American rap sensation Nicki Minaj has been on a tirade of late. R&B singer and songwriter SZA is the latest person in her crosshairs.
Over the last couple of weeks, Minaj has also had a lot to say about JAY-Z. She alleged he owes her a hefty sum of money involving the deal she struck with him and his streaming platform Tidal.
IS IT PILLS, POTIONS, OR IS NICKI MINAJ MAD FOR A REASON?
Minaj has not released much new music lately, as someone who people consider a major advisory of hers, Cardi B, is entering the rollout phase of her long-awaited sophomore album.
SZA posted a cryptic tweet scoffing at how Mercury is in retrograde and urging a “silly goose” not to take the bait. Minaj must’ve taken exception to this. She proceeded to let loose with a barrage of insulting tweets aimed at Top Dog Entertainment’s marquee singer.
Speculations online swirled as Minaj’s fans wondered if she was under the influence at the time.
WHAT DID NICKI SAY ABOUT SZA?
All bets were off as Minaj took shots at SZA. Everything from her capability as an artist, her record of sales and even her looks were mentioned. Minaj went as far as accusing the Snooze hitmaker of inflating her album sales by releasing a deluxe version of her last album, SOS.
Terms like “weirdo” and “auto-tuned yodelling” were hurled around, much to the dismay of fans. Minaj even dug deep in her files of receipts and unearthed an old tweet by SZA in which she finds issue with the vocal capability of pop stars, Ciara and Rihanna.
NICKI NO LONGER ROC’S WITH HOV
SZA has not been the only target of Minaj, as JAY-Z felt her wrath too. There has been tension between the two for a while now despite the decent work relationship Minaj has enjoyed with his wife Beyoncé.
Minaj accused JAY-Z of cheating her out of millions of dollars in Tidal equity. Minaj is of the notion that she is owed 200 million dollars (3.58 billion ZAR). Her demand was for him to “settle this karmic debt.” She did jokingly conclude her rant by stating that JAY-Z is still in her top five best rappers.
WHY BRING ALL OF THIS UP, NOW?
These issues seem timeous as SZA is rumoured to appear on Cardi B’s upcoming album. JAY-Z, also known as Hov or Hova, will be headlining the next Super Bowl halftime show. He has also had a heavy hand in organising these in years past. None of which have involved him calling on Minaj to take the stage.
HOW DID JAY-Z RESPOND TO THESE ALLEGATIONS?
JAY-Z has stayed very much in character and has not responded on X. The day after this, JAY was on the sidelines at the FIFA Club World Cup, enjoying the festivities with Brazilian footballing legend Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima, seemingly unbothered.
Instead of replying on social media, JAY hopped out in Atlanta while on tour with his wife and played a song with opening lines that can be interpreted as a direct response to Minaj’s tweet, in which she said it is blasphemous to refer to him as Hov.
Clad in his traditional all-black, JAY-Z let loose with his 2003 street anthem Public Service Announcement, the opening lyrics of which read, “Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Hov. H to the OV.”
NICKI MINAJ AND THE FLY IN THE OINTMENT OR A BEE IN HER TRAP
Analysts and pundits cite an array of reasons as to why this might be happening. Artists like Glorilla, Megan Thee Stallion (whom Minaj has also had issues with) are enjoying their time in the sun with a string of hits being released by Glorilla.
Megan announced her new romantic entanglement with basketball star and Dallas Maverick, Klay Thompson. All the while, that new Cardi B album looms, and her latest single Outside has been embraced by the culture.
IS NICKI RIGHT TO FEEL THE WAY SHE DOES, OR IS THIS A MELTDOWN IN REAL TIME?
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 11.
Subscribe to The South African website’s newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.