Nicki Minaj
(Picture: Getty Images for Marc Jacobs)Rapper Nicki Minaj went from being a local mixtape rapper to becoming icon in hip hop - but not without generating a lot of controversy along the way.
And she hit the headlines again this week after an Instagram Live where she defended former Little Mix singer Jesy Nelson against Blackfishing claims and criticised Nelson’s former Little Mix bandmate Leigh-Anne Pinnock over an alleged comment she made that was leaked on Instagram.
In the apparent exchange, which indy100 has not verified, messages purported to be from an account belonging to Pinnock mention the Blackfishing controversy, while claiming Nelson has cut her and her Little Mix bandmates off. She also allegedly describes Nelson as a “horrible person.”
In response, Minaj said: “If you was in this woman’s group and you ain’t talk about this sh*t for 10 years and as soon as you see she got a video coming out with Nicki Minaj and Puffy, now you sending text messages and all this sh*t…print those text messages out, bust your a** open and shove them up your motherf***ing a**.
She went on: “Stop trying to hurt people and kill people’s lives and careers, this is the way people feed their families. Stop – if you want a solo career, baby girl, just say that.”
The rapper then branded Pinnock a “big jealous bozo.”
But the latest furore is just one many throughout Minaj’s career. Here are more of her various controversies over the years:
The swollen testicle debacle
Since Covid-19 vaccines became widely available in 2021, there has been a lot of discussion about them. On one side of the debate, statistics suggest that most people who have been vaccinated haven't needed to be hospitalized if they contract the virus.
Then there are those who say they don't trust the vaccine and refuse to get the jab. Nicki Minaj joined the controversy after declaring on Twitter she would not be attending the Met Gala in New York City in 2021 because attendees were required to provide proof of immunization.
They want you to get vaccinated for the Met. if I get vaccinated it won’t for the Met. It’ll be once I feel I’ve done enough research. I’m working on that now. In the meantime my loves, be safe. Wear the mask with 2 strings that grips your head & face. Not that loose one 🙏♥️
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) September 13, 2021
In another tweet, Minaj claimed that her cousin’s friend in Trinidad “became impotent” and had swollen testicles after the vaccination.
My cousin in Trinidad won’t get the vaccine cuz his friend got it & became impotent. His testicles became swollen. His friend was weeks away from getting married, now the girl called off the wedding. So just pray on it & make sure you’re comfortable with ur decision, not bullied
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) September 13, 2021
Many health experts thought this was absurd, including Terrence Deyalsingh, Trinidad’s Health Minister. Plenty of other people, including many of Minaj’s fans, also disagreed with her ideology.
The beef with Cardi B and “MotorSport”
Minaj was basically the only female rapper that dominated the charts before Cardi B burst onto the scene with her mixtapes in 2016. That changed once Cardi’s big hit “Bodak Yellow” was released in 2017. Fans immediately began pitting the females against one another. Cardi rejected the idea of having issues with Minaj, and the two worked together on the song “MotorSport’ with Migos. However, the song created some tension between Cardi and Minaj.
That’s because Cardi alleged in an interview with Capital XTRA that Minaj modified her verse on the song after it was recorded. Minaj responded on Beats 1 with Zane Lowe, saying she was “hurt” by Cardi’s annoyance when she spoke about the “MotorSport” verse.
Then, in September of 2018, the situation escalated when Cardi attempted to confront Minaj at a party held during New York Fashion Week. Following the altercation, Cardi accused the rapper of disparaging Kulture, her newborn baby. On her Beats 1 Queen Radio show, Minaj addressed Cardi’s claim.
“I was wearing a Vauthier gown off the motherf***ing runway and I could not believe how humiliating it all felt, how we made ourselves look,” said Minaj, according to Variety.
Jessie J irked her over her verse in “Bang Bang”
You were probably bopping your head to "Bang Bang," a song by Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj, in 2014. The song was a smash hit, reaching No. 3 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. In addition, the video has over 1.7 billion views as of September 2021. So, given the song’s success, why was Minaj so furious about it in 2021? That has to do with a Glamour interview Jessie gave on how the rapper ended up on the song.
“’Bang Bang’ was a song that already existed,” Jessie noted. We [Grande and Jessie] didn’t go to her and ask; she wanted to do it.”
