Nicki Minaj and Latto‘s war of words over the Grammys has left social media divided.
2022 has apparently been the year of rap beef. Throughout the course of the year, we’ve seen Cardi B have a war of words with JT of the City Girls. The Bronx native has also had a verbal spat with Akbar V and Malibu Mitch. Now, it appears that Queen of Rap Nicki Minaj and fan-favorite Latto are at each other’s throats.
Fans of both stars were first shocked, seeing that Latto and Nicki have always spoken well about one another on social media and beyond. However, after Nicki gave her opinion about being nominated for Grammys and highlighted the inconsistencies of the Recording Academy over the years, all hell broke loose. Here’s the 4-1-1.
Nicki Minaj and Latto’s beef all started because she compared “Super Freaky Girl” to Latto’s “Big Energy.”
The girls are fighting! On October 13, 2022, Nicki Minaj took to Instagram Live to discuss how “Super Freaky Girl,” which has been No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks straight and dominated rap charts, has been put into pop submission categories at the Grammys.
“’Super Freaky Girl,’ where I only rapped on the song, was removed from the rap category at the Grammys and put in pop categories,” Nicki shared while confirming the announcement.
Nicki went on to call out the inconsistencies with the Recording Academy citing that Drake’s Hotline Bling won a grammy in 2017 for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Sung Song, which left a bad taste in Drake’s mouth since he questioned winning a rap award for a song that’s clearly pop.
The icon also called out the hypocrisy since “SFG” was taken out of rap categories, but Latto’s “Big Energy” was not removed and is currently up for consideration for rap awards. Keep in mind, not only did Latto herself refer to “Big Energy” as a pop song on Twitter, Nicki also called out the fact that “Big Energy” and “SFG” had the same producers. So, why is one song considered pop and the other rap?
Now, this is not to say that Nicki has any ill intentions toward Latto, which she vehemently said during Instagram Live. However, Nicki is saying that considerations for Grammys should be fair across the board.
“If “SFG” is a pop song,” Nicki said during the IG Live. “What genre is ‘Big Energy?’”
Nicki also pointed out that the Recording Academy is moving the “goal post for her in order to uplift people they want to shine.” Remember, it has long been shared that Nicki Minaj should have won a Grammy in the past, but powers that be have kept that from happening.
Nicki also mentioned that the Grammys are simply elevating an artist that they profit off of. She went on to call out examples of other artists receiving the same treatment.
However, once Latto caught wind of Nicki’s statement, she seemingly responded to Nicki’s statements via Twitter.
“Damn, I can’t win for losing,” Latto said. “All these awards and nominations and I can’t even celebrate.
From there, both ladies engaged with retweets responding to one another. Nicki shared a screenshot of her DM with Latto that shows the “Big Energy” femcee agreeing with Nicki’s sentiments. However, Latto said that she didn’t think Nicki should use her to validate her argument.
Latto also shared that she looked up to Nicki and didn’t want to do the back-and-forth on social media. However, drama ensued.
Insults from both ladies were thrown out, with Nicki calling Latto a “Karen” for agreeing with her behind closed doors and acting differently in public via social media. Latto accused Nicki of shading her on Twitter and attempted to share receipts; however, Nicki’s fans were quick to try and discredit those, claiming they had nothing to do with Latto. Nicki also called out Latto for repeatedly bringing her up in interviews.
And that was not all. Nicki called Latto “Scratch off” instead of her name, while Latto shared audio recordings of their phone calls as the situation went down. Nicki explained the pattern of new female rappers begging her for features and once they don’t get it, they turn on her.
Latto referred to Nicki as “Super Freaky Grandma” and called her out for being related and married to rapists. Latto also shared recordings of the previous conversations with Nicki to prove her point, but they continued to fall short in the eyes of Nicki’s fans.
Social media users have taken sides.
Fans of hip-hop know that people love to hate Nicki Minaj — it’s not an opinion; it’s a fact. And while it’s easy to get caught up in rap beef, it’s sometimes hard for people to put aside their fondness for an entertainer and look at the facts.
While it’s understandable why Latto wouldn’t want her name mentioned by Nicki, the 39-year-old showcased no shade or ill will toward Latto in her initial statements. In fact, she also used other rappers as examples to support her point.
Many people believe that Latto shouldn’t have reacted the way she did. Not to mention, many people believe that Latto may have been waiting for a moment to fall out with Nicki.
On the flip side, others believe that Nicki is a bully that’s complaining about not getting her way. And since Latto is not the first female rapper Nicki has exchanged words with, many believe that the writing is on the wall.
