Since the release of her hit single, “Bodak Yellow,” in 2017, fans couldn’t help but compare Cardi B to other female artists in the hip-hop industry, especially Nicki Minaj. The ongoing ‘feud’ between Cardi B and Nicki reached its peak when the two artists got into a physical altercation at New York Fashion Week’s annual Harper’s Bazaar Icons party at the Plaza Hotel on Friday. In the aftermath of the altercation, Cardi was escorted from the venue. Following the altercation, Cardi also took to Instagram to post a long, profane message which she captioned “PERIOD.” Although she doesn’t mention Minaj by name, Cardi’s posts suggest that Minaj had allegedly made efforts to sabotage her career and that she has also spoken negatively about her newborn daughter, Kulture Kiari.
“I addressed you once in person, I addressed you a second time in person, and every time you copped a plea!! But when you mention my child, you choose to like comments about me as a mother, make comments about my abilities to take care of my daughter is when all bets are f*ckin off!!”, Cardi states.
On Monday, Nicki opened up about the altercation on her Beats 1 show Queens Radio saying that “The other night, I was a part of something so mortifying and humiliating to go through in front of the upper echelon … people who have their lives together. The way they passed by looking at this disgusting commotion, I will never forget. I was mortified. I could not believe how humiliating it all felt … how we made ourselves look.” Minaj continued to deny accusations that she would discuss anyone’s parenting abilities or the welfare of someone’s child.
So where did this ‘long-running’ feud originate from? Many sources speculate that it began when fans started to compare the rapper’s verses on the Migo’s hit song, “Motorsport.” Fans and critics picked apart lyrics to suggest that both Cardi B and Nicki Minaj took opportunities to sneak disses at one another, which are allegations that both artists denied. Acknowledging this supposed drama between the two rappers is completely irrelevant, with Cardi B even suggesting herself that the tension is solely entertainment. For as long as the hip-hop industry has been around, male rappers have been collaborating with one another on countless songs with the media nor other listeners boasting any competition.
However, with spectators fabricating this ‘tension’ between Cardi B and Nicki Minaj, this feud was bound to become real. With so many similarities between the two women, including both being from New York, it’s no secret that the artists were involuntarily pinned against one another. For a few years, Minaj had been labeled as the ‘queen of rap.’ Hence, the release of her new album in which she entitles Queen, that is, up until Cardi B emerged into the hip-hop industry. The music industry tends to pin one female artist against another, pinning one musician as being the best, while the following artist needs to compete for the top spot. If there is enough room in the music industry for the seemingly thousands of male hip-hop artists, then there should be more than enough room for Nicki and Cardi to make separate platforms for themselves.
Unspoken competition between women is very real and goes beyond the realm of just the music industry. From a young age, women are instilled with this urge to compete against one another for recognition, especially when it comes to things that are technically ‘male dominant.’ Media platforms tend to use the success of female figures as a way to create ‘entertainment’ by pitting these women against one another, fabricating a feud that doesn’t actually exist. In the case of Nicki and Cardi, the world was watching and maybe even hoping for something to happen between the two. In my opinion, this ‘tension’ between both rappers is irrelevant and undoubtedly needs to stop. As women in today’s society, there is still recognition to gain and so much to fight for; the last thing women need to see is two of the most popular public icons in the hip-hop industry throwing shoes at each other and ripping dresses.