Entertainment | February 17th, 2024

Megan Thee Stallion vs. Nicki Minaj, How Rap “Beef” Began

By: Tyra Garcia

Rappers Megan Thee Stallion and Nicki Minaj recently became a topic of gossip and controversy after Megan released her newest single, “HISS,” on January 26. 

Although Megan’s song alluded to being a diss to multiple people, Minaj noticeably took a lyric personally that made Nicki’s and Megan’s beef official and public. However, according to Hot97’s timeline, their beef can go all the way back to 2018.

The “Start” of it All 

Nicki Minaj has a lengthy history when it comes to having issues with different rappers. However, one of the rap beefs that started it all was Nicki’s beef with rapper Cardi B.

Image of Megan Thee Stallion and Nicki Minaj together on the set of the music video for their single “Hot Girl Summer” || Photo Courtesy: Yahoo Finance

At the Met Gala in 2018, Nicki Minaj and Cardi B caused a major divide in the hip-hop industry when they had a public altercation between them. 

According to Hot97, “Megan was one of the women affected by the beef as she worked with both artists.” 

Despite the Met Gala debacle, Megan and Nicki maintained a seemingly good relationship, had a song together, “Hot Girl Summer,” and even went on Instagram Live together. However, in January 2021, when Minaj officially unfollowed Megan. This has been considered the starter of their feud. 

Why was there no content until 2023 about their feud?

On July 12, 2020, Megan Thee Stallion was shot coming from a party at Kylie Jenner’s house. She was affected both mentally and physically by this altercation.

At first, she would not publicly name the person who shot her. However,  a month after the shooting, the rapper named Tory Lanez as the shooter on her social platforms. This started the three years that Megan would go through a legal and social media battle with Tory Lanez and his supporters.

The trial started on Dec. 5, 2022, and Tory Lanez was found guilty on Dec. 23 that same year. 

Lanez’s sentencing occurred on August 7, 2023, when he was sentenced to 10 years in prison. After the sentencing, Megan still faced a lot of scrutiny, but the Hotties – Megan’s fanbase – defended the rapper on social media when Megan was being ridiculed by the public.

After the trial, the first known diss was made by Nicki Minaj through her single “Red Ruby Da Sleeze” with the lyric “I don’t f*** with horses since Christopher Reeves.” This was considered the first attack. 

Covers for Megan Thee Stallion’s Single “HISS” and Nicki Minaj’s Single “Big Foot”

Megan, however, stayed quiet until her recent release, “HISS,” which contained multiple innuendos that were directed toward several people. One could have included Pardison “Pardi” Fontaine, Megan’s ex-boyfriend after he wrote a diss track about Megan called “Thee Person.” 

She responded to Nicki Minaj by rapping, “These h*** don’t be mad a Megan, these h*** mad at Megan’s Law.” 

What is Megan’s Law? 

According to the Official Californian Office of the Attorney General’s website, Megan’s Law “…mandates the California Department of Justice (CA DOJ) to notify the public about specified registered sex offenders. Megan’s Law also authorizes local law enforcement agencies to notify the public about sex offender registrants found to be posing a risk to public safety.” 

This one line had the internet go into a frenzy, especially in spaces like TikTok and X, formally known as Twitter. 

“This one line trumps anything Nicki Minaj has to say back to Megan,” Anaija Cure, a second-year pre-physical therapy student, said.

Although Megan did not state Nicki’s name, she did attack Nicki’s marriage and her family due to the approved allegations that both Nicki’s brother and husband are considered registered sex offenders. 

This one line sent Nicki Minaj on a social media rampage. She made tweets and went live on multiple platforms, including Instagram, Stationhead, and “Spaces” on X, formally known as Twitter. 

On January 28, within 72 hours of the release of ‘HISS,” Nicki Minaj released a response track titled “Big Foot,” which was not well received by the public compared to Megan’s track. 

“Nicki’s track just felt like a messy rant track that she released just because she wanted to,” Kellen Edouard, a second-year computer science student, said.

Origins of “Rap Beef” 

Outside of the current rap conflict, it is good to know where it comes from. 

Rap beef has been popular since the mid-80s with the Roxanne Wars. This was the breeding ground for the first-ever diss track, written by rapper Roxanne Shante and DJ Marley Marl against the hip-hop group UTFO.

As time passed, many prevalent “rap beefs” changed the course of hip-hop history. 

One of the most well-known examples is the West Coast v. East Coast with the rap beef between Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G., Ice-Cube and NWA, and Meek Mill and Drake. 

As a culture, rap beef has assimilated itself into the hip-hop world and is now expected, all leading up to Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion.

Rap Beef Graphic || Photo Courtesy: Billboard/ Designed by Quinton Mc?Millan

So, what’s the consensus behind this beef? 

Many think Nicki is too old to be entertaining rap beef, and others say she should’ve had her current work speak for herself. 

With most of our student population being both Megan Thee Stallion and Nicki Minaj listeners, there has surprisingly not been much of a divide between Rattler Barbz and Hotties. 

Many students, like Asia Clark, a fourth-year accounting student, quoted Megan when she said, “A hit dog will holler.”

“I didn’t fully comprehend that the lyrics were about Nicki until Nicki said something,” Clark said.

Could there have been a much better way for Nicki to handle Megan’s diss? Yes. Could she have also come out with a much better single? Most definitely. 

However, it remains that Nicki threw the first shot, and Megan unfortunately got the better of Nicki.