The 14 People Nicki Minaj Should Be Most Afraid Of

Given how ferociously and fiercely she fronts, it's reasonable to think that there are no people Nicki Minaj should be afraid of. Be it in the bars of her raps or in her consistently outspoken social media posts, the "Barbie Dreams" rapper gives the impression that she's capable of taking on just about anyone and everyone — anytime, anywhere. 

Since her colorful breakthrough with the 2010 album "Pink Friday," the Barbie-styled emcee has never been one to hold her tongue. While on one level, Minaj's brazen and fearless manner gave women everywhere some inspiration to speak up for themselves and out against haters, on another, the constant drama surrounding the rapper's personal and professional relationships has also occasionally undermined her career.

So much so that in 2015, The New York Times braved an attempt to ask Minaj whether she "thrives on drama," and the rapper appeared to add the much-respected newspaper to the pages of her overflowing Burn Book. "That's disrespectful," she replied, "Why would a grown-ass woman thrive off drama?" Why, indeed. 

Unfortunately for Minaj, every Regina George has her comeuppance eventually. And though she's been victorious in the majority of her feuds so far, it's only a matter of time until a few of them find a way to leverage some manner of rebuttal. Here are the 14 people Minaj should be most afraid of on that front.

Ever since the release of Nicki Minaj's 2007 debut mixtape "Playtime is Over," the rapper has clashed with legendary hip-hop star Lil Kim. The beef? According to NME, it started when said mixtape used artwork that bore a striking resemblance to that of Kim's seminal 1996 album "Hard Core." For the subsequent decade that followed, the two fired shots at each other from the Barbie Dreamhouse walls of their respective careers.

While the "has-been" of Minaj's sour diss-track "Roman's Revenge" was rumored to be Kim (via Billboard), the "Crush On You" rapper left no doubt who was in her cross hairs when she released her "Black Friday" mixtape. The artwork of the 2011 joint notoriously appeared to depict Kim decapitating the "Pink Friday" rapper, while also playing on the name and artwork of her latest album (via Daily News). 

In 2018, however, the two made peace with each other. Minaj paid homage to Kim with her song "Barbie Dreams" (via NME), and Kim said of Minaj during an interview with Real 92.3, "God bless her, I wish her the best" (via E!). But don't be fooled, Kim still wants her revenge: In 2021, she confidently named Minaj as the person she'd be most eager to do a Verzuz rap battle against when questioned about it by DJ Envy on the BET Awards red carpet (via Billboard). And that might honestly be the rapper's perfect moment with which to powerfully reclaim her crown. 

Just as the embers of Nicki Minaj's feud with Lil Kim appeared to be softening into a cozy glow, a raging fire appeared to be blazing in the one she had with Cardi B. In 2017, Minaj was rumored to have proudly dissed Cardi and Offset in her verses for Katy Perry's shade-anthem "Swish Swish," which left the "Bodak Yellow" rapper feeling "hurt and disappointed" as she aired her feelings on IG Live (according to BuzzFeed).

By 2018, tensions between the two reached such a boiling point that they got into a physical altercation at a New York Fashion Week party. Per TMZ, who shared video footage of the ruckus, Cardi was elbowed in the face by Minaj's security and the rapper then threw a shoe at the star. According to the website, the fight stemmed from Cardi alleging that Nicki had been slyly dissing her and making comments about her capabilities as a mother. 

As much as the beef appeared to have cooled between the two, it also never quite ended. In 2021, Jessie Woo from "Love & Hip Hop" spread a rumor that someone from Cardi's team suggested their goal was to "knock Nicki [Minaj] out," in Woo's Hollywood Unlocked interview (via Revolt). Though the "WAP" star denied the accusations in a comment left on Instagram (via The Neighborhood Talk), it's possible that Cardi is still capable of settling their feud once and for all — by dethroning Minaj with her own thriving career.

One of the greatest are-they-or-aren't-they twosomes of hip-hop, for years Nicki Minaj and Drake flirted publicly with the idea that their close friendship was more than platonic. However, between the raunchy "Anaconda" lap dance sequences and teasing Twitter statements from Drizzy demanding folk refer to Minaj as "Mrs. Aubrey Drake Graham," the two were also prone to fallouts. 

In 2013, for instance, Drake dropped a couple of lines about how he wasn't "even talkin' to Nicki" anymore on the song "Tuscan Leather," (via Genius). And though they managed to rekindle their connection, Minaj's romance with Drake's former rival Meek Mill caused another divide between the two.

In an interview with Beats 1's Zane Lowe, Minaj described being stuck between the two during their beef as being "one of the hardest parts of my career." The "Super Bass" rapper even alleged that Drake had told her he had only one worry "in that entire situation" between himself and Mill: "What if Nicki takes a shot at me? ... What if Nicki spits bars at me?" But maybe Minaj should be worried about Drake taking a shot at her. 

