Snakes, Stallions, and Big Foot: Nicki vs. Megan’s Rap Beef

The hip-hop industry has witnessed its fair share of rivalries, diss tracks, and internet fights, but in recent times, few have captivated the world like the headbutt of female rappers Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion. The contentious feud between hip-hop queen’s past and present has left crowns tilted, bystanders caught in the crossfire, and the unraveling of fanbases.
On Friday, January 26, 2024, Megan Thee Stallion released her second snake-themed single: ‘Hiss.’ Similarly, to ‘Cobra,’ Megan uses ‘Hiss’ to process her past turbulent years and present raw and authentic emotional vulnerability to her fans. However, she also uses the song as a chance to unapologetically stand up for herself and make thought-provoking and indirect disses. One of those disses was “These hoes don’t be mad at Megan, these hoes mad at Megan’s Law,” a line that flew over most listeners’ heads but hit home for rapper Nicki Minaj.
According to the California Department of Justice, Megan’s Law is a federal law in the United States requiring law enforcement authorities to make information available to the public regarding registered sex offenders; A list that Nicki Minaj’s brother and husband are on. In past years, Nicki Minaj has defended her brother and husband’s actions and even attempted to remove her husband, Kenneth Petty, from the sex offender list. Megan Thee Stallion’s clever sneak diss sent Nicki Minaj into a spiraling meltdown with seemingly her only outlet being the internet.
Shortly after the release of ‘Hiss,’ Minaj took to Instagram live multiple times making statements regarding Megan and her song such as “You’re bringing up 30-year-old tea because no man will ever love you […] and you’re lying on your dead mother,” referring to her husband’s charge of first-degree attempt of rape in 1995 and the passing of Megan’s mom in 2019. Many of her decade-long fans have found her outspoken actions intolerable and some have even spoken out, condemning her behavior in Tweets, Tik-tok , and Instagram. Nicki has shown that nobody’s safe by clapping back at her fans. On the other hand, her undyingly loyal fans have matched Minaj’s extreme energy by leaking Megan’s mom’s grave location and making threats to dig up her corpse. According to Fox News, local police patrol has increased in the area of Megan’s Mother’s graveyard.
As if Minaj’s lengthy tweets and Instagram lives weren’t enough, she released a diss track titled ‘Bigfoot’ on January 29, 2024. The title and lyrics “Get up on your good foot” alludes to the 2022 incident when Megan Thee Stallion was shot by Rapper Tory Lanez in the foot, a mentally draining time in her life where she was invalidated and reticulated by the public, according to Megan. At the end of the song, Nicki threatens “If you don’t apologize to your mama in twenty-four hours, sh*t gon’ get uglier” and claims that she has five more songs recorded and ready for Megan’s response.
Critics are pointing out Nicki’s explosive and hyperbolized reaction to one bar that is allegedly directed at her, and are raising the question, ‘Is there more to the story?’ Some people, like rapper Azealia Banks, conspire that Nicki Minaj is acting out of insecurity and jealousy because Megan was recently signed to Roc Nation Records. Others believe it was due to her close friendship with Cardi B. Others think it was due to the alleged pressure to drink alcohol Nicki received by Megan while trying for a baby. No matter the reason, the beef between these two successful black rappers has caught the attention of the public eye and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.