The new season of American Idol hasn’t even begun, and already new judge Nicki Minaj is involved in a twitter row with former incumbent Steven Tyler. In a recent interview with MTV News, Tyler, 64, rather unfairly (and definitely precipitously) attacked 29-year-old Minaj’s judging skills.

The Aerosmith frontman gave an interview slamming the new judges on the show, and said: ‘You just have to give your opinion. It wasn’t hard for me, but I would imagine it’s hard for some people, and they need a manager to say ‘Shut the f***up, and just give them your opinion.’

Tyler said: ‘These kids, they just got out of a car from the Midwest somewhere and they’re in New York City, they’re scared to death; you’re not going to get the best [out of them]

‘If it was Bob Dylan, Nicki Minaj would have had him sent to the cornfield! Whereas, if it was Bob Dylan with us, we would have brought the best of him out, as we did with Phillip Phillips. Just saying.’

An understandably miffed Minaj responded on Twitter.

She wrote: ‘Steven Tyler said I would have sent Bob Dylan to a cornfield??? Steven, you haven’t seen me judge one single solitary contestant yet!’

Before adding: ‘I understand you really wanted to keep your job but take that up with the producers. I haven’t done anything to you. That’s a racist comment.’

She later added: ‘You assume that I wouldn’t have liked Bob Dylan??? why? black? rapper? what? go f*** yourself and worry about yourself babe.’

Most Twitter users seem to agree that while Tyler was out of order, he was being ageist if anything as Bob Dylan, 71, is a leading light of his generation.

The cornfield he’s referring to is the Midwest he mentioned earlier in relation to the hopefuls from middle America who are sent home when they are voted out of the competition.

Ashton Tyler | Elite.