Nicki Minaj has shown love to the female rappers who have inspired her, both past and the present.
In a recent interview with Joe Budden, the rapper, (real name Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty), discussed her latest release, Pink Friday 2, and expressed admiration for numerous women in the industry.
This occurred in the context of heavy speculation that Nicki had dissed female rappers including Megan Thee Stallion and Latto on PF2.
“There are a lot of female rappers that I really, really, really actually love — as an artist and as a person,” she began. “What I don’t want this to turn into honestly — even though I like being funny and stuff — I don’t want this to turn into bashing female rappers, to be honest.
“So, let me reel back for a second because it’s female rappers right now that are even inspiring me. You know what I’m saying? Like I’ll hear bars and be like, ‘Woah, woah,’ — even their delivery and cadences and flows, I be like ‘Woah.’”
“And the girls that I like as a friend too. So, I don’t want to make it seem like that because people always think that I’m serious,” she continued.
Budden interjected in her defense, explaining, “There was a time when you [Minaj] were highlighting the women that inspire you.”
Nicki responded, “Yes. The women that inspired me before and the girls that I like now that are in the game that inspire me.
“So when I say stuff about rappers I’m not talking about the female rappers I fuck with and that’s the truth and I’m going to keep it all the way real,” she added.
Last week, the New York MC went live on Instagram to reveal that she was having a sit-down with Budden, while playfully threatening to go off on him.
“This man always deserves a good cussing out from me,” she began. “Was I gonna cancel [the interview]? Sure! Was I gonna show up 10 hours late? Of course! But anything I have to do to cuss this muthafucka out right here…he always gon’ get his lashes from me.”
While the Slaughterhouse rapper laughed it off in the background, the pair haven’t always seen eye-to-eye. During a 2019 episode of Queen Radio, the platinum-selling rapper sat down with Budden and things didn’t exactly go as planned.
During the conversation, the duo went back and forth regarding lies Budden allegedly spread about Minaj over the years. Suddenly, the self-proclaimed Queen of Rap unleashed a verbal barrage on her guest after he insinuated that she took drugs.
“Don’t say you ain’t never popped a pill,” he said, to which she responded with a scream: “I never said that, you dumb fuck! Cut his fucking mic since you wanna be dumb!”
Sure enough, his microphone was ultimately cut off.
Before the on-air explosion, Nicki confronted Budden about his comments regarding her “Motorsport” collaboration with Cardi B and Migos, where the prominent podcaster insinuated she was unaware of Bardi’s contribution to the hit track.
“This is a time when I wasn’t addressing things. You went on your platform and said, she didn’t know this other bitch was on the record. You said it. You said that.
“Again, that is implying I am lying when I sat and said exactly how the song came about. I was asked — and I still have the text messages — can this person be put on this song and my response was, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’ That was my response. You still went and said … y’all went and told the world Nicki Minaj is lying.”