In 2019, Drake raised eyebrows when he invited Minaj rival Cardi B to perform at his OVO festival (via HollywoodLife). That same year, fans speculated that the "Beez in the Trap" rapper used metaphorical animals to symbolically kill-off Cardi and Drake in her video for "Hard White," according to PopBuzz. Could a future Drizzy x Cardi diss-track collab be awaiting the star?

Like many of Nicki Minaj's feuds, the one she shares with Remy Ma has gone through various viscous twists and turns. As described by The Fader, Remy and Minaj's relationship "went from friendly competition to actual beef" when the "Starships" rapper came for the crown of the self-proclaimed Queen of New York.

After the two artists seemingly took subliminal and more direct swings at each other in the bars of their rhymes, Remy appeared to land a finishing blow with the release of diss-track "ShETHER" in 2017 — a seven-minute slaughter of a song which Complex called "one of the most savage diss tracks ever." Indeed it is, not that Remy feels good about it. Speaking on BuzzFeed's "Another Round" Podcast, the rapper suggested she "wasn't particularly proud" that a song "picking apart another female is what went viral" from her output, and even suggested, "We could've done this working together."

Meanwhile, Minaj issued a retaliation via a handful of lines in the song "No Frauds" alongside her Big 3 pals Drake and Lil Wayne (via E!), but it was a drop in the ocean compared to the tsunami that Remy launched. The OG queen may have her priorities straight where it comes to avoiding unnecessary beef with women, but it's clear that Remy won't put up with being played, either. "In the event that you p*ss me off and we become archenemies, run for cover," she told BuzzFeed's Another Round podcast. Message received.

File this one under "antidotes," not anecdotes, because it should be taken with a pinch of salt. In 2018, Demi Lovato shared their own mysterious blind item about a toxic experience they had at the 2016 Met Gala which made them "so uncomfortable" they almost broke their sobriety. The star opened up about their "terrible experience" to Billboard, where they explained, "This one celebrity was a complete b*tch and was miserable to be around." So much so that Lovato left the lavish fashion event to attend an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting at 10 p.m. 

Though Lovato has never named the person in question, the star accompanied Moschino creative director Jeremy Scott to the gala alongside Nicki Minaj. As reported by People, rumors of a feud between the Minaj and Lovato emerged when the rapper shared a (since-deleted) image of the three on the red carpet together, but tagged Scott and not Lovato. The "Dancing with the Devil" singer reportedly "took notice" and commented on the post "with a laughing emoji, peace sign, and thumbs up." 

According to Cosmopolitan, Lovato then shared a salty Snapchat of themself looking pensive with the caption, "When you aren't mentioned in a post but didn't do sh*t to that person." They also posted their own Met Gala picture on Instagram with a caption that suggested it would be their "first and probably last" time attending the event (via Page Six). If Minaj is the mean girl in question, then Lovato could be holding onto some shady secrets about Minaj's behavior that night.

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As outlined by Complex in their comprehensive overview of the decade-long relationship, former Hood$tars group members Safaree Samuels and Nicki Minaj had a troubled love affair, to say the least. In 2011, TMZ shared a police report detailing a physical altercation between the two, in which Samuels was accused of hitting Minaj in the face with a suitcase. 

Three years later, TMZ was reporting that the two had broken up, and by 2015, Samuels was claiming credit for her songwriting. "She doesn't do it by herself," he told "The Breakfast Club," adding, "It's me and her" (via ET). If you know Minaj, then you know that's a bear you don't poke. The emcee not only denied the suggestion while in conversation with Funk Flex for Hot 97, but also insinuated that Samuels had said it out of "weakness and passive aggression." And why? Because he allegedly "got caught" stealing her credit cards to hire sex workers with. 

Naturally, the two wound up exchanging more words with each other on Twitter afterwards, with Samuels landing a final jab by suggesting he "almost died" once after Minaj "cut" him — an allegation weirdly backed up by a TMZ reporter who alleged he'd seen video footage of Minaj "chasing [Samuels] with a knife" (via Complex). Said video has never surfaced, and Samuels has likewise never pressed charges for the alleged violence. Whether that'll remain the case is another question entirely. 

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The small-time feud between Nicki Minaj and Tiffany Haddish seemingly began at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards. The comedian stirred an already bustling pot of pop beef by taking a cheap shot at Fifth Harmony's achievements compared to the great success of former member turned solo star Camila Cabello (via MTV). Evidently, Minaj was not amused, and she made her feelings clear when she stepped up to accept the award for best hip-hop video.

