With “Hiss” and “Big Foot,” what is the fight between Megan Thee Stallion and Nicki Minaj about?

Rap superstar Megan Thee Stallion is embarking on a new independent era. After a lengthy legal battle with her former record label and the trial of her former partner Tory Lanez for shooting her in the foot, Megan seemed set to turn her traumatic experiences into a compelling and emotionally raw album, with a accompanying tour In the works. But first, she has some issues to resolve, or maybe not, with fellow performer and now rival, Nicki Minaj.

Last Friday, Megan left her latest single, “Hiss” in which he shoots several anonymous targets. Aside from the general multitude of haters online, fans have linked some of his hits to Duck and a ex-boyfriend, rapper Pardison Fontaine.

However, one lyric in particular stood out: “These hoes ain’t mad at Megan, these hoes be mad at Megan’s Law.” She references the federal law requiring information about registered sex offenders to be released, which seemed to strike a chord with Minaj. Her husband, Kenneth “Zoo” Petty, is affected by this legislationas he is a Level 2 registered sex offender in New York State.

A few days later, the “Super Bass” singer countered with a distortion track, although she criticized PopBase in X to call it that – titled “Big Foot.” Although the song has racked up millions of views and streams, it has largely been poorly received by critics and social media users among Megan and Minaj’s fan bases. It feels like a turning point in Minaj’s career as one of the most respected rappers in the world.

Photo by Jason Koerner/Getty Images for iHeartRadio

What started the meat?

Minaj and Megan weren’t always on bad terms. In 2019, they collaborated on the single “Hot Girl Summer” by Megan and filmed a music video dressed in matching suits and wigs. During the song’s release, the two appeared on Instagram live together and megan sprouted about Minaj in X. In light of recent events, a user reply to Megan’s post warning him that “this peace is not going to last” has gone viral. It seems that intuition was right.

It’s unclear when things turned sour between the former acquaintances. Many have speculated that Minaj took issue with Megan’s collaborations with Cardi B. The pair’s most famous collaboration was on the 2020 hit “WAP” and, more recently, in 2023. “Bongos.” minaj previously faced with “Bodak Yellow” rapper after they both appeared on Migos’ 2017 song “MotorSport,” which became a physical altercation. However, in a November 2020 interview, Megan reclaimed that his relationship with Minaj had not changed despite his affiliation with Cardi.

However, in January 2021, Minaj had stopped following Megan on Instagram. She also released the song “Seeing Green”, which has a line about “alcoholics” that is speculated to be about Megan. (Megan is known for her signature party trick in which she pours alcohol into women’s mouths.)

The following year, Minaj continued her Beats 1 show Radio Queen to vent about an unnamed celebrity who allegedly tried to pressure her into drinking while she was pregnant with her child. She also stated that this person advised her to “go to the clinic.” After the broadcast, Meg called the accusations are a “lie” about X.

Minaj apparently hit the Grammy winner again in her 2023 single “Ruby red gives squalor” with the phrase “I haven’t fucked with horses since Christopher Reeves.” A bar from the song “FTCU” – “Stay in your Tory lane” – has also been interpreted as a Hit Meganspecifically his highly publicized trial with R&B singer Tory Lanez.

However, the release of “Hiss” on January 26 took a latent and somewhat forgettable dispute to another level. The line “Megan’s Law” sent the Internet into a tizzy, and listeners immediately connected the lyric to Minaj’s wife. When Minaj reconnected with her high school boyfriend in 2018, fans quickly discovered your criminal history, including a 1995 conviction for attempted rape of a then-16-year-old girl. Since then, Petty’s victim has spoken openly about the threats you have received of the couple.

Over the weekend, Minaj criticized Megan several times on It’s a blow from Megan). high frame), which was released on Sunday night. On the roughly four-minute track, Minaj recycles online conspiracies and negative comments about Megan’s trial with Lanez and references her deceased mother several times. Three minutes later, the music fades and Minaj begins an ASMR rant, promising a “second installment.” Despite its provocative lyrics, the song has yet to garner a direct response from Megan.

Is this what feud fans want?

