Cardi vs Nicki: Can’t we all just get along?

Hip-hop is in a delicate place during this period of time in which we are living. The things that were once unquestionable are now being questioned, and as it pertains to the female hip-hop hierarchy, there has never been more controversy.
Since the late 2000s, Nicki Minaj has been the undisputed female lead of the rap game. From lyricism, to radio hits, to performances, Nicki has established herself as a cornerstone for the game, and as one of the greatest rappers of all time.
In June of last year, however, the first relevant competition of the decade arrived in Cardi B, who was a star on Love & Hip-Hop at the time, with the release of her groundbreaking hit, Bodak Yellow.
With the rise of somebody with as much star power as anyone in the rap game, many people in the hip-hop community pegged her as the heir-apparent to Minaj’s hip-hop legacy.
It is at this point that I believe a distinction has to be made. If you are arguing who is the better of the two, then there is no measured statistic in which Cardi B will beat Nicki Minaj.
After more than a decade in the industry, there is very little that Minaj hasn’t done, whether it be platinum albums or number one singles, she has done it long before Cardi, and many would argue that she has done it better.
So if the conversation to be had is who is better, then there is no conversation to be had, as Nicki Minaj, on legacy alone, is the greatest female hip-hop artist to ever touch the booth.
In my personal opinion however, this is not a conversation that should even be entertained, especially not by those who know the in and outs of the game.
Cardi B, despite the short period of time she has been in the game, has not only become the voice of the average female rap fan in this generation, but a voice of the culture.
From politicians, to entrepreneurs, to other individuals in the rap game, she has earned the respect and recognition that comes with being a star of her magnitude, and make no mistake about, she is a star.
So when you have a star in the game, like Cardi B is, and that star is shining, since when has it become the goal of us as fans to deluminate that light in order to make another star shine?
The sad truth however, is that in the female spectrum of the rap game from Lil Kim to Nicki Minaj herself, it has become traditional for a single monarchy to rule the kingdom known as hip-hop.
My rebuttal to this archaic way of thinking stems mainly from the hypocrisy of the reality. When it comes to male hip-hop artists, it is all in good fun to have the likes of Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and J. Cole holding down the culture as a multiple king monarchy, yet as it concerns females, there can only be one?
Hip-hop has always been about the bars and the culture, and if an artist has these two things and has found success in their art and the story that they have had to tell through their music, then who are we to decide how great they can be.
Nicki Minaj and Cardi B are two integral parts of the hip-hop culture, and with Nicki being the age that she is, it is not unreasonable for fans to be in search of her successor.
The age old saying goes, “Heavy is the head that wears the crown.” In hip-hop, there’s always going to be the throne, and an ego willing to do the game a “favor” and occupy it. But at the same time, hip-hop is a product and embodiment of the culture; a culture that promotes love and unity among the people amd artists. In such a culture, there has to be love at the top, and when that case, there is no reason why the reign of one cannot also be the reign of many.