During her speech, the rapper turned to face Haddish and said, "Tiff, don't be coming for Fifth Harmony because Normani is that b*tch" (via Teen Vogue). The comedian seemed happy to laugh the statement off, but fast forward to 2021, and it seemed Haddish had some opinions to share about the rapper. According to TMZ, leaked audio from a Clubhouse interview with the star saw her being called the "Nicki Minaj of comedy." Another voice piped up to state that Haddish is better than the rapper, however, because she "shows up on time." 

But the comedian took it one step further by saying — and watch, don't you burn yourself on this hot tea, folks — "unlike Nicki, I treat everybody with respect and dignity." Ouch. It's worth noting that Haddish carries a fair amount of prestige and power in Hollywood. On top of her quick wit, she's a formidable force, should Minaj ever wish to step up the feud and retaliate in some way.

In 2015, Nicki Minaj's "Anaconda" and Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood" were two of the most talked-about music videos of the year. They also happened to bop at different ends of a complicated dance hall called feminism. While Minaj powerfully reclaimed Sir Mix-A-Lot's legendary "Baby Got Back" with a video celebrating female empowerment via a body-ody-ody, Swift used action movie tropes to make a statement about girl squads as a superpower. 

Then the MTV Video Music Awards happened and failed to nominate "Anaconda" for video of the year alongside "Bad Blood," and all hell broke loose. Minaj made a series of posts on Twitter sharing her outrage about the nominees solely featuring "women with very slim bodies." Swift took it personally, lashed out, and then apologized when Minaj made it clear it wasn't about her (via PopSugar).  

Seemingly about everything and nothing, the feud ended as soon as it began. Or did it? In 2017 — the same year that Minaj featured on Katy Perry's rumored Swift-diss-track "Swish Swish" — Entertainment Weekly reported there was speculation that Minaj sub-tweeted Swift to "sit down. Be humble," in response to the release of her beefy-bop "Look What You Made Me Do." Swift isn't one to let grudges stay in the past. Particularly not if there's a ten-minute song to be pulled from it. If there is any unresolved beef between the two, the "All Too Well" singer will find a way to address it — even a decade later. 

Speaking of MTV VMA outbursts featuring Nicki Minaj, the beef between the rapper and Miley Cyrus has been simmering away ever since 2015. The "Wrecking Ball" hitmaker made the mistake of sharing her opinion on Minaj's VMA nominations rant, where she described the rapper's behavior as "not very polite." Cyrus made the statements to The New York Times, where she further accused Minaj of instigating a "pop star war." 

Unfortunately for her, Cyrus was the host of the VMAs that year, and upon winning the award for best hip-hop video, Minaj legendarily jabbed back at the singer to ask, "Miley, what's good?" (via MTV). Years later, Cyrus casually chose to reignite the feud by singing, "I love you Nicki, but I listen to Cardi" on the track, "Cattitude" — a lyric that caused Minaj to comment, "Perdue Chickens can never talk sh*t about queens" during an episode of her "Queen Radio" show (via Billboard). 

It's worth noting that while Minaj has continued to find drama in the industry, Cyrus has arguably mellowed — a move which aligns with her current status as the leading living jukebox of assorted classic rock covers. And while Minaj's squabbles may be leaving her short of powerful pals and collaborators, Cyrus seems to be maintaining a healthy roster of potential collaborators — including Lil Nas X and godmother Dolly Parton — which gives her some additional musical heavyweights to work with, should she ever need to clap back again. 

There isn't digital real estate big enough to comfortably house all the drama that erupted from the newfound solo career of Jesy Nelson in 2021. But the flat-pack version is this: The former Little Mix star was allegedly accused of blackfishing — wherein someone who is not Black fraudulently appropriates Black culture for their personal identity or style — by former bandmate Leigh-Ann Pinnock.

As reported by W, Nicki Minaj — who was a guest on Nelson's solo song "Boyz" — joined the British singer for an Instagram Live session where she criticized Pinnock for her "attack" on Nelson. "All of a sudden she's not in a video with you, you have some negative, evil thing to do and say? Stop," she said during the stream. Minaj's full tirade saw the rapper being labeled a "hypocrite" online due to her seemingly defending Nelson for the same behavior she once criticized Miley Cyrus for.

Considering her history for diss tracks and beef, it was strange to see Minaj on Twitter accusing Pinnock of encouraging people to bully Nelson, a person who "has been suicidal from bullying in the past." Despite being accused of having waited a "decade" to address Nelson's cultural issues, Little Mix explained to The Telegraph that they'd previously approached Nelson "in a very friendly, educational manner" to deal with "the blackfishing situation" before she left the band in 2020. As for Minaj? They appear to be keeping a dignified silence about her — for now. 

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If you know anything about the family, then you'll know that hell hath no fury like a Kardashian scorned. Nicki Minaj has something of a history with the family which began when she accused Kylie Jenner's partner, Travis Scott, of "artificially inflating" the numbers for his album "Astroworld," according to Pitchfork. The album's success relegated hers, "Queen," to the Number 2 slot upon release. 

But why stop with the dude when can you go for his girl, too? On Twitter, the rapper called out Scott for receiving promotional help from Jenner, who had posted a (since-deleted) Instagram pic pushing her beau's album while playfully suggesting that she and their baby, Stormi, were "ready for tour" (via Harpers Bazaar). In 2021, Minaj further fanned the flames with some backhanded compliments to the family.

The rapper brought the KarJenners into question while addressing Jesy Nelson's blackfishing controversy. In a clip captured by The True 100, Minaj mused on the family's history with appropriation and said, "Kylie and Kim and their sisters, they're not the only white women doing it" but later added that Jenner now "has bigger lips," a darker "shade," and "hangs out with Black people." And yet, she maintained, "I still commend her."

The comments could be perceived as being a Trojan horse of a shady statement: A side-eye of an insult wrapped in a celebration that the K-Krew are likely way too savvy to let slide.

Spare a thought for poor Jessie J. In 2021, the British singer had the audacity to suggest that "Bang Bang," her 2014 hit collaboration with Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj, was something that the rapper was excited about being in on. "Nicki was played it in the studio," she told Glamour, "and was like, 'I've got to jump on this.'" Minaj told a different story, however. In a since-deleted Twitter post, Minaj curtly suggested, "I didn't hear the song & ask 2get on it. The label asked me2get on it & paid me" (via Bustle).

Clearly humiliated, Jessie took to Instagram to address the "weird energy" between them and to admit that she "never knew" the real story. "Someone [was] clearly gassing me up at the label," she said, and thanked the rapper for "clarifying." In the since-deleted post, she shared how "blessed" she felt to collaborate with the two artists on the track and suggested she was laughing her way through the drama. "What a way for us to celebrate the seven-year anniversary of the song," she wrote (via BuzzFeed).

Indeed, but as one fan suggested on Twitter, we should have potentially seen this beef coming, considering that Nicki once "used Jessie J as a stair railing" during a live performance of the song. The video evidence is not kind. Here's hoping that Jessie always finds a way to laugh the drama off, for Minaj's sake.

Okay, so maybe Nicki Minaj doesn't need to be directly afraid of legendary singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman — she of such gentle, earnest ballads as "Fast Car" and "Talkin' Bout a Revolution" isn't inspiring nightmares in anybody. However, in 2020, the veteran musician and activist proved that her immense profile is not one to be toyed with when she sued Minaj for copyright infringement. 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the issue stemmed from the emcee's song "Sorry," featuring elements of Chapman's legendary tune, "Baby Can I Hold You." At the time of writing, however, Minaj believed the song to be the work of another artist, and continued to develop the track thinking she could clear the rights afterwards. Sadly for Minaj, Chapman isn't too hot on people sampling her music, and rejected every request for the rapper to allow fair usage. Minaj went ahead and gave the track to a New York radio station to play, regardless — where it naturally spread across the internet like wildfire. 

In 2021, Chapman officially won her copyright claim against Minaj and received $450,000 from the artist, as reported by NPR. It's a pretty huge chunk of change to pay for a track that the rapper can no longer make a profit on, and it might be one of the first times that Nicki Minaj has been challenged in such an official way — and lost so publicly, too. 

This should go without saying, but as a general rule, it's probably not the best idea to go gabbing about other people's intimate body parts on social media for the whole world to see. And that's especially true if you happen to have as big a social media following as Nicki Minaj does. Regardless, in 2021, the rapper decided to make the genitalia of her cousin's unnamed friend the business of a viral post on Twitter. 

Speaking about the COVID-19 vaccine, Minaj suggested the dude's "testicles became swollen" after he received his vaccination. "His friend was weeks away from getting married," she dramatically wrote, "now the girl called off the wedding." On top of prompting doctors the world over to assure people that such side effects are untrue and "a myth" according to USA Today, Minaj's cousin's friend's balls also became a total joke online. 

One Twitter user wrote, "Some random guy in Trinidad blamed Covid for catching an STI while cheating and now look what he caused," while another joked, "the year is 2039 and we're still in this pandemic because one time Nicki Minaj's cousin's friend got an STD and she told all her followers it was covid." Even the British government found themselves addressing the statement (via Dazed). It had reach. 

So...here's hoping Minaj's cousin's friend is able to come up for air from whatever pit-of-shame he's likely hiding in, and he can remind the superstar about private things staying private.