Nicki Minaj recently let loose a series of tweets about rampant sexism in the rap game.
What ignited this social media rant was, of all things, an innocuous complimentary tweet from “What They Want” rapper Russ, who posted a clip from his Rap Radar interview where he told the hosts, “You know who else people really need to start putting respect on is Nicki Minaj — period.”
He added that Minaj “birthed so many females” and her style has influenced a lot of artists who came after her. Seems benign, right?
Minaj caught wind of Russ’ praise and thanked him Wednesday evening, then further expounded on Russ’ points.
“In any field, women must work TWICE as hard to even get HALF the respect her male counterparts get. When does this stop?,” she began. She noted that rappers who collaborate with rappers like Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and J. Cole are deemed “dope” but if someone works with her, it’s forced.
To back her argument, Nicki dug up an old tweet from Lamar where he said, “Just realized. Moe n—az hate nicki minaj than woman do.
#yallniggazisreallypausewhenithinkaboutit.” She added that the seven-year-old tweet is still relevant today and in order for her to get recognition, she’d have to dress as a man.
What do you think about Minaj’s tweets? Just how prevalent is sexism and misogyny in the hip-hop game?