In since-deleted tweets published by Page Six, Minaj stated that she didn’t ask to be on the song, her label asked her to do it and “paid” her. She then told Jessie to stop with the untruths.
“The label asked me2get on it & paid me,” Minaj wrote in the since-deleted tweet.
“How would I have heard the song? Chiiille what am I the damn song monitor? Snoopin around for songs chile,” Minaj added.
The “Miley, what’s good” MTV confrontation
It doesn’t appear that hosting an awards show is easy, given that it includes keeping the event moving, being spontaneously amusing, and racing backstage to change clothing. Miley Cyrus hosted the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards, faced another challenge when Nicki Minaj called her out.
Cyrus was asked about a feud between Minaj and Taylor Swift just days before the ceremony. In a tweet at the time, Minaj chastised MTV for not nominating her "Anaconda" video for Video of the Year. Swift was offended by her statement that the network solely "celebrates women with very slender" bodies, which she took personally and retaliated to.
But Minaj swiftly clarified that she wasn’t referring to Swift, and that everything between them was fine. When Cyrus hosted the VMAs, however, what she told The New York Times about Minaj came back to get her. "What I read sounded like Nicki Minaj," Cyrus stated in her interview, "which, if you know Nicki Minaj, is not very kind." When Minaj won the prize for Best Hip Hop Video, she addressed the singer of "Wrecking Ball."
"Now, back to this b***h who had a lot to say about me in the press the other day. What’s up, Miley?” Minaj asked. Cyrus responded by claiming that her interview had been staged, but it didn’t seem to help matters because Minaj was still ranting on the stage.
Nicki Minaj roasted in Remy Ma’s scathing diss track
There were reports that Bronx rapper Remy Ma threw subtle barbs at Nicki Minaj in songs before their conflict exploded in 2017, such as on Brooklyn rapper Phresher’s 2016 cut "Wait A Minute." Minaj has also been accused of hurling shots at Remy, as evidenced by her Gucci Mane-assisted song "Make Love." However, after Remy released her Minaj diss hit "Shether" in 2017, suspicions about whether the two women had serious issues were resolved. Remy makes fun of Minaj’s prior ensembles, accuses her of instigating Drake and Meek Mill’s famous dispute, and claims she utilizes ghostwriters in the audio.
Minaj responded to Remy with a song called "No Frauds," which featured Drake and Lil Wayne, in which she mentioned Remy being suspected of shooting a lady named Makeda Barnes-Joseph in 2007. She also casts doubt on her friend’s parenting abilities and accuses her of signing a terrible record deal. Following the release of "No Frauds," an online dispute erupted over who had won the war. Some believed Remy did because "Shether" was more scathing, while others said "No Frauds" because Drake and Lil Wayne made it seem like a grander song.
The feud with a former ‘16 and Pregnant’ reality star
It was rapper vs. reality celebrity. Former "16 and Pregnant" and "Teen Mom OG" stars Nicki Minaj and Farrah Abraham. After Minaj watched Abraham’s show in 2016, an online back-and-forth erupted. Those who have watched "Teen Mom OG" know that Abraham and her mother, Debra Danielsen, have a feud.
Or, more particularly, they may have witnessed the reality star repeatedly disrespect her mother, which was too much for Minaj to bear. So, what did she do? She went on Twitter and said some pretty horrible things about Abraham, which MTV covered. She also stated that Danielsen was mistreated by the reality star and that she should be grateful that she is assisting her with her daughter Sophia.
Abraham eventually clapped back and suggested that Minaj shouldn’t have question the relationship between herself, her mom, and Sophia since the rapper wasn’t a mother at the time.
Your mother didn't open her legs and have that child. Be happy she's helping! Stop talking to her like that on tv u lil cunt @F1abraham
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) January 10, 2016
The former MTV star then ridiculed Minaj’s music videos, calling them p***. Minaj then channelled the role of an English teacher and criticized Abraham’s spelling.
