Content Warning: This story contains mentions of rape and sexual assault
Nicki Minaj is a very prominent name in the music industry and has stayed relevant in the media for years. One reason? Her constant public beefing with other artists, mostly women. So to see Nicki in the headlines is not all that surprising. What’s shocking about this new fight that Nicki has started is the opponent she’s facing: Megan thee Stallion. On Friday, Megan released her newest single “Hiss”, which seemingly dissed several people. One line specifically stuck out though: “These hoes don’t be mad at Megan, these hoes mad at Megan’s law.” From this line, the Nicki/Megan beef began.
This got people wondering, what is Megan’s law? Megan’s Law was named after seven-year-old Megan Kanka, who was raped and killed by a registered sex offender. The Kanka family had no idea of the killer’s sex offender status until he was caught and prosecuted. Megan’s Law ensures that communities are given relevant information to protect the public from sex offenders. When Megan thee Stallion referenced Megan’s Law, many people took that as a dig at Nicki Minaj, her husband, and brother, both of whom are registered sex offenders. Nicki’s husband, Kenny Petty, was convicted of attempted rape in 1994 and in 2022 was sentenced to a year of house arrest, three years probation, and fined $55,000. Minaj’s brother, Jelani Maraj, was sentenced for predatory sexual assault. He was given 25 years to life for repeatedly raping his 11-year-old stepdaughter and was convicted in 2017. In response to her brother’s arrest, Nicki Minaj made a public Instagram post supporting him and allegedly paid his $100,000 bail.
It seems however that the Nicki vs. Megan beef started with the release of Megan’s song “WAP” in which she collaborated with Nicki’s public enemy, rapper Cardi B, in 2020. From then on, it seems like both rappers have taken subtle, public digs at each other. Minaj often makes fun of fellow rapper Tory Lanez for shooting Megan in the foot after an incident in July 2020; Lanez was later sentenced to 10 years in prison.
This brings us to 2024 and the release of “Hiss.” Nicki Minaj decided to respond on social media and released her diss track “Big Foot.” She calls out Megan specifically in her song by saying, “this little beggin’s whore, talking ‘bout Megan’s law, for a free beat you can hit Megan raw.” Not only did she specifically call out Megan by using the phrase Megan’s law, but she also orchestrated a poor attempt to slut-shame Megan thee Stallion despite her having a fan base surrounding sex-positivity and shamelessly enjoying sex. Minaj also, again, referenced the Megan/Lanez incident by saying “F**k you get shot with no scar?” She also made several references to Megan thee Stallion’s mother who passed away in 2019, she said phrases such as, “How you f**k your mother man when she die?” and “swearing on your dead mother when you die.”
Many of Nicki’s fans have begun to hold her accountable for her actions, not only against Megan but for her ruthless behavior towards other women in the music industry as well. While Megan has not responded to “Big Foot” yet, both women’s fans have their take on the beef. Nicki Minaj has made several posts on X this past week targeting Megan and many fans are claiming that Nicki is having a public breakdown. Earlier this week, Nicki went on Instagram live and was seemingly spewing nonsense and essentially losing her mind, saying hateful things about Megan thee Stallion. This has caused many fans to believe her actions may have a deeper meaning.
The music industry is known for the long history of artists publicly dissing each other and calling each other out. But the Nicki vs. Megan beef goes so much deeper than this, bringing up real controversial issues and conversations surrounding women supporting women and sexual assault. Although it’s unclear what Megan thee Stallion’s response will be, Nicki’s responses have certainly raised a few red flags. Both women have done massive things for the rap music industry and are big names in music so it’s uncertain if this drama will ever end.