How Nicki Minaj Became a #40YearOldBully

In November of 2010, there was a rising female rapper who once spoke passionately during a live interview about an older colleague in her industry who she felt was hating on her.

“We all take from each, there’s nothing new under the sun. When you see Gaga, you see Madonna, but Madonna never hated on Gaga,” this once emerging artist told the interviewer. “Why in the Black community we have to hate on each other instead of saying, ‘Thank you for showing me love. Thank you for keeping my name alive.’”

The young star in question was Nicki Minaj speaking to then-Hot 97 legend Angie Martinez about her once buzz-worthy beef with hip-hop heavyweight Lil’ Kim. At the time, Minaj had dropped her debut solo album Pink Friday, while Lil’ Kim’s best years were soon behind her. While shots were being fired on both sides, many at the time believed that Minaj was simply the new girl who posed a formidable challenge to a longtime rapper who was past her prime.

Nearly 12 years later, it’s hard not to witness the irony in seeing Nicki Minaj, now about to turn 40 this December, beefing with newcomers left and right. First, it was Cardi B. Then it was Megan Thee Stallion. Now, it appears to be Latto. At some point, one has to look in the mirror and ask themselves who’s actually at fault here?

Cardi B vs. Nicki Minaj: An Illustrated Guide to the Greatest Rap Beef of Our Time

Earlier this week, Minaj took to social media to protest the Grammy screening committee’s decision to switch her Billboard Hot 100 hit “Super Freaky Girl” from being placed in a rap to pop category. The “Do We Have a Problem?” rapper made it a point to single out Latto’s “Big Energy” in a public tweet in which she shared a screenshot of a text exchange of the two discussing Minaj’s request for her to support calling out the Recording Academy.

When Latto declined to do so publicly, Minaj went as far as to call her out on Twitter and open her up to a slew of online heat from her super-freaky-obsessive fans called the Barbz. But Latto didn’t back down. In a series of back-and-forth, Minaj called Latto “an entitled Karen,” while Latto clapped back by tweeting that Minaj was “a 40-year-old bully.”

And then a trending hashtag was born: #40YearOldBully and the rest is history.

It would be one thing if this was just a bad day for a superstar who was simply pissed about fearing another potential Grammy campaign going down the drain–but this online drama from Minaj has become as predictable as her multiple hair color changes.

At this point, any criticism about the We Go Up artist can lead to immediate online drama via cyberbullying, trolling, and/or doxxing. For a person who once begged the question of “why in the Black community we have to hate on each other”—it feels like the pot is calling the kettle black at this point.

Since 2018–when there was a noticeable rise of newer female rappers like Cardi B who were beginning to show staying power–Minaj’s penchant for indulging in embarrassing online nastiness skyrocketed. With the lukewarm success of her fourth studio album Queen, Minaj had more excuses and shots to throw than praise.

There were several reports of the Barbz being a part of an abusive stan culture epidemic. And rather than squash the narrative, Minaj leaned into it–sicing her toxic fans on reporters who criticized her (like that time when she was rightly questioned about her bizarre COVID-19 anti-vax claims).

Recently, a prominent YouTuber Kimberly Nicole Foster, a Black woman, had to submit a police report and file lawsuits after insufferable Barbz doxxed her following a few mildly critical tweets she posted about Minaj. Rather than tell her angry mob of supporters to cease and desist, the rapper was reportedly liking several tweets that were directed towards Foster–further fanning the flames that were thrown towards the 33-year-old commentator. Again, this is one of countless examples of when Minaj sat back and entertained her spiteful followers as they cyberbullied her critics on her behalf.

Perhaps the most substantial example of Minaj’s evolution into becoming one of the music industry’s real-life supervillains was how she came after the victim of her registered sex-offender husband, Kenneth “Zoo” Petty.

Last year, The Daily Beast reported on the shameless campaign Minaj took part in that involved alleged bribing, legal intimidation, and threats towards accuser Jennifer Hough. Hough would later tell her story on the now-discontinued The Real–and as expected, Minaj used social media to further the online bullying of some of the hosts (such as Garcelle Beauvais and Loni Love).

Why does any of this matter? Because at nearly 40 years old, one of the biggest names in music is yielding her massive global platform to cause harm. This isn’t some simple immature Gen Zer on TikTok acting out–but a grown-ass woman who should know better.

Whether you’re a Barb or not, we should all be able to agree that how Minaj has been handling all of this lately isn’t making her predicament any better. It won’t inspire a new generation of women in hip-hop, appeal to the Recording Academy, elevate her once-aspirational legacy, or convince anyone differently about the questionable people she’s been collaborating with lately.

Instead, Minaj has now become the very evil she once accused Lil’ Kim of being. You can’t listen to her 2010 diss-track “Roman’s Revenge” today without considering how much of what she then said about a certain “has-been” who needed to “hang it up, flat screen.”

Perhaps in 2022, she should follow that same advice if all she’s going to do is troll away her once stellar career.

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