Nicki Minaj took time out of her acceptance speech for best female hip-hop artist at Sunday night”s BET Awards to throw a little (okay, a really big) dis at Iggy Azalea.
Minaj, who looked very classy in a a form-fitting little black dress, talked about representing women in “a culture that is so male driven.” But then added, “My point is, what I want the world to know about is when you hear Nicki Minaj spit, Nicki Minaj wrote it.” And then, she brought her fingers up to her lips and made a little “my lips are sealed” motion. Watch for yourself at that 1:10 mark. She then took a moment and posed at the microphone, while some in the audiences practically gasped at the audacity of her remaks.
She then added, “No, no, no…no shade.” Oh, c”mon Nicki. This came after she”d mugged for the camera throughout Azalea”s performance (first with T.I. on “No Mediocre” and then “Fancy”).
Though she didn't mention Azalea by name, Minaj's remark would appear to be a commentary on the fact that Azalea doesn”t write her own material: she is credited as a co-writer on her first single, “Work” and on Ariana Grande”s “Problem,” but not on “Fancy,” “Change Your Life,” or “No Mediocre.”
So is Minaj feeling Azalea, who has had the No. 1 and No. 2 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 for several weeks running now, nipping at her heels? Why else would she remind us that she”s won best female hip-hop artist five consecutive years? Or is she just pissed that Azalea came after her Barbies. As you may recall, earlier this month, after Minaj”s fans accused Azalea of copying Minaj”s style, she clawed back on Twitter by saying “…Most of you have done NOTHING. NOTHING! With your lives…So many of you internet kids quote the feats of others as if they were your own.”
Or she could feel that Azalea hasn”t given her enough props: In a radio interview only last month, Minaj praised Azalea”s success, saying, “I think that congratulations is in order. Her single is doing really, really well and I think that”s a good thing,” she said of “Fancy.”
She continued: “One thing I”m not is a hater. If somebody is doing something and they did it well, and their song is charting well, then congratulations. I just want female rappers to understand that I”ve kicked in a lot of doors for them and I just would appreciate if they would acknowledge that.” Oh, Nicki. Not to take anything away from your phenomenal success and supreme talent, but there were quite a few women, including Missy Elliott, Queen Latifah, Salt N Pepa, Eve, Da Brat, Lil Kim and MC Lyte who walked through that door first. (Salt N Pepa's Pepa tweeted supportive tweets to both Minaj and Azalea after their performances Sunday night).
Google “Nicki Minaj and feud” and her beefs with Mariah Carey, Lil Kim and Rihanna all come up. As amusing as they all have been, maybe it”s time for her to focus on her music instead of tearing down other women.