As rap becomes an increasingly dominant force in mainstream culture, debates have become highly anticipated spectacles. The results can range from surprisingly funny, like Pusha T exposing Drake’s secret son – to mortal – like him East Coast–West Coast Rivalry from the 90s, the most famous. Still, a level of novelty is required to keep audiences captivated. At their best, feuds are exercises in myth-making, a chance for a rapper to achieve legendary status or reassert his power.

However, in the case of Minaj vs. Megan, the novelty aspect is missing. The apparent mutual criticism is based on information that fans already know. Furthermore, it’s difficult to detect a silver lining in either artist’s career, or even a clear winner.

On the one hand, “Hiss” has been well received online by Megan’s fans and listeners in general. At the time of its release, five versions of the song occupy the Top 10 of the iTunes charts, in addition to the song topping the Apple Music Top 100 charts. Much of this is due to the successful mobilization of her fans, known as Hotties. When Minaj released “Big Foot,” Megan’s fans even shared a file of the song on X so that listeners wouldn’t contribute to Minaj’s streams.

On the other hand, the treatment Megan is currently experiencing from Barbz is pretty hellish. Unsurprisingly, Minaj’s fanbase is working as hard as the Hotties to amp up the queen of her, although her the tactics look very different. On Tuesday, TMZ reported that the Texas cemetery where Megan’s mother is buried had notified police and increased security staff after Minaj’s followers leaked the address on social media. The fans too doxed Users criticizing Minaj’s response to Megan, including the TikTok account. @belatownwhose rant against Minaj went viral.

It is not just the toxic activity of tin that has been difficult to observe. Minaj’s trolling of Meg doesn’t read as an equal or fair response to Megan’s supposed displeasure, particularly the mockery of her serious assault. Even with the inherently petty nature of a diss track, most can agree that referencing someone’s criminal record is in no way comparable to weaponizing the trauma of losing a parent or being shot by a gun. a man.

Especially after the cyberbullying and smear campaign Megan experienced during the Tory Lanez trial, it’s hard not to feel sympathy for a young rapper whose career has already been so riddled with misogynoir. Right now, however, Megan’s smartest decision might be her continued silence, leaving viewers mired in the unpleasant aftertaste of “Big Foot.”

What will this mean for their careers?

For the most part, Minaj, like her peers doja cat – has defied “cancellation” laws throughout his tumultuous career. His catalog continues to generate millions of streams. She is a master of memes and often very funny on Instagram Live and in interviews. But her cheap shots and enabling the bad behavior of her followers have noticeably begun to discourage many of her former defenders.

While Minaj has exchanged words with men, her propensity to fight with women contrasts with the message of female empowerment that makes this era of rap so exciting. That’s not to say that female rappers should always present a united front because of their marginalization. (In the past, women had contributed to some legendary hip-hop feuds.) But it’s nice to see female rappers exhibit the same camaraderie as their male counterparts, most of the time, and build relationships that lead to iconic collaborations, like “WAP.”

Not surprisingly, Minaj’s collaborations with rappers Sexxy Red, Doja Cat and Ice Spice have provided some of the most fun and satisfying moments of her recent career. Still, displays of female companionship throughout her career have been rare and short-lived.

This latest dispute has also caused critics to question Minaj’s art direction. It’s safe to say that “Big Foot” doesn’t match up lyrically with previous tracks like 2012’s “Stupid Hoe.” At the time, the single seemed to take aim at Lil’ Kim while maintaining enough ambiguity to exist on its own as an anti-hate anthem. . But the release of “Big Foot” noticeably lacks that kind of finesse.

in a review For Complex, writer Peter A. Berry criticized the lack of “craft and care” put into “Big Foot.” He writes: “In an era of Nicki that has been characterized by covert malice, this was almost an appropriate course correction. Instead, she feels like flying the entire route, especially when you consider other recent cases of exciting rap fights.” (For her part, Minaj claims the clue is just a joke.)

Despite her previous resistance to backlash, it seems Minaj’s actions have become too ugly for many fans. Unfortunately, there’s still a chance things could get worse.