The emcee who called Nicki Minaj a “musical prostitute”
Nicki Minaj has been at the top of the rap game for a long time, but one could argue she she has been feuding with other females since the day she entered the mainstream. It began with Lil’ Kim. However, slowly but surely other MCs, including Iggy Azalea, Cardi B, Remy Ma and Megan Thee Stallion, have been on the end of her attacks.
Still, earlier this year, after Minaj won the BET award for Best Female Hip-Hop Artist, one well-known New York lyricist decided to take aim at Nicki Minaj for destroying the ecosystem of female rap.
Brooklyn artist Lil Mama was relatively successful in the mid-2000s, and although she hasn’t reached the heights of Minaj, the ‘Lip Gloss’ rhymer still felt it necessary to address the Pink Friday creator and, in the process, labelled her a “musical prostitute” influenced by Lil Kim.
Lil Mama insisted that the hyper-sexual, self-degrading nature of contemporary female rap is solely the response of Nicki Minaj and emphasised that many of the current acts who are lyrically weak have been inspired to sell their bodies by Minaj.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Lil Mama wrote, “[They] gave Nicki an award for leading this pack. Corporate ‘BARS’ be going over our head. They laughing at us for sure!” She then posted a clip of Sexyy Red — a polarising artist who many believe is lyrically poor and vulgar.
Lil Mama continued, “These women are not influenced by Kim. Nicki is influenced by Kim. These women are 23!” Adding, “What major musical prostitutes from the last do you remember from the last 15 years? Who do you think they watched corporate give a platform and flowers for sitting out? Be forreal. They are laughing at us, and the award was a ‘thanks to you, now we have 7, 8, 9 of’ em.'”
Many agreed with the Brooklyn star and highlighted how, for 15 years, Nicki Minaj had set a precedent by putting sex at the forefront of her brand and music, making her the role model for the likes of Sexyy Red and Ice Spice.
Lil Mama looked back fondly to the days of Queen Latifah, Lil Kim and Missy Elliott when there was a range of styles on offer from females as she continued, “There were definitely options in style and content. It’s all love, God is the greatest, and these women are gonna wake up and realise that they are worth more than any price tag.”
Although Lil Mama may have made some good points, her lack of success made it easy for Minaj’s fans to attack her. All of them insisted that if she had been invited to the award ceremony, she would have gone and stayed quiet, thus insinuating she was jealous of Minaj.
Still, her assessment of Minaj’s role in hip-hop was scathing and brutally blunt, depicting her as a sellout.