So Did Fergie And Nicki Minaj Film Their New Video In The Same Room Or?

First, the facts.

Fergie dropped a new music video on Tuesday, per Billboard. It’s for a song featuring Nicki Minaj off her upcoming “visual album,” Double Dutchess (out Sept. 22), titled “You Already Know,” which samples Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock classic “It Takes Two.” Check it out below.

Now, listen to me.

I don’t think Fergie and Nicki Minaj filmed “You Already Know” in the same room. I think their respective footage for the “Everybody Everybody”-esque video was filmed on the same set at different times and was then merged and edited together to create the final product we see above.

I’ve reached out to Fergie’s reps at BMG for confirmation, and I will update the story if I hear back. Until I hear otherwise, though, I’m gonna keep claiming that I don’t think Fergie and Nicki filmed the video together because that’s my OPINIONNNNNN.

To start, let’s consider the fact that Nicki has a history of not appearing in the music videos for all of the songs she features on. That’s not a knock against her. To the contrary: It’s kind of a good thing? Like, she works on so many songsso many hit songs, in factthat there’s no way that she could fit all of the main artists’ filming dates into her busy schedule. Anyway, please see Madonna’s “Bitch I’m Madonna” and Katy Perry’s more recent Katy Perry’s “Swish Swish” for examples of this green-screen trickery.

Next, let’s review the footage. Sure, there are a handful of shots where Fergie and Nicki share the frame, or at least appear to. Take a closer look, however, and you’ll notice how in the majority of them the two are staggered, one in the foreground and one in the back

Even when they appear in close physical proximity, there’ almost always just enough space so that they don’t bump or rub up against one another.

I’d also like to point out that there scenes that demonstrate how Fergie’s team had access to the kind video editing effects that could merge two pieces of footage together in order to make it appear as if two people who filmed their appearances separately actually filmed their appearances together. See the shots below? Two Fergies? In the same frame? Who’s to say the Dutchess’ team couldn’t have applied the same technology to her and Nicki’s separately filmed footage?

There’s one part of the video that makes me doubt myself. And for that, it is my nemesis. I cannot murder the part as it is but a part in a music video, and thus no knife can pierce its organs, if it in fact has any. But I can eviscerate the part in the court of public opinion.

About three and a half minutes into “You Already Know,” Fergie appears to rise up through Nicki’s arms, mere inches from Minaj’s face. Her face passes through Nicki’s hands, and it appears as if they touch. Upon closer inspection, however, it does not appear as if Fergie’s hair moves, which one would expect should one see hair pass through the fingers of another. Look at the hair.

The hair.

She does not move.

Or, maybe she does. Sure, that darkened strand of hair on the back of Fergie’s head could be cast in shadows on account of the strand Nicki’s raised above it, thereby blocking out its light source. It could also be some shoddy video editing, eyedropping the color of the darker hairs below it in an attempt to make it look separated by Nicki’s fingers. You be the judge. Or just let me be the judge.

Plus, Fergie posted a promotional raw shot of the video shoot to Instagram on Aug. 27. What was Nicki doing on Aug. 27? Um, only squeezing into a pastel pink latex bodysuit in preparation for the MTV Video Music Awards, filmed live later that night. Fergie actually tweeted a photo of Nicki on the red carpet, applauding her “You Already Know” collaborator’s look from the comfort of I don’t know where but like maybe it was the music video shoot??

In conclusion, I don’t think Fergie and Nicki did not film the “You Already Know” video on the same day. I believe they filmed separate appearances, and then an editing team merged said footage together.

Thank you.