Nicki Minaj has had quite an eventful 2022 year so far. She put her comeback into full swing at the top of the year with two tracks alongside Lil Baby: “Do We Have A Problem?” and “Bussin.” She later returned alongside Fivio Foreign for “We Go Up” and lent a guest verse to Coi Leray for “Blick Blick.” Next for Nicki in her 2022 year was a headlining performance at the 2022 Essence Festival, something she delivered on Friday night. Her set made headlines thanks to some comments she seemingly made about Kanye West on stage.
After a 45-minute delay, Nicki hit the stage and performed “Do We Have A Problem?” before switching off to fan favorites like “We Go Up,” “Did It On ’em,” and “Beez in the Trap.” Next, the DJ play “Monster,” Kanye West’s highlight 2010 single that features Minaj, Jay-Z, Rick Ross, and Bon Iver, but Nicki had other plans. “A monster though!” Nicki said to the crowd. “A monster though! But we don’t f8ck with clowns.” After that comment, the DJ got the message and went to the next song.
The moment left many wondering if there’s an ongoing issue between Nicki and Kanye, and if so, what it could be about. Many believe that it has to do with Kanye’s recent collaboration with Cardi B for “Hot Sh*t” as Nicki and Cardi have been at odds for quite some time. Others noted that Nicki’s frustrations with Kanye shelving their celebrated “New Body” track with Ty Dolla Sign might have been a factor behind her comments.
You can watch Nicki Minaj seemingly throw shade at Kanye in the video above.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.