Remy Ma is still going after Nicki Minaj, and fans of the singer, rapper, and talent show judge are looking for Minaj to fire back. The Hip Hop beef began when Ma dropped “Shether,” in which the female rapper dumped all over her fellow lady gangsta. Then Ma added another punch with her next single … and Minaj has yet to respond to the diss. And that must be really frustrating for Ma.
The tradition of battle rapping and MC feuds is very nearly as old as the style of music itself. That concept owes itself to the very nature of the genre. Beginning on street corners, front stoops, and underground clubs, raps were relational poetry set to a beat. It was biographical, raw, and fun. In the early days, the best rap was about clever wordplay overlaying cool beats, and that inevitably led to good-natured verbal sparring.
From those seminal days, rap began transforming in the mid-1980s, as rap feuds began to fuel album sales. Girl groups blasted self-important MCs, dudes ripped on each other, and both saw their sales climb as a result. As rap morphed from hip-hop into gangsta stylings, feuds continued to evolve as well. Probably the most famous is the legendary rift between the East and West coasts, which culminated in the murders of the top names on both coasts, Tupac and Biggie. Before that, there was Ice Cube, on fire after leaving Ruthless Records and dropping bombs on his former friends in NWA.
In nearly every case, when a rap battle ensues, both sides cash in. Fans rush out to see and hear what the responder will do when they’re attacked on wax. This time, though, Minaj isn’t saying a word … yet … and that likely has Remy Ma very frustrated.
In appearances on talk shows, Ma had gone to lengths to explain the reasons for the repeated attacks on Minaj. The Associated Press reported the following quotes: “It was the behind-the-scene things that you people will never know about, you know, as far as trying to keep me off of red carpets and trying to make sure awards don’t go to me or she’s not going to be in attendance. Or trying to get people to make bad reports about my album sales or just anything that I’m doing to make me look less and make her look better… I have a problem when you’re trying to stop my bag (my money) when you’re trying to stop me from taking care of my children, now I have a problem with that…”
So, according to Ma, this isn’t about professional disrespect, this is personal. Backroom low-down stuff hurting her career that she blames Minaj for. Right now that’s all rumor, but it’s more than good enough to keep the battle going.