Nicki Minaj is heading to D.C. to judge a Trump White House business show - and fans are not having it
The SBA's 'Million Dollar Pitch' drops Minaj into an Apprentice-style live competition on September 18, and her own Barbz are split right down the middle.
In brief
Nicki Minaj is heading to D.C. to judge a Trump White House business show - and fans are not having it
The announcement dropped on a Monday and the internet has not quieted down since. According to Complex, SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler posted to her X account on August 31 that Nicki Minaj would sit on the celebrity judging panel for the Small Business Administration's Million Dollar Pitch Competition - a live event set for September 18 in Washington, D.C. The move put Minaj squarely back at the center of a political firestorm she has essentially been living in since she went public with her support for President Trump.
Minaj will be a judge on the new reality series Million Dollar Pitch, announced by the Trump administration, where entrepreneurs will pitch their small businesses for a chance to win a $1 million cash pool. The Shark Tank-meets-The Apprentice format will see five small business finalists from across the country pitch their models to potential investors in a bid to win a portion of a $1 million cash pool.
Minaj will be joined on the judging panel by entrepreneur and private equity fund manager Grant Cardone and Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia. The event, which is being hosted by former Superman star Dean Cain, will feature five finalists vying for a share of a $1 million prize pot.
Minaj herself didn't exactly play it cool. She wrote on X that this was a "major, MAJOR KEY." On X, she said she was "Sooooooooooo looking forward to this!!! Imagine being a part of the Trump Administration's initiative to support small businesses." Three exclamation points wouldn't have done it. She used eight.
The show is set to premiere on September 18 as part of the SBA's Freedom 250 initiative and is the second reality series produced by the Trump administration in his second term, following The Great American Road Trip featuring Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and his family.
Five small businesses emerged as finalists after being evaluated on several categories, including economic impact, execution ability, and strengthening American values. Although it is unclear if President Trump will appear or participate in the show, it is said to follow the format of his famous 2000s reality show, The Apprentice.
The Barbz are not unified on this one
For a rapper whose fanbase runs on loyalty like a religion, the fracture is notable. The Mary Sue reports that while the rapper has expressed genuine enthusiasm for the project, her supporters are clearly divided on her deepening ties to the current administration. The criticism hit fast and it hit loud.
Some fans questioned why Minaj was chosen to judge a competition involving entrepreneurs and criticized her association with Trump. "Everything she does is laughably embarrassing and disgusting; she is literally a court jester for the Republicans," one critic wrote. The phrase "court jester" spread across social media within hours of the announcement.
One social media user posted: "Hope you're being paid well to stoop this low." Another simply wrote, per The Mary Sue: "Being a barb is not fun these days."
This is not a new tension. This latest venture into the political sphere is not an isolated incident for the rapper. Minaj has previously described herself as President Trump's likely number one fan, and her relationship with the administration has become increasingly visible. Trump reciprocated this public support on several occasions. The Blast notes that the rapper and the president became unexpected allies during his second term, and their bond has only grown stronger.
While she's known to music fans as the Queen of Rap, Minaj has several business ventures, including the Pink Friday Fragrance line. She served as a judge for one season of American Idol back in 2013. The SBA gig is her first television judging role in over a decade - just this time it comes with a West Wing co-sign instead of a network TV deal.
The political math here is complicated
What's actually interesting, beyond the Twitter noise, is the broader cultural moment this represents. The Trump administration has now produced two reality TV properties in its second term - a playbook that doubles as both governing and entertainment strategy. Dropping Nicki Minaj into that machinery is a deliberate move: she is one of the most recognizable names in hip-hop, globally, and her presence gives the SBA event cultural reach it could never manufacture on its own.
Small Business Administration head Kelly Loeffler made the announcement on X on August 31, sharing some insight into the Apprentice-inspired series, which promises to give away a $1 million cash pool to five entrepreneurs pitching their small businesses for investment. "SBA is bringing the boardroom energy to Washington, D.C. and rolling out the red carpet for small biz - with an ALL-STAR lineup of celebrity judges," Loeffler wrote.
HotNewHipHop reported the story the same day alongside a wave of other Minaj-adjacent political coverage, and Hollywood Unlocked framed it plainly: Nicki Minaj is taking her business expertise to the nation's capital. The "Starships" rapper, a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump, is set to serve as a judge for the Small Business Administration's Million Dollar Pitch Competition, which will take place live in Washington D.C. on September 18.
For the Barbz who remain loyal - and there are plenty - this is just their artist moving in expanded circles. For those who have been slowly stepping back from Minaj since her politics became impossible to separate from her public persona, September 18 in D.C. is going to be a loud night in both the Potomac ballroom and on the timeline.
The five competing entrepreneurs still haven't been publicly named.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
