Veteran entertainer Barry Manilow is stunned by the alleged use of Nazi imagery in rapper Nicki Minaj's new promo for Only, insisting the backlash will have a damaging affect on her career.

The Starships hitmaker released the animated video, which depicts Minaj as a powerful dictator leading an army of men wearing red armbands, on Friday (07Nov14), but she soon found herself under attack from Anti-Defamation League (Adl) officials, who claimed the footage was "insensitive to Holocaust survivors" and "deeply disturbing and offensive to Jews".

The condemnation prompted Minaj to respond to the criticism via Twitter.com, revealing she was unaware of the parallels, which she is adamant were unintentional.

She added, "Both the producer, & person in charge of over seeing the lyric video (one of my best friends & videographer: A. Loucas), happen to be Jewish... I didn't come up w/ (with) the concept, but I'm very sorry & take full responsibility if it has offended anyone. I'd never condone Nazism in my art."

However, her apology isn't enough for Manilow, who cannot understand how Minaj's managers and label representatives would allow the release of such a video in the first place.

The Mandy hitmaker, who is Jewish, tells U.S. news show Access Hollywood Live, "I can't believe what she's saying, really; I can't believe what I'm hearing... How is this happening...? What about all the people around her stopping her from releasing this? This is bad for her career, man."