Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion have fought via social media sparring in the past and present, most recently with the release of their diss tracks “Big Foot” and “Hiss,” respectively. In the male-dominated field of rap music, their “beef” contradicts the ideals of female friendship, and is damaging to the female representation and diversity of rap culture and music.
Megan Thee Stallion released her diss track “Hiss,” on Jan. 26, which Nicki Minaj understood as targeting her and her husband, Kenneth Perry with lyrics like, “These hoes don’t be mad at Megan, these hoes mad at Megan’s Law/ I don’t really know what the problem is, but I guarantee y’all don’t want me to start/ B—-, you a p—-, never finna check me/ Every chance you get, bet your weak a– won’t address me.”
The lyrics were a stab at Minaj’s husband, Kenneth Perry, a registered sex offender, who received a three-year probation sentence in July 2022. Megan’s Law refers to the U.S. federal law that requires convicted law enforcement to release relevant information about convicted sex offenders to the public.
Minaj responded with “Big Foot” on Jan. 29, a diss track about Megan Thee Stallion with lyrics like, “This lil' beggin' w - - - - talkin' 'bout Megan's Law / For a free beat, you could hit Megan raw (Ooh) / If you a ghostwriter, party in Megan jaw (Ooh) / Shots thrown, but I still ain't let Megan score (Tell 'em).”
By using derogatory terms in their lyrics like “p - - - -” and “b - - - -,” they perpetuate misogynistic language, or terminology that degrades and oppresses women. More importantly, by amplifying these dehumanized, gendered slurs, they reduce each other’s power within the industry, subsequently allowing further dominance by the males in rap music.
As cultural icons, their targeted insults of each other — misogynistic language and attacks on family members — are harmful to impressionable young listeners who absorb these gender-related put-downs as normal and permissible in our society.
The cumulative effects of their ongoing conflict being played out on social media and within their lyrics unravel the strides they have made to empower themselves and other women. The result is that these artists have given consent to use crude language and oppressive stereotypes that are disparaging to girls and women.
Ultimately, these rappers fueled the fire between their fanbases, and by doing so, diminished the power of all female hip-hop artists. Their public feuds have played into tired stereotypes of women being catty and violating sisterhood codes. This undermines the progress female rappers have made in demanding respect as thoughtful artists.
Listeners feel forced to choose between the women, which polarizes the fan bases rather than appreciating their collective contributions to a male-dominated industry. If these rappers stayed in their own lanes or even collaborated despite the animosity between their fan bases, these women could have shown there is room for more than one successful woman in the rap game, proving that men are not the only dominant force in this musical arena.
The battles between these former collaborators have grown increasingly ugly, and the result is a distraction from their musical contributions and artistry. Rather than focusing on the music, the public is focused on the feud and dissecting the lyrics to see what new insult is hurled at their rival. This allows critics of rap music to decry the genre as being flooded with ego and lacking strong role models, particularly for young fans of the music.
The power of rappers like Minaj, Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B can help to reshape the landscape of hip hop and rap culture; unfortunately, their infighting devalues their talent and divides a core fan base rather than uniting it.
Please note that the opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect those of The Post.
