It’s wild to believe that it is still just January but so much has transpired in such little time, an inmate has attacked a judge, Jada was doing something that pissed people off, Katt Williams, Gypsy Rose Blanchard and just when we thought we could make it out of the month of January with less bullsh*t to conquer, Friday, January 26, 2024, may have sparked the biggest rap beef to hit the internet since well, rap beefs were on the internet, and caused almost as much commotion as the Nas and Jay-Z beef.
Houston Hot Girl and new rap darling Megan Thee Stallion dropped her new record “Hiss,” where she seemingly takes shots at her ex-best friend Kelsey, Drake (maybe Joe Budden), Saweetie, her ex-boyfriend Pardi and most notably Nicki Minaj and her family. One of those jabs hitting two of Minaj’s relatives, her husband and her brother, at the same time. The line “these hoes don’t be mad at Megan, these hoes be mad at Megan’s Law,” seemed to have caused Minaj to initiate a social media meltdown, which included stating that Megan threw her mother under the bus and that she should conjure up her mother and repent. Minaj’s response caused widespread repulsion as her tweets became darker and more manic, with an increase in Xitter users vocalizing their disdain for her antics with a fire never seen before due to the fear some may have had of reprisal from her fans.
In the year 2000, teen heartthrob and “Final Destination” star Devon Sawa appeared as the title character of a crazed and obsessive fan named Stan for a video by Eminem. The song not only became a huge hit for the rapper but almost a quarter century later, people who weren’t even alive when the song debuted are still using the moniker as a very apt descriptor for the most ardent fans of the entertainment industry’s favorite artists. Rihanna has her Navy, Beyonce has her Behive, Taylor has her Swifties, Justin has his Beliebers, Mariah has her Lambs and Lady Gaga has her Little Monsters. Two of those groups, in particular, are known for their over-the-top antics when it comes to defending their faves, but with major differences. One group’s tactics consist of death threats and targeted harassment and are encouraged by the person whom they worship, who joins in on the harassment.
For years, her fan base has taken pride in harassing others online, and some have even gone as far as harassing them offline. They have doxed any Nicki naysayers and even recently, a Barb filmed themself posting a note on someone’s front door handle. Even the mention of how ridiculous doxing someone because they do not like your favorite rapper is caused me to meet with the threat of being doxed. Openly liking another female rapper’s work, especially Cardi B or Megan Thee Stallion, can come with harassment simply for mentioning them. People should be able to respectfully disagree or voice an opinion about an artist’s work or ethics or openly like other artists without the expectation that their address will be plastered all over the internet.
They have gone as far as harassing Mari Copeny, Little Miss Flint, who used the opportunity to request relief for Flint to have clean water. Who gets mad at a kid asking for water? This can’t be your legacy.
Why now? You could’ve chose any other time to say this before, but you wanna talk about this now?
— nickim💕🦋 (@nickim_obsessed) January 28, 2024
Whenever there is a reasonable critique of her decision to publicly support some of the men in her life who have done some heinous things, it is often met with an attack by the Barbz. Holding someone accountable, especially for their support of rapists, should not come with death threats.
One TikTok user posted that Nicki Minaj does not know she is Nicki Minaj, which was meant to be a compliment but somehow got misconstrued by the artist who nastily responded to the woman, almost seemingly proving her point. No one is denying the immense talent that Onika proved years ago that she has the problem is why does she still need to prove that now, when no one is questioning it?
@supremetingz #greenscreen ♬ original sound – Bae B.
What good is a queen who has to demand respect instead of just expecting it?
What Nicki does not understand is that her Barbz are making her lose credibility and incriminately alienating the public at large. People are not as afraid to turn on her and that should worry any artist. Her fanbase makes her difficult to like; they do not simply defend her but also go on the offensive in their protection of her, driving people to not like her and them just out of deserved spite.
The people are f*cking tired.
Nicki Minaj is by far one of the most talented rappers/entertainers there ever was, but her antics, as of late, have not been very endearing to the population outside of her core fanbase, and when everyone around you is an echo chamber, it will only conclude in your narcissism.
For artists, it is important to have a finger on the pulse of the public at large and what is relevant for the time. Rap provides a bit more escapism than other genres, but it is no less important in conversations about musical political commentary. Hip-hop/rap is a genre mostly creatively supported by Black people, which makes it especially important for Black artists to be present emotionally and aware of their surroundings. With a fanbase so shielding, it is hard for someone to be held accountable for their actions in and outside of the booth. An audience that will clap loudly, no matter what they are presented with, is not an audience whose concern is about the art nearly as much as the addictive and nostalgic connection they have with the artist, that does not even know them. The codependency makes it hard for either party to continue to evolve.
Nicki’s fanbase makes pushing back against her dangerous for anyone who dares to voice their opinion but dangerous for the artist who seems to be losing some of her fans, and if her release of “Big Foot” is any indication, some of her edge as well. Before the abysmal release, Minaj spent an entire weekend tweeting about Megan Thee Stallion in a not so subtle way, the most recent act which has people rightfully disgusted, is not simply mentioning Megan’s dead mother, but encouraging her fans to desecrate her burial site. The worst part about it is there is no one in her corner who will tell her how f*cked up that is. This is also not what sane people sign up to support.
What good is a God complex if you are losing your soul to achieve it?
