For those who found Nicki Minaj's space Barbie costume from her performance on the pre-show at the VMAs a bit distracting, you're in luck. For her performance of her single "Check It Out," with Will.i.am, Nicki toned it down quite a bit with her standard black wig and a colorful, but not too bizarre, jumpsuit. Will.i.am, who David Letterman called "Will.Am.I" several times, recycled his space age VMAs outfit, minus the black body paint but plus the Gumby rubber hair.
Overall, the performance was less random than the VMAs in part, because we knew what to expect this time. Nicki's more demure look also helped avoid the WTF factor. But Will.i.am stuck out like a sore thumb. While Nicki and her dancers were trying to run through a well-choreographed routine, there Will was like a roadblock. He looked lost and he took up valuable space. If Will's not going to get into the routine, then he should just let Nicki do the song solo. It takes two, baby.
Watch Nicki and Will.i.am's performance on Letterman below
