Madonna went on: 'So I showed up for the audition and two very large French record producers sat in the empty theater, daring me to be amazing. The dance audition went well. Then they asked me if I had sheet music and a song prepared. I panicked. I had overlooked this important part of the audition process...

'I had to think fast, my next meal was on the line. Fortunately one of my favorite albums was Lady Soul by Aretha Franklin. I blurted out 'You Make Me Feel'… silence. '(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.' Two French guys nodded at me. I said, 'You know, by Aretha Franklin.''

She continued: 'They looked over at the pianist, he shook his head. 'I don't need sheet music,' I said, 'I know every word. I know the song by heart, I will sing it a cappella.' I could see that they did not take me seriously — and why should they?
The criticism didn’t seem to dissuade Minaj, as she maintained her opinion while talking to TMZ before the VMAs.


“I am the new Harriet Tubman,” she said on her way to the VMAs. When asked if she thought it was too far given Tubman’s slavery connections, Minaj repeated, “No, no, I am Harriet Tubman. Leave me alone.”
The controversy began Monday afternoon when she tweeted about Tubman, praising her for shaking “s–t up.”