Azealia Banks Defends Nicki Minaj Following Kanye West’s ‘New Body’ Verse Clearance Request Rant

After her iHeartRadio Jingle Ball performance on December 14 in Atlanta, Georgia, Nicki Minaj is laser-focused on all things Pink Friday 2. That means leaving behind anything that will siphon off promotional attention from it, including older collaborations. Unfortunately, that means her leaked viral verse for Kanye West’s song “New Body” might never see the light of day.

After Nicki apparently refused to clear her verse, which was set to appear on West’s forthcoming joint album Vultures with Ty Dolla Sign, he went on a rant against her. Now, Azealia Banks has inserted herself into the mix to take up for Nicki’s artistic decision.

On Saturday, December 16, in a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), Banks tore into West. “Okay. Now I’m really pissed the f*ck off,” she wrote. “Regardless of how I feel about [Pink Friday 2], did fat, smelly loser Kanye West really just try to step all over Nicki’s release? Did I hear correctly when he tried to take credit for supporting her career.”

She continued, “Did he forget that Lil Wayne and Young Money [Records] supported her, believed in her, and shared their money, time, and resources with her to launch a female rapper to international icon status? Has Kanye ever successfully launched any artist he hasn’t sabotaged out of jealousy?”

Banks’ opinions on other artists tend to divide users online, but most fans support this take.