment with a platform that has historically targeted immigrants is the ultimate hypocrisy. As her loyal fans grapple with this new reality, the auctioning of her most famous necklace serves as a symbolic end to her status as a pop-culture darling.

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