The Cardi B and Nicki Minaj social media beef has been a nonstop war between rap’s biggest superstars, and it’s not showing any signs of letting up.
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Between allegations of drug abuse, jealousy, and even bringing their children into the mix, we’ve witnessed more verbal knockouts than a Mike Tyson fight. What started as typical shade between rivals has taken a nose dive into their personal lives, placing the Black internet at the center of this very vey messy and public fight.
So where did all this beef between these two gorgeous Black women begin? Let’s break it down.
How It Began
Although this battle has been ongoing for days, the feud dates back to 2017. TikTok creator @itsnamibch correctly explained that record labels had been trying to pit new rappers against Nicki for years. However, Cardi’s rise was initially celebrated by Nicki, with her even making a point to congratulate her on the success of “Bodak Yellow.”
“For years and years, record labels have been trying to get them another Nicki Minaj,” the creator began. “Offering upcoming female rappers money to diss Nicki Minaj. Thankfully, there were some real b****es that declined.”
“Motorsport” Fallout
Things took a public turn during the rollout of Migos’ hit record, “Motorsport.”
Cardi B was the first to be interviewed about the track. She said Minaj’s verse wasn’t finished when she first heard the song, and that it later changed, which confused her. Minaj congratulated Cardi after the interview, but expressed disappointment that Cardi suggested she had to rewrite her verse because of her.
The lyric in question? Nicki originally rapped, “If Quavo the QB, I’m Nicki Lombardi,” but it was changed to “If Cardi the QB, I’m Nicki Lombardi.” Social media quickly spun the narrative that Nicki was dissing Cardi.
Adding more fuel to the fire, fans noticed that Nicki Minaj didn’t film the “Motorsport” video with Migos and Cardi. Minaj explained it was simply a scheduling issue with her stylist. Cardi, however, later revealed in a radio interview that Nicki had changed her lyrics—a move that secured Cardi’s feature on a record with a major artist.
This public revelation didn’t sit well with Minaj, who shortly after tweeted:
“The corniest thing you can be is ungrateful. Give thanks,” she wrote.
The Build-Up to the Beef
In April 2018, Cardi B released her debut album, “Invasion of Privacy,” which topped the Billboard charts. Following the release, the rapper expressed that she didn’t feel “genuine support” from Minaj.
Minaj then publicly aired out the behind-the-scenes drama, describing the mayhem about the verse changes, the video shoot conflict, and even her label telling her to remove Cardi B’s name from her verse. Although tension was brewing, both ladies handled the conflict with tact, keeping it out of the public eye—for the moment.
The 2018 Fashion Week Fight
During the 2018 New York Fashion Week, all hell broke loose when Cardi B and Nicki Minaj’s paths crossed at the Harper’s Bazaar party. Cardi chucked her shoe at Nicki Minaj, causing a scene at the upscale event.
The reason? Allegedly, Minaj was liking “shady tweets” about Cardi B’s daughter, Kulture. When the two were face-to-face at the event, it was literally on-site for the two artists.
Cardi B left the party with a knot on her head and a few choice words for Minaj.
The 2025 Online Battle
The feud violently re-emerged in September 2025, shortly after the release of Cardi B’s sophomore album, “Am I The Drama?” The latest chapter of the beef rapidly escalated on social media, quickly devolving into highly personal attacks on each other’s children, with one tweet allegedly referring to Cardi’s daughter, Kulture, as “ugly.”
The “Salute” artist sent a lengthy tweet calling out Minaj’s behavior.
Fiery shots continued as Cardi B allegedly called Minaj’s son “Papa Bear” for having autism.
Taking it a step further, Minaj started sending shots towards other celebrities and entities. Who made the hitlist? TMZ, The Breakfast Club, and even Jay-Z were made targets.
With all of her explosive yet shady tweets, the laughs on social media have faded, with some saying that both artists have allowed this debate to go too far.
“Idk this Cardi B and Nicki Minaj beef got too serious…,” one X user wrote. “Yall both could have left the kids out of this whole situation.”
After the backlash Minaj received for targeting Kulture, she issued this apology:
Of course, Cardi B was not having it, calling it a backhanded apology. Shortly after, she issued her own apology to “Papa Bear.”
Then, she followed up, calling out the backhanded apology.
Where Things Stand
Social media has heavily weighed in on the situation, sharing their thoughts on the rivalry.
“Nicki’s attitude and drug abuse usage have ruined her reputation in the industry,” one TikTok user wrote. ” She’s a liability, and no one wants to take that on.”
“I actually don’t blame Cardi,” another TikTok user wrote. “Nicki started it. Cardit is just defending herself by stating facts and hard truths that Nicki don’t wanna deal with.”
On Threads, some users shared their disappointment with Minaj. “This Nicki Minaj situation is just sad,” one wrote. “I’ve never been a fan, but it’s sad to witness her fall from grace. I hope she gets the help she needs.”
So far, things have remained kind of quiet between the two rivals. Let’s hope they can keep it peaceful.
Straight From 
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