At this point, it’s hard to be shocked when Nicki Minaj finds herself in yet another online feud. Although many regard her as the queen of rap, the “Starships” singer always manages to leave her throne to stir up some trouble. From ancient beef with Lil Kim and Remy Ma to back-and-forths with Megan Thee Stallion and recently SZA, Minaj is constantly adding to her list of foes.
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… And boy is the list long, so now, The Root is looking back at all of the iconic moments involving Minaj. And you’ll probably want to bring your popcorn out for this one.
SZA
Minaj’s latest feud unexpectedly came on Tuesday (July 15) with R&B star SZA. That’s when the “Snooze” singer tweeted about Mercury in retrograde, but Minaj took that as direct shade to her. Whether SZA meant to or not, this simple tweet prompted Minaj to respond saying “Go draw your freckles back on bookie. Liar Liar pants on fire. Sounding like fking dead dog.” From there, the two women went back and forth online, but in the end, SZA bowed out of the beef, tweeting “Lemme go back to being calm, shy, and meek. Y’all have a blessed night! See you tomorrow for night 2 Paris!!” Hours later, Minaj was still going at SZA on X. Meanwhile, the singer was performing in Paris with Kendrick Lamar.
Lil Kim
In order to tell Minaj’s true villain origin story, we have to start at the very beginning. The year is 2011, and new comer Nicki Minaj, who was clearly inspired by the likes of follow New York City rappers Lil Kim, Foxy Brown and more, found herself in hot waters with Kim after being accused of not paying proper tribute. According to Kim, Minaj stole her flow, style and title as “Queen” without ever giving her proper flowers. On the flip side, Minaj insisted she did give Kim proper credit, but it was time for a new queen to take over. The two went back and worth over the years, shading each other in interviews and even diss tracks. Minaj’s most notable diss towards Kim appears on “Stupid Hoe.”
Mariah Carey
When two divas are placed in the same room, chaos is bound to erupt. That’s exactly what happened when Mariah Carey and the “Chun Li” rapper started judging on “American Idol” around 2012. It’s unclear what started the drama between the two women, but an insider told PEOPLE Carey didn’t deem Minaj worthy enough to be on the show as a judge. This led to a series of arguments behind the scenes, with the fallout often playing out in front of the camera. In 2013, both women left the show on the exact same day.
Taylor Swift
There’s no denying that Taylor Swift is a musical giant, regardless if you listen to her country/ pop music or not. Over the years, many artists have mentioned her name including Kanye West, Drake and… drum roll please… Nicki Minaj! The Queens rapper called out Swift after claiming there was a double standard between them. “When the ‘other’ girls drop a video that breaks records and impacts culture they get that nomination,” she wrote on X. She then doubled down, adding “If your video celebrates women with very slim bodies, you will be nominated for vid of the year.”
Remy Ma
We all know exactly where we were when Bronx rapper Remy Ma dropped “Shether,” playing on Nas’ 2001 diss towards Jay-Z– who Minaj ironically is also beefing with, but that’s a different story. Remy, who had recently been released from prison, took issue with Minaj’s “Queen of Rap” self-proclaimed title. This on top of remnants of Minaj’s beef with Lil Kim led to the “Conceited” rapper releasing several disses to Minaj. Eventually, things came to a head with “Shether,” which prompted “No Frauds” by Minaj, featuring Drake and Lil Wayne. The overall consensus was that Remy Ma won that battle.
Cardi B
It’s no secret Minaj had been on top as the highest selling female rapper for years… That was until Cardi B came to town. The Bronx rapper quickly took over Minaj’s shine, dropping a debut album in 2018 that is still breaking records almost 10 years later. The two women were cordial until the 2018 Migos track “Motor Sport” featuring both of them. Minaj and Cardi tell different stories about who started their beef and why. According to Minaj, Cardi was “ungrateful” about being on a song with her. Cardi said, Minaj switched her verse in efforts to compete with the then-rookie in the rap game. That September, the two rappers got into a physical altercation at Harper’s BAZAAR’s ICONS party, with the aftermath being captured on camera. Unfortunately for fans, there’s no hope that the two talented artists will ever squash their beef or hop on the same track again… Especially after Cardi’s estranged husband, Offset of Migos, got into an online blowout with Minaj’s husband Kenneth Petty.
Miley Cyrus
For many, Minaj taking to the VMA stage and calling out Miley Cyrus was completely out of the blue. Minaj said, “Back to this b***h that had a lot to say about me the other day in the press. Miley, what’s good?” Cyrus, who was hosting the 2015 VMAs responded calmly saying, “Nicki, congratu-f**king-lations.” It seems Cyrus was just as confused as the rest of us. But the tension between the two stars has died down after ten years.
