Topline
Cardi B and Nicki Minaj, two of rap music’s best-selling artists, revived a years-old feud this week by taking apparent shots at one another on social media in a dispute that appeared to stem from sales of Cardi B’s newest album, which Minaj boasted through social media reposts is less than the first-week sales of her latest album.
Cardi B and Nicki Minaj in 2018 at the Met Gala. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/MG18/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue)
Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Key Facts
Billboard announced Sunday that Cardi B’s new album, “Am I The Drama?” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart with 200,000 units in combined streams and sales.
Minaj, whose latest album “Pink Friday 2” debuted atop the chart with 228,000 units in December 2023, reposted multiple posts on X from fans who said Minaj still has the “biggest first-week for a female rap album this decade” and another that appeared to dispute Cardi B’s album sales.
Minaj made and deleted several tweets on Monday, including one that simply said “4.99,” multiple outlets reported, an apparent reference to Cardi B selling her album for a discounted price.
“You must’ve missed me, huh crazy?? Now kiss my feet,” Cardi B said in a post on X, adding in follow-up posts: “Nothing more annoying than a bored btch,” and, “Cocaine Barbie,” in what fans have interpreted to be shots at Minaj, who has long made Barbie an element of her stage persona.
Minaj reportedly posted and deleted faux raps to seemingly diss Cardi B, including: “Abcdefgeeeeeeee / SUR GER REE TO LOOK LIKE MEEEEEE / tell the rat & tell J ZEEEEEE / Rico Fraud & PERJURY,” and, “Abcdefgeeeeeeee / Fallin off the charts wit a big bellyyyy,” a possible reference to Cardi B’s recently announced fourth pregnancy.
Cardi B responded with her own rap: “A B C D E F G / Your man have to snatch P-SSY / P-ssy taste like honey comb / Your bro be touching 12 year olds,” with the last line referencing Minaj’s brother, who was sentenced to prison in 2020 for child rape (Cardi B later posted an edited picture of Minaj’s brother’s mugshot in which he is depicted wearing a pink wig).
“Why you keep bringing up my album?? It’s not the gag that you think it is,” Cardi B tweeted late Monday, suggesting Minaj should instead compare herself to peers who entered the music industry around the same time as her, like Taylor Swift and Rihanna, though Cardi B said Minaj’s sales are “lower than all of them.”
How Did Cardi B And Nicki Minaj’s Feud Start?
The exact origins of the rappers’ feud is unclear, though some fans speculated tension grew in 2017 as Cardi B shot to fame with her breakout hit, “Bodak Yellow.” Fans have pointed to Cardi B joining rapper Remy Ma, who feuded with Minaj, at the June 2017 Hot 97 Summer Jam festival, as well as Minaj mentioning Cardi B’s then-partner Offset, from the rap group Migos, in a song, as possible causes for bad blood. In August 2017, Minaj was featured on rapper-producer London on da Track’s song “No Flag,” in which she rapped: “I heard these labels are trying to make another me / Everything you’re getting little hoe is because of me,” which fans believed was a shot at Cardi B. Tensions became inflamed when both rappers were featured on the Migos song “Motorsport” in October 2017, which sparked a dispute after the song’s release about Minaj’s verse allegedly being altered. In a November 2017 interview, Cardi B said when she first heard “Motorsport,” Minaj’s “verse wasn’t finished — well, it’s not the verse that is out right now — and Quavo told me to get on the song.” Minaj said months later the “only thing with Cardi that really really hurt my feelings” was Cardi B’s remark about Minaj’s verse, adding if the roles were reversed, “I would only be singing their praises and saying thank you.” The feud reached a peak in September 2018 when Cardi B reportedly tried to physically attack Minaj at a New York Fashion Week party. Video footage published by TMZ depicts Cardi B throwing her shoe in Minaj’s direction and being escorted away by security with a lump on her forehead. In an Instagram post following the incident, Cardi B accused Minaj of insulting her parenting skills, though Minaj denied the allegation. Their feud had largely remained quiet since 2018.
What To Watch For
Minaj has promoted an untitled upcoming album throughout the renewed feud with Cardi B, which is slated to release in March 2026. “Never provoke a writer while they’re [writing emoji]. Let the reindeer games begin,” Minaj reportedly said in a since-deleted tweet Monday night.
Tangent
A leaked phone call, which Cardi B confirmed is real on X Tuesday, went viral late Monday night in which Cardi B yells about Ice Spice dissing her on a song. XXL Magazine, a hip-hop publication, reported the phone call was with James Rosemond Jr., Ice Spice’s manager. In the nearly three-minute clip, Cardi B repeatedly yells she will “beat her the f— up” and asks whether the rapper is in New York. The call leaked after an unreleased Ice Spice song leaked, in which she disses an unnamed rapper who “might talk sh*t on the ‘gram, but she won’t talk sh*t to my face.” Some fans believe Ice Spice previously dissed Cardi B on her 2024 song, “BB Belt,” in which she raps about taking another rapper’s place.
Further Reading
Cardi B and Nicki Minaj: A Brief History of Their Tumultuous Relationship (People)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2025/09/30/cardi-b-and-nicki-minaj-spar-over-album-sales-reigniting-years-old-feud/
