Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion’s Beef Has Been Simmering Since 2022

Rap feuds are nothing new to those who enjoy the genre. But in January 2024, hip-hop heads witnessed one in real-time, courtesy of Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion.

The successful female rappers have historically had no drama and even collaborated on Megan’s 2019 track, “Hot Girl Summer.” However, like a good HGS, all good things must end, including any chance of the rappers getting along again.

On Jan. 26, Megan released a single called “Hiss,” Let’s just say Nicki didn’t add it to her Apple library.

In Megan’s song, the Houston native referenced Megan’s Law, which requires registered sex offenders to release their information for public records. Megan’s mention of the law reignited her ongoing beef with Nicki.

But before I dive into the more recent mess, let’s look back and see how Nicki and Megan’s feud began.

While “Hiss” seems to be the proverbial nail in the coffin in Nicki and Megan’s relationship, the rappers sparked rumors that they were no longer on good terms in 2022. In September 2022, Nicki appeared on her show, Queen Radio, where she seemingly threw some shade at Megan.

After dodging questions about Meg, who had previously released a track with Nicki’s established enemy Lil' Kim, titled “Plan B (remix),” Nicki mentioned how someone she had worked with tried to convince her to drink when she was attempting to get pregnant before the 2020 birth of her son, “Papa Bear.”

“Imagine telling someone you didn’t want to drink because you were, at the time, possibly pregnant,” Nicki said on Queen Radio, per XXL. “Because you were actively having a baby,” Nicki Minaj said. “Imagine if that person said, ‘Oh girl, you can go to the clinic.'"

Nicki also accused the same person who tried to entice her to drink of sending flowers to her after Papa Bear’s birth as an “opportunity” for clout after Beyonce had done the same thing. Although she didn’t name Megan directly, many of Megan’s fans believed that Nicki was accusing her and begged her to deny the allegation on X, formerly Twitter.

Megan responded in September 2022 when she reposted a fan encouraging her not to “stay quiet.”

“Lie,” Megan posted on X.

Despite Megan’s denial of trying to convince Nicki to drink while she was attempting to get pregnant or to have an abortion, the feud between the women has continued through their music. In March 2023, Nicki released a song called “Red Ruby Da Sleeze,” where she seemingly threw jabs at Megan and her “Thee Stallion” moniker in the first verse.

"Seven-hundred on 'em horses when we fixin' to leave (Uh-oh)/But I don't fuck with horses since Christopher Reeves," the “Chung-li” rapper said.

The reference to the late actor Christopher Reeve’s March 1995 accident that resulted in him being paralyzed from the neck down convinced many fans that Nicki was talking about Meg. However, Megan seemingly let it go and let her music do the talking on her song, “Hiss.”

Megan’s song doesn’t mention Nicki by name. Nonetheless, fans used their very best context clues when the “Cobra” rapper said, “These h--- don't be mad at Megan, these h--- mad at Megan's Law.” To many of Nicki’s fans and Nicki herself, the lyric was intended for the “Barbie World” artist’s husband, Kenneth Petty, and her brother, Jelani Maraj. Both Kenneth and Jelani have been convicted of rape and sexual assault with underage girls, with Jelani currently serving time in prison for raping his 11-year-old stepdaughter.

Moments after Megan released “Hiss,” Nicki took to her Instagram Live and X to preview a reply to Megan’s track. In her song “Big Foot,” Nicki referenced Megan’s July 2020 incident where Tory Lanez shot her in the foot. The shooting resulted in Tory being sentenced to prison for assault with a semiautomatic firearm.

“Bad b---h she like 6 foot/ I call her big foot,” Nicki said in her diss track to Megan. “The b---h fell off/I said get up on your good foot.”

In addition to releasing “Big Foot” on Sunday, Jan. 28, Nicki posted and reposted multiple shady comments towards Meg. On X and Instagram, the “Barbie World” rapper shared responses from fans who felt Meg was out of line for her “Megan’s Law” remark and deserved to be dragged by Nicki and the Barbz.

Nicki also called Megan a “disgusting serpent” for seemingly betraying her after she reportedly worked on “Hot Girl Summer” with Megan for free. The Queens native then accused Megan of lying about her late mother, Holly Thomas, in an interview with Gayle King, where she discussed her shooting.

Megan, for her part, has yet to acknowledge her and Nicki’s beef outside of the “Hiss” release. However, while promoting the track on The Breakfast Club, she warned hosts DJ Envy and Charlamagne Tha God that “a hit dog gon’ holler.”

"Whoever feels it, feel it,” Megan said when asked who the song is about.

Can’t we all just get along?? Apparently, not in the world of hip-hop.