Last week, rapper Nicki Minaj tweeted her frustrations over a report that her hit single “Super Freaky Girl” would be placed in the Best Pop Solo Performance category at the Grammys. Official Grammy nominations will be announced on Nov. 15, but the report was enough to prompt Minaj to voice her disapproval and bring fellow female rapper Latto into the mix.
In a series of tweets, Minaj declared that if her song wouldn’t be in any rap categories, Latto’s single “Big Energy” should also be excluded. While Minaj’s point was justifiable, the shade that followed was uncalled for and took attention away from her point.
Initially, Latto expressed confusion over her name being brought up. Minaj revealed soon after that Latto reached out to her privately to address the situation. In a later tweet, Minaj dubbed Latto a “Karen” and expressed her distaste that she did not stand up for her.
Just when I thought it was over, more screenshots surfaced and the artists continued to go back and forth on the blue-bird app, with Latto even going so far as to call Minaj a “40-year-old bully.”
Honestly, the entire situation got out of hand. As “Super Freaky Girl” and “Big Energy” are both pop-adjacent rap songs, it is absolutely reasonable for Minaj to believe there needed to be more fairness in nominations. However, disrespecting Latto with name-calling and making her previous attempts at communication seem disingenuous turned a valid argument into a catfight.
While I am neither Latto’s nor Minaj’s biggest fan, I can’t say that I am surprised that Minaj is once again beefing with fellow female rappers. Minaj’s legacy and skill in female rap, and rap in general, is undeniable. But as the careers of other artists have started to flourish, Minaj has been known to show initial support followed by pointed disses at rappers like Cardi B, Coi Leray and Megan Thee Stallion.
Rap is and always will be male-dominated, and even though women in the genre should be sticking together, it’s disappointing to see that a trailblazer like Minaj is constantly stirring up drama.
