Steven Tyler to Nicki Minaj: "I'm not racist"

Steven Tyler has tried to clear the air about comments he made about Nicki Minaj and "American Idol."

The Aerosmith frontman has apologized to the "Starships" singer and new "American Idol" judge after she criticized him of being "racist."

It all started earlier this week when Tyler talked about the current "Idol" judges' panel that in addition to Minaj, features Mariah Carey, Keith Urban and Randy Jackson. The next season doesn't start airing until January, but audition footage has leaked out, showing Carey and Minaj at odds on the set. Tyler said that when he was an "American Idol" judge it was tough for him to be critical; he suggested that strong personalities could cause a tense environment for the singing hopefuls.

"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!," he told MTV News. 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."

Minaj took aim at Tyler's remarks and blasted him in a series of tweets, calling him "racist," and writing, "You assume that I wouldn't have liked Bob Dylan??? why? black? rapper? what?"

"I apologize if it was taken wrong, Nicki," he told Canadian TV show eTalk on Wednesday. "But I am the farthest thing...from being a racist. I am the last thing on this planet as far as being a racist. I don't know where she got that out of me saying I'm not sure how she would've judged Bob Dylan. I was just saying that if Bob Dylan came on the show, he would have been thrown off the show."

Tyler added, "Maybe I spoke out of turn... But a racist I'm not, Nicki."

Check out Minaj's tweets about Tyler:

Watch Tyler's comments below: