For the past two weeks, the Queen of Rap, Nicki Minaj, has been in different online battles via social media. Her current challengers include “Big Energy” rapper Latto and the Grammys.
Minaj took to social media after the Grammys nominated her most recent song, “Super Freaky Girl,” in the solo pop category. Minaj disagreed with their point of view and asserted that it belonged in the rap genre like her previously nominated songs.
To start her social media rant, Minaj went to Instagram and posted a 16-minute live video. She captioned the video “🤔 Dear Grammys” and went into specific detail about the situation and her feelings on the matter.
Minaj began the video by explaining that her song has been No. 1 on the charts for eight weeks. She then asked why it was removed from the rap category; she pointed out that even though she rapped in all of the song’s verses, the Grammys still placed it in the pop genre.
Minaj then went on to explain that in 2017, Drake’s poppy “Hotline Bling” won best rap song. She then posed the question, if “Super Freaky Girl” is a pop song, then what is Latto’s “Big Energy”?
Minaj explained that if her song falls into the pop category, then so should “Big Energy.” Many saw the specific comment as a dig at Latto and an unnecessary addition to the conversation.
“In order to uplift the people who they want to shine, they must move the goalpost for me all the time,” said Minaj in her video.
The previous quote explained why Minaj believes her song may have been moved to a different category. Looking at Minaj’s point, classifying both songs as pop would be fair since they share similar sounds and the same producers.
Following her Instagram video, Minaj also took to Twitter to voice her concerns. In a series of tweets, she continued to vent and received support from her fans.
Latto responded to Minaj’s Tweets with her own set of tweets. She shared screenshots of private conversations between her and Minaj, and then explained that she agreed with Minaj’s opinion but didn’t like how the rapper took the issue to Twitter. In her own tweets, Latto explained how the beef with Minaj was more than just about the Grammy nomination.
“U being funny bringing me up to defend ur case knowing our last convo didn’t end on good terms. U literally told me I’m not ‘flourishing’ and no one cares about my little song otp lol,” tweeted Latto.
Due to the feud, Latto and Minaj will no longer associate with one another. Both women have continued to express their opinions on the matter as they receive support from their fans.
As their feud has progressed, both women have seen attacks on their personal lives as well. Latto called out Minaj’s husband, Kenneth Petty, who’d been convicted of attempted rape in 1995, while Latto herself has been associated with Kodak Black, who was indicted on a sexual assault charge.
Now that their beef is settling down, fans and other artists will see how the 2023 Grammy awards show will go.
In addition to the beef and Minaj’s complaints, the Grammys also have a history of racial bias when it comes to their voting methods, even facing several lawsuits. The bias may need to be taken into account when looking at Minaj’s opinion, as the issue can be seen as part of something systematic. With the Grammy season starting again, Minaj’s complaints may not be the only ones to be heard in the upcoming year.
Minaj’s History and Feuds With Other Female Rappers
Latto isn’t the only female artist who has had beef with Nicki Minaj. Earlier in the month, Minaj hopped into Cardi B’s beef with JT from the City Girls. During their beef, Minaj made a photo of JT her profile picture on Twitter to show support for her fellow rapper. In response, Cardi B changed her profile picture to a photo of Remy Ma, one of Minaj’s oldest rivals.
Cardi B and Minaj’s feud with one another started before the most recent Twitter incident. Dating back to 2017, the two could be heard giving subtle disses to one another in their songs. Though the feud seemed to be resolved, fans would continue to wonder if the women’s lyrics were about one another. There was also an issue between the two on their collaborative song “Motor Sport.” In 2018, Minaj and Cardi B got into a heated argument at a New York Fashion Week Party where a shoe was thrown and mean comments were made to one another.
More seasoned rapper Lil Kim has also had disagreements with Minaj starting in 2007, when Minaj released a mixtape that resembled Kim’s album “Hard Core.” Since then, Minaj has been seen as copying Lil Kim in her work. Through their feud, the two have dissed one another through songs and shout-outs at concerts, as well as left mean comments about one another in interviews.
Along with Lil Kim, Minaj has beefed with many other female rappers. One of her most famous feuds is with the aforementioned Remy Ma. Their beef goes back to 2006 when Ma proclaimed herself as the Queen of Rap in one of her songs. Since then, the two have dissed each other in some of their newer song lyrics.
Holding the title of the Queen of Rap, Minaj has been through a lot. Minaj has many other beefs with other female musicians, including Iggy Azalea, Miley Cyrus, Megan Thee Stallion, Missy Elliot, Queen Latifah, Azealia Banks and countless others. She also has beef with other people both inside and outside of the music realm, including male rappers and other artists.
As listeners look into each of Minaj’s feuds, it can be assumed that beefs come with the territory. Taking a deeper look, one can also see how Minaj’s falling out with other women rappers seems like a pattern and something that evokes the stereotype that women have to attack one another instead of supporting each other.
