Often referred to as “the queen of rap,” lyricist and singer Nicki Minaj has been chart-topping ever since she was signed onto Young Money Entertainment in 2009. Having held the throne for roughly a decade, conflict between Nicki and rising female rappers is nothing new. Skilled freestyler Megan Thee Stallion rose to fame in 2018 and has had no issue expanding her fanbase ever since. Megan and Nicki collaborated on the hit single “Hot Girl Summer” in 2019, which gave Megan her first No. 1 on Billboard’s Rhythmic Radio. The two seemed to be cordial until Megan Thee Stallion collaborated with rapper Cardi B on a song in 2020, leaving Nicki feeling betrayed due to her publicized feud with Cardi B.

In an industry often known to pit female artists against each other, a feud between two front runners is bound to grow widespread attention. Recent news surrounding Megan’s new single “HISS,” which contains a slight diss at Nicki, went viral immediately following its release on Jan. 26. Although “HISS” did not single out one specific individual, it is clear Nicki took offense to at least one lyric.

Captivating her audience’s attention, Nicki set out to X to communicate with her ever-loyal fan base, the Barbz. Nicki posts one day before dropping her single, “But I remember how everyone kept my name in their mouth & how I said the next person mention my family gon regret it.” In hopes of defending her throne, Nicki responds by dropping a song titled “Big Foot” just two days following HISS’ release. One lyric further expresses her motivation for the song, “Since you think it’s funny to speak about people’s families, we’ll all join in.”

Both Megan and Nicki have voiced their support for women in the hip-hop industry, recognizing how male-dominated the genre is, yet they still participate in petty exchanges like this. “The fight between them has a serious negative impact on females in all artistic industries. When males argue, it is often justified and seen as a power move, but females are categorized as catty and over-emotional” shares Sirena Licea, a senior criminal justice major.

I believe this dispute escalated more than it needed to; Megan’s song was not specifically targeted towards Nicki, however, Nicki is speaking directly in response to Megan. “It kinda seemed like all Nicki could make fun of was Megan’s shoe size and height, but also claims she has five songs ready to be released, so we’ll see,” says Dominic Salerno, a senior business major.

This clash between the seasoned veteran and the up-and-coming sensation has divided fans, with both sides willing to defend their preferred artist. All female artists’ voices, both established and emerging, deserve to be celebrated without being overshadowed by unnecessary competition. “I think this situation is feeding into the stigma of women being super involved in drama,” says Kaila Vasconez, a senior psychology major, “but I’m a Barb so Nicki always wins in my book. No question.”