For years, Onika Tanya Maraj, better known by her stage name Nicki Minaj, ruled the female rap game with her eccentric personality, signature rap flow, use of witty metaphors, and countless hit records. Many female rappers have came and went in the years of her reign but none have seemed to hold the eye of the mainstream media quite like she has. That was until a “regular degular shmegular girl from the Bronx” by the name of Belcalis Almanzar, also known as Cardi B, rolled her way into the kingdom promptly challenging Minaj for her coveted crown. Or did she?
The alleged beef between the two Big Apple Rappers, Nicki Minaj and Cardi B, has been fueled by the media, fans, and other onlookers from the second that Cardi B’s breakout hit, Bodak Yellow, became the song of the summer back in 2017. Many believed that Almanzar would be nothing but a one hit wonder like many of the other women who have posed a threat to Minaj’s reign. However, after the release of her follow up hit Bartier Cardi and features on the hit songs Motorsport and Finesse all while receiving two Grammy nods, it looks like Cardi is here to stay for now. So, what does the mean for the self proclaimed Queen of Rap?
Many have speculated that Minaj has not been handling Cardi’s rise to fame well. In an interview with Complex’s Everyday Struggle, Minaj’s ex-boyfriend, Safaree Samuels, eluded to Minaj being quite upset with Cardi being the first woman in twenty years to have a number one single on the top of the billboard charts, a feat she herself has never accomplished. When asked to further elaborate on his comments, Samuels simply said, “Because I know how she is.”
Fans themselves has also wondered if the alleged beef between them was true seeing as despite both being featured on the Migos song Motorsport, the two did not shoot a single scene together. However, in the mix of all this controversy, Minaj and Cardi spoke out against the rumors of their beef letting the world know that none of it is true. Cardi B even tweeted that, “I feel like people wouldn’t even be satisfied even if me and (Nicki) was making out…I feel like people just want that drama.”
To this, Minaj responded, “Very true.”
People are constantly fueling battles between Minaj and any other female rapper that comes into the game but don’t so the same to male rappers when new blood is introduced. There are multiple rappers in the game right now and that sound and look alike with flow so similar that you’re not sure who’s copying off of who at this point and yet still they are not pitted against each other. Other women coming into the game are not automatically out for Minaj’s spot as ‘The Queen of Rap.’ Many of them would just like to make a name for themselves as Queens in their own right. So, I’ll leave you with this one question to consider. Why is that there can be multiple male rappers in the industry and yet only one female?