Instead of dragging your mother, learn the difference between "you're" & "your", ding bat
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) January 10, 2016
Issues with ‘her f***ing highness’ Mariah Carey
Although Paula Abdul was a celebrity judge when "American Idol" premiered in 2002, the show's stars appeared to be the singers. It might be stated that this altered over time, as the judging panel no longer consisted just of Abdul, Randy Jackson, and Simon Cowell, but now included Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith. However, in the twelfth season, they were replaced by Nicki Minaj, Keith Urban, and Mariah Carey, who accompanied Jackson. When the new star judges were hired, they immediately made news, primarily due to Minaj and Carey's continuous feud.
At a press conference in New York City, Carey denied there were any tensions between herself and Minaj, according to MTV. However, a video received by TMZ contradicted the "Vision of Love" singer since it showed Minaj shouting.
"I told them, I’m not f***ing putting up with her f***ing highness over there," Minaj can be heard saying. Minaj later noted that she and Carey weren’t seeing eye to eye because the iconic singer wanted to be the only woman judge, “thinking somebody’s coming to steal her shine," Minaj explained.
Seemingly throwing an insult at Lil Kim
When Minaj first made a name for herself in the rap game, there were many references to Lil' Kim due to Minaj's occasionally racy lyrics. The resemblance became even greater when Minaj posted a photo of herself in 2007 that looked virtually identical to the advertising shots Kim took for her debut album "Hardcore." So it's reasonable to assume that Kim would have taken Minaj under her wing or at the very least befriended her.
Instead, they clashed and were accused of singing songs that were aimed at each other. "Did I kill a queen?" Minaj raps on the remix to Diddy's song "Hello Good Morning." Given Kim's nickname, The Queen Bee, some assumed that was a dig at her.
Kim was also accused of slamming Minaj over the instrumental of Beyoncé and Minaj's "Flawless" remix, claiming she'd destroy the younger rapper with her "old" content. Following that, there were more accusations of subtle insults, and the ladies didn't appear to want to be in the same room with each other.
But at the BET Awards in June 2021, Kim surprised many by declaring she'd be willing to compete against Minaj in a Verzuz battle, an internet series in which two popular artists perform their hits. Minaj didn't comment to the Verzuz chatter, but the mere possibility of Kim and Nicki working together on some level sparked a lot of buzz online.
Lil’ Kim says she’s down to do a #VERZUZ with Nicki Minaj! 🐝 🦄 pic.twitter.com/QLoaOGa1zP
— Female Rap Room (@FemaleRapRoom) June 27, 2021
Collaborations with Tekashi 6ix9ine
After being arrested by the feds in New York City in 2018 on accusations of weapons violations, racketeering conspiracy, and drug trafficking, Brooklyn rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine was eventually given a reduced sentence under the condition that he testifies against members of his old gang. Snitching, or testifying against your friends or associates, can ostracize you in some communities, hip hop being one of them.
That was certainly the case with Tekashi, who immediately established himself as hip hop's arch-nemesis. As a result, when it was announced that Nicki Minaj will work with him on the song "Trollz" in 2020, many people slammed her. In 2018, Minaj and Tekashi collaborated on the song "FEFE."
Here’s what Minaj said when a fan stuck up for her amid commentary about her working with the rapper.
You don’t have to defend me. I’m not afraid of internet trolls, blogs, artists. I don’t jump on band wagons. Many will never know what it feels like to have a mind of their own. https://t.co/NDmClqkwiW
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) December 15, 2018
Dissing civil rights legend Rosa Parks
Minaj presumably only wanted to excite her fans and get some reaction when she debuted her single "Yikes" on Instagram in 2020. Instead, she received a barrage of criticism for using the late civil rights activist Rosa Parks' name in a line. Parks is well known for refusing to relinquish her bus seat to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955, against the driver's orders. "All you b****es Rosa Parks, get your a** up," Minaj raps in "Yikes." It didn't help that Minaj released the song clip during Black History Month.
Many people on social media chastised the rapper for the line, claiming it was a smack in the face of Parks, the Montgomery Bus Boycott (which Parks helped initiate), and the civil rights struggle.
Anita Peek, who worked with Parks and is the Executive Director of the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development, told TMZ that the line would "extremely hurt" the civil rights icon. Then, after a news outlet reported that Minaj referred to her Parks lyric as having "bad timing," she retweeted the headline and categorically refuted it. "Never said this," Minaj wrote. "Had no clue anyone was mad. Don't Care. #Yikes"