Latto
For anyone that knows Atlanta rapper Latto, Minaj has always been on her top rappers list. So it was more than shocking when Latto found herself in a beef with her own idol. In 2022, Minaj came to X, expressing frustrations over the Grammy’s unfair treatment when it came to Minaj’s song “Super Freaky Girl” and Latto’s “Big Energy.” She insisted that if “Big Energy” was categorized as a rap song, then so should “Super Freaky Girl.” Of course, Minaj’s fanbase, the Barbs, took this as shade and began fueling fire between the two artists. Later, it was revealed that Latto tried to diffuse the situation privately, but instead, Minaj came to X and began throwing shots at the “Sunday Service” rapper. After a not-so-brief back and forth online, coupled with leaked audio from their private phone calls, the beef eventually died down. But now? Latto won’t even speak Minaj’s name in interviews. And Minaj and the Barbs continue to sub Latto online.
Mariah Lynn
When asked if she thinks she can out rap Minaj, rapper and reality TV star Mariah Lynn responded, “Absolutely.” That was in 2018. To be expected, the Barbs have been giving her hell ever since then. The “Love & Hip-Hop” star came back years later to defend the interview. She said, “When I did that interview, I was really young.”
Megan Thee Stallion
This was another shocker, considering Megan Thee Stallion and Minaj have a song together, “Hot Girl Summer.” But in 2022, Minaj dropped a bombshell rumor that Megan was forcing her to drink alcohol, knowing that the “Super Bass” star was pregnant. Megan came out saying this was a “LIE,” but that only amped up Minaj more. Fast forward two more years, and Megan drops “HISS,” with a indirect bar alluding to Minaj’s husband’s criminal past as a sex offender. “These hoes don’t be mad at Megan/ These hoes mad at Megan’s law,” the Houston rapper said. This sent Minaj into a rage, prompting her to drop “Big Foot,” referring Megan being shot in the foot by Canadian rapper Tory Lanez. Megan never responded, but of course, Minaj has continued to sub the Houston rapper online.
JT
Minaj’s rocky relationship with JT from the City Girls actually started off strong. JT was featured on one of Minaj’s songs… but in August 2024, she shocked the world and unfollowed both JT and Ice Spice, who she also collaborated with. When this began to make headlines, fans of the City Girls and Minaj started fueling the fire between them. Since then, folks alleged both women have been throwing shots at the other in songs, although neither have outwardly explained the reason behind the beef.
Demi Lovato
In 2016, Minaj and Demi Lovato joined designer Jeremy Scott at the Met Gala. Photos of the three stars on the red carpet were nothing less than awkward, and fans quickly took note, E! News reported. It wasn’t until Minaj posted a picture on Instagram– not tagging Lovato– that the brewing beef was confirmed. The “Cool for the Summer” singer then went on Snapchat and said, “When you aren’t mentioned in a post but didn’t do shit to the person.” They continued, “p.s. Some of y’all need to learn how to take a joke. I’m obviously laughing at the fact that 1. I look incredibly awkward and 2. That the shade being thrown in this picture actually gives me life.” Years later, Lovato revealed that a “terrible experience” with one celebrity sent her straight to an AA meeting. Lovato has been open about struggling with addiction over the years.
Stefflon Don
During the height of the drama between Cardi B and Minaj, many people were forced to pick a side. London rapper Stefflon Don found herself in the middle of it all when she said Minaj’s verse on the song could’ve been better. “Then, her fans started coming for me on Twitter,” the rapper said in an interview. This sparked arguments between her and the Barbs. Stefflon Don took responsibility for the drama, and even apologized for bringing Minaj up after the fact. But to this day, the two women have never formally killed the beef.
Stormi Webster
Although fans took this “beef” and ran with it, it’s important and hilarious to include here! Minaj took to X in 2018 to call out Travis Scott, Kylie Jenner and their daughter Stormi Webster over her album “Queen” not being no. 1 on Billboard. “I put my blood sweat & tears in writing a dope album only for Travis Scott to have Kylie Jenner post a tour pass telling ppl to come see her & Stormi. lol,” she wrote. After mentioning the then-six-month-old by name, fans and critics blasted Minaj for seemingly starting beef with a baby. “IMAGINE BLAMING A BABY FOR NOT GOING NUMBER 1 LOL THATS YOUR QUEEN,” @VintageTmac1 said.
Azealia Banks
Of all the people that Minaj has beefed with, Azealia Banks is certainly the most unhinged. Known for calling out any and everybody and for often starting unnecessary drama, Banks took on Nicki in a beef dating back to 2012. That’s when Banks turned down the chance to tour with Minaj, which led to years of subs between the two. But in 2017, the “212” rapper reached out to Minaj to squash the tension, according to BBC. “You have my word. That from here on out, I will never say any negative or catty things about you ever again,” Banks wrote to Minaj. She responded saying “You’re very talented and very smart. Focus on what really matters from now on.”
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