Rapper Nicki Minaj, not known for her conservatism in other walks of life, has apparently endorsed Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on a new mixtape.
Minaj appears on the record Mercy, a freestyle rap over a Kanye West beat. While talking about her earnings, Minaj raps: "I'm a Republican voting for Mitt Romney, you lazy b*tches are f*cking up the economy.”
Some fans have claimed the hip hop star was parodying attitudes among rich Americans. The line appears on a mix tape released by rapper Lil Wayne.
In Republican red? Rapper Nicky Minaj
Celebrity endorsements are not always welcomed by candidates.
While Democrat incumbent President Barack Obama has close friendships with high-profile supporters George Clooney and Sarah Jessica Parker, and Romney cosying up to Jon Voight and Donald Trump, others have done more harm than good.
Obama publicly dumped Scarlett Johansson, who said her and the then presidential hopeful had exchanged personal emails as she vocally supported his campaign - but he said they had been sent by an aide.
And after Clint Eastwood performed a bizarre warm-up routine at the Republican convention, talking to an empty chair as if it were Obama, aides went into damage control, telling reporters "Judging an American icon like Clint Eastwood through a typical political lens doesn't work."
The Spice Girls, the then-biggest stars on the planet, still couldn't manage to swing the 1997 election.
Ginger Spice Geri Halliwell waded into the election frenzy, declaring: "I saw a lot of what Mrs Thatcher did. She was definitely the original Spice Girl rising from the greengrocer's daughter to Prime Minister."
She went on to call Margaret Thatcher the spiritual sixth member of the group.
TV presenter Lauren Laverne, then in rival band Kenickie, called Halliwell "Tory scum".
The endorsement did not prevent Tony Blair's Labour party's biggest ever election win, which should give some reassurance to Obama over Minaj's shock announcement.
But the support clearly still meant a lot to the Conservative party, even 15 years later - Mayor of London Boris Johnson and Prime Minister David Cameron looked like they were enjoying Spice Up Your Life at the Olympic Closing Ceremony this year.