What happened to U-N-I-T-Y?
Nicki Minaj, Megan Thee Stallion, and other female rappers in the Rap industry (which is known for misogyny, sexism, and being extremely hard on women) are doing what they can to reshape the Hip-Hop world.
It is sad to see Black women in the same field pitted against each other or feel like there is only room for one of them.
The lively and jaw-dropping feud between Megan Thee Stallion and Nicki Minaj has taken the world by storm within the last week.
Most people are familiar with the widely praised ‘Queen of Rap,’ Nicki Minaj. The Queens native is a Trinidadian rapper and singer who gained popularity for her alter-egos, energetic beats, and impact on pop music.
Megan Thee Stallion is a Houston, Texas-raised rapper who is making her mark in the modern Rap Game, with hits such as “Body” “Savage” and “Captain Hook”.
Megan has won six Grammys to date and is said to be going on tour later this summer.
In her latest song, ‘Hiss,’ listeners felt ‘shots were fired’ at stars such as Drake, Pardi, Tory Lanez, and Nicki Minaj.
In Hiss, Megan raps, “These h— don’t be mad at Megan, these h— mad at Megan’s Law…” (Megan’s Law is a federal law in the U.S. that requires law enforcement to publicize information about registered sex offenders.)
It is widely known that Nicki’s husband, Kenneth Petty is a registered sex offender, as well as her brother, Jelani Maraj.
As a result, some listeners felt that Megan threw shade at Nicki’s family or other celebrities who support sex offenders.
When ‘Hiss’ debuted on January 25, Minaj took to X, formerly known as Twitter, and shared her opinion in a long set of posts. She later went live on Instagram to voice her thoughts further with fans.
In retaliation to Megan Thee Stallion’s claims, Barbz, members of Nicki Minaj’s fanbase, have reportedly doxxed (leaked private personal information such as addresses, phone numbers, etc) of various creators on Tiktok and X who created videos or posted messages showing support for Megan Thee Stallion and berating Minaj for her behavior.
Freshman international business management student Rayyan Abdur Razzaq shared her thoughts on the situation, stating how both Nicki Minaj and the Barbz have crossed the line.
“Nicki brought up Megan’s dead mother in a “rap beef” that was non-existent until Nicki made it a thing. Barbz {have} been doxxing hundreds of influencers who speak about Nicki and her husband {although} everything they’ve said is true. Putting lives at risk over celebrity “beef” is never okay,” Razzaq said.
After Hiss’s release, Nicki posted on X that she would be dropping a surprise song titled “Big Foot.”
The song’s release was initially scheduled for 3 pm PST but was delayed. It eventually came out on January 28 and had everyone on the internet talking.
This feud polarized the Barbz with some fans backing up Nicki while leaving others conflicted about whose side they are on.
Skylar Montague, a senior business information technology student, is a fan of Minaj and shared her thoughts on the situation that exploded all over social media.
“As a Barb myself, I think many Barbz are social media warriors who have too much free time, but fans definitely are a reflection of their artist and what they allow their fans to do,” Montague said.
Megan is still defining her brand and name, while Minaj is seen as a veteran in the rap game with a decade-long career.
Montague said, “Megan is an opportunist and works with who is going to help her garner attention and sales. In the music industry that isn’t something that should be frowned upon, but you have to remember who your true supporters are.”
Former Barbz have come forward online saying that they don’t support Nicki’s current actions and are starting to wonder if she has a real substance abuse issue or is even in her right mind at the moment.
Years ago, the rapper shared that at one point, she was addicted to the Percocets prescribed to her for painful menstrual cramps via Complex.com.
In 2021, Minaj took to Instagram Live to say she has never done Cocaine. And in April of 2022, she responded to fan questions on X, asking if she was high, saying “I’m sober and loving life.”
Minaj is at a place in her career where she is viewed with respect and revered by young women who want to make a space for themselves in the rap world, but to some, her behavior seems to communicate that she may only see these newcomers as competition.
This dispute with Megan Thee Stallion is not the first for Minaj, who had a similar fall-out with Cardi B in 2017-18 and the infamous “rap beef” between her and Lil Kim in the early 2010s.
It would be a great moment to see Megan and Nicki turn the situation around and create something beautiful with the attention they have garnered, but for all we know, the two may never see eye-to-eye again.
