The Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion feud made headlines early this year and also led to fan wars over social media. While there were hints of it earlier, things picked steam when Stallion released her track Hiss. The song contained lyrics mocking Minaj’s husband, which led to her responding by releasing a diss track titled Big Foot.
Much has been speculated about the origin of the feud and what circumstances led to this ugly rivalry that has gone on to include their personal lives. As we look into the timeline of their professional relationship, Stallion’s collab with Cardi B on WAP seems to be the start of all this mess.
The History of the Nicki Minaj-Megan Thee Stallion Feud Has a Possible Cardi B Connection
Before their ugly rivalry, Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion collaborated on the 2019 hit song Hot Girl Summer. At the time, the pair were all love and supported each other wherever they went. Stallion decided to branch out her horizons and set her eyes on a possible collaboration with Minaj’s rival Cardi B.
Minaj and Cardi B were already not seeing eye to eye before Stallion came into the picture. The infamous rumors of the two not getting along and shooting their scenes separately during the shoot of Migos’ Motorsport started to trickle out (via Uproxx). Their beef escalated in September 2018 when the duo had a physical altercation at the 2018 New York Fashion Week event (via Uproxx).
Stallion went on to collaborate with Cardi B on WAP in 2020, which led to rumors about her torn relationship with Minaj. Stallion stated on Chicago’s 107.5 WGCI that she did not feel the need to contact Minaj about collaborating with Cardi B and she has the right as an artist to collaborate with whomever she wants. She also asserted that her relationship with Minaj does not change due to her collaboration with Cardi B. Stallion said,
“I didn’t feel like I had to call her first. I mean, because at the end of the day, I’m still an artist and I should be free to work with whoever I want to work with. My personal relationship with anybody doesn’t affect what I choose to do as an artist. Even me and Cardi’s relationship furthered after the song, like, she’s great on her own. I love her as a person, we talk often, we talk a lot. Me and Nicki, our relationship hasn’t changed since we did ‘Hot Girl Summer.’”
This seems to be the final nail in the coffin as Minaj unfollowed Stallion in 2021 and even ridiculed her on the song Alcoholics (as she alleges Stallion forced alcohol on her when she was pregnant via Billboard). Since, then the feud has escalated and 2024 saw the worst of this when Minaj completely annihilated Thee Stallion’s career, and personal life, even bringing up her deceased mother.
Nicki Minaj Sees Herself as A Leader Who Shifts Cultures in Rap Music
Nicki Minaj released her fifth studio album in 2023 titled Pink Friday 2, a sequel to her hit 2010 album Pink Friday. In an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1, she stated how grateful she is for the overwhelming support of fans over the years.
Minaj continued by saying that she continually takes risks as a leading woman rapper in the industry to shift cultures in the genre. The rapper feels that it is important to take risks in music to flourish as an artist. She said (via Billboard),
“Me even having people anticipate an album … My first album came out in 2010. My first mixtape came out in 2007. So the fact that people even care is a blessing. I could have been put this album out … I feel like as a leader in anything, you have to be willing to take those kind of risks that you know that you’re not guaranteed to win at, but it’s going to shift the motherf**king culture because if you ain’t going to do it, who will?”
Pink Friday 2 was a huge success for Minaj, debuting at number 1 on the US Billboard 200 charts. She has been going on a world tour to promote the album titled Pink Friday 2 World Tour since March 2024.
