Heavy is the Head That Wears the Crown: Let it Go Nicki

Hip-hop culture and black culture have become almost synonymous with each other over the course of the last half century. If one was ever mentioned in a conversation, the other is never that far behind.
Likewise, in the history of hip-hop, there has always been names that have resonated greatness with the listeners and followers of the culture. When you think of the great ones: Nas, Tupac, Jay Z, and the likes, they are the clear cut hierarchy of hip-hop, and have been over the span of numerous decades.
In the case of Nicki Minaj however, the self-ordained queen of the modern hip-hop scene has dwarfed any other female hip-hop artist in album sales, net worth, and mainstream appeal, more so than any other female figure in hip-hop history. And yet, something is missing.
For Nas and Jay Z, their ascension began with their iconic rap beef of the early 2000s when Nas Ether-ed Jay Z and Jay initiated his takeover in a concise retaliatory assault. In the eyes of many, this time period separates the Golden Age of the 90s from the new, Southern oriented hip-hop style in the early 2000s onward.
For Pac and Biggie, their friendship turned rivalry ignited the two to a level that few other artists have ever been able to maintain consistently, and had it not been for their untimely deaths, it is very possible that they could reached heights no other musicians in history have ever saw.
In the case of Nicki however, she has been the sole occupant of the throne for her entire career. Shether aside, there was never any competition for the top spot in the female rap spectrum that was present to challenge her rule.
As a result of this, one of the better female wordsmiths in the history of the culture in Nicki Minaj has resorted to punching below her weight class towards the likes of Cardi B and Azealia Banks.
Lil Kim and Remy Ma, while great in their primes, are well past the years where their words would have meant much to the culture on a grand scale, and as such, whatever war of words that were to be had amongst each other would never compare to what they would have been in each artists respective primes.
For Nicki to break this cycle, she has to do one thing that anyone who wants her to fail would hate to see, and that is to ignore them.
People take shots at Drake, Kendrick, and J. Cole annually, and outside of the occasional diss to remind the masses, those artists let the music speak for them and very seldom dignify beef from those who are not on their level.
People will take shots, and in the age of social media that we live in today, it will be hard to be oblivious to any disrespect aimed at your name. That being said, bites from insects never dignify a response from the lion, and as such, any whom aren’t in the same conversation of greatness as Nicki should not dignify a response from an artist of her stature.
It would be difficult, and as previously stated, it is hard to ignore anything that has a buzz in this generation of social media. However, it is not impossible, as shown by the ‘J. Coles’ and Kendricks of the world, to tune out the noise and give all of those feelings to the music. Nicki has the numbers, the accolades, and the pedigree to be a face on anyone’s Mount Rushmore, if she were to just let the noise, anger, and insignificance go.