The showdown between Nicki Minaj and Malcolm X’s daughter may be long past, but the songstress has not slowed her pace when it comes to serving it hot to anyone who comes at her.
Back in 2014, Nicki Minaj and the daughter of late civil right leader Malcolm X, Ilyasah Shabazz made headlines with their back-and-forth exchange.
The feud began after the crooner shared the artwork of the then-new single, “Lookin’ A— Ni–a” on social media and her website. Her post attracted backlash from Malcolm X’s family, who believed the artwork was a wrong representation of the slain black hero.
Nicki Minaj And Malcolm X Daughter Butted Heads In 2014
Ilyasah, one of olm X’s six children with Dr Betty Shabazz, addressed the artwork, which featured the legend looking out a window while holding a rifle. She noted that the artwork in no way depicted the truth of Malcolm X’s legacy.
Going further, she declared that her family did not endorse the use of the photo in such a derogatory manner and hoped Minaj would better represent him.
L. Londell McMillan, an attorney representing Malcolm X’s estate also released a statement on behalf of the family, giving Minaj 24 hours to take down the artwork or face legal repercussions.
Ultimately, the crooner removed the photos from Instagram and her website. She proceeded to tender a public apology to the legend’s family, adding that she had no intentions of misrepresenting him, as she respected and adored the late activist.
But the estate maintained that the damage had already been done. Ilyasah even pinpointed Minaj’s actions as a major problem plaguing the society, saying:
“Situations like the recent portrayal of our father on the album cover for Ms Minaj’s new single only highlight the fact that we as a society need to take more responsibility for what we’re teaching our children.”
The presumptuous statement seemed to hit home for the songstress, who revisited the statement weeks later in another song.
In April of that year, Nicki Minaj dedicated a few lines of her song, “Chiraq” to the daughter of Malcolm X. She crooned:
“Malcolm X daughter came at me/lookin’ a– ni—a ain’t happy/rolled out with some Latin kings and some eses in them plain khaki’s.”
After dishing out her piece in the song, Niki Minaj seemed to find the zeal to finally let her feud with Malcolm X’s daughter slide.
Their episode may be over, but that was hardly the end of Minaj’s public feuds with famous figures. Here are some of the most memorable ones.
Nicki Minaj Vs Cardi B
Perhaps the biggest celebrity feud of all time, Nicki Minaj and Cardi B have been at loggerheads since the latter stepped into the rap scene.
For years, the duo seemed to sneakily diss each other in their songs, raising speculations of a brewing feud, However, the rappers shut down those speculations on occasions, and even appeared together on “Motorsports” with Migos to prove their points.
However, things turned physical during the New York Fashion Week Harper’s Bazaar Icons party in September 2018. At the time, Cardi B hauled a shoe at Minaj for allegedly criticizing her mothering skills.
The shoe missed the target, but a security guard reportedly retaliated by elbowing Cardi in the face, before removing her from the premises.
Although not many witnessed this physical altercation, Cardi B was pictured leaving the event with no shoes on, and a bump on her forehead. None of the parties pressed charges.
Since then, the two hip-hop artists have tried to clear the air on the incident, and prove they have moved past their differences. But trust the internet to keep fishing out instances of the feud between the two rappers resurrecting.
Nicki Minaj Vs Latto
The most recent entanglement of Nicki Minaj in a celebrity feud unfolded between the rapper and “Big Energy” singer Latto.
Their feud played out on Twitter on October 13, 2022. Minaj took to the platform to rant about her displeasure over the removal of her hit song “Super Freaky Girl” from the rap category at the 65th Grammy Awards.
Instead, it was placed in the best Pop Solo Performance, while Latto’s “Bad Energy” earned a spot in the rap category. In her video rant, Minaj fired:
“Super Freaky Girl – Where I only rapped on the song – was removed out of rap categories at the GRAMMYS, right… and put in pop. If Super Freaky Girl is a pop song, what genre is Big Energy?”
Latto fired back on Twitter, pointing out how she could not even celebrate her nomination thanks to Minaj. She also created the hashtag “#40yearoldbully” and called Minaj meticulous with her shade.
Things took an even darker turn when Latto shared screenshots of her private conversations with Nicki, where the rapper allegedly told her she was not flourishing, and that no one cared about her.
Finally, she called out Minaj for being married and related to a rapist, referencing the sexual assault allegations plaguing her husband Kenneth Petty. While that seemed to shut Minaj up for good, their feud is far from over.
Over the years, Nicki Minaj has also butted heads with celebrities like Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, Iggy Azalea, Farrah Abraham, Demi Lovato, Mariah Carey and Remy Ma. She also became entangled in a copyright issue with Tracy Chapman on one occasion, but the court ruled in her favor.