The rapper Mariah Carey compared to “Satan”
Known for silky smooth falsetto vocals, Mariah Carey is one of the most technically skilled R’n’B vocalists ever. From ‘We Belong Together’ to ‘One Sweet Day’, the singer boasts a multitude of hits and has secured an astounding 19 number ones, second to only The Beatles.
That said, Carey has used her vocals in various different ways and, as a versatile artist, has explored many genres over the years. Following the success of Carey’s songs in the 1990s, as R&B entered the 2000s, the vocalist had already reached superstar, and by the 2010s, alongside artists like Jennifer Lopez and Beyoncé, the ‘We Belong Together’ creator was one of the most recognisable and legendary singers in the world.
However, by 2013, she had a job on US television as one of the prominent faces on American Idol. Still, there was one rapper that Carey had to work with on the show that she really did not like or respect. During an interview on Hot 97, the singer spoke about having to work alongside Nicki Minaj, who was also a judge on American Idol, and it’s fair to say Carey gave a pretty damning picture of the Queens emcee.
Speaking with Angie Martinez on The Angie Martinez Show, Carey unveiled, “Honestly, I hated it! I thought it was going to be a three-person panel. They gave me a nice dangling monetary moment, and I was just like, ‘Okay. Randy Jackson will be there; I’ve known him forever. He used to play bass for me. Like, this isn’t a big deal. This will be nothing.’ But it wasn’t that. It was like going to work every day in hell with Satan.”
Nicki Minaj and Mariah had a fair few spats on the show. At one point, Carey mocked Minaj’s lack of knowledge of the film Mean Girls as well as her choice of hat one episode. However, the ‘Beez In The Trap’ lyricist fired back, calling Carey a “bitch” and passive-aggressively complimenting her on her vocal range.
Minaj, in typical fashion on one occasion during the show’s airing, took to X (formerly Twitter), writing, “She’s sad I tied her record for Hot 100 entries in only 3 years of being in the game. Yep, a black female rapper… What u SHOULD be doing… is asking why a woman SO successful at her age, is still so INSECURE, and bitter.”
However, the debacles the public saw were only what the editors chose to keep in, and rumours at the time hinted that things were much worse behind the scenes. One leaked video obtained by TMZ heard the pair feuding between takes, with Nicki telling Carey, “Say one more disrespectful thing to me, if you say one more disrespectful thing to me, off with your head!… I’m not fucking putting up with your fucking highness over there.”
Carey then responded by asking the producers, “Why do I have a 3-year-old sitting around me?” Although people knew it was terrible at the time, it is daming for Carey to compare Minaj to “Satan.”