As hostilities between Cardi B and Nicki Minaj, and their husbands, Offset and Kenneth Petty, heat up again after years of simmering, you might be wondering how this all started in the first place. Don’t worry; Uproxx will help you. Here’s a timeline of how the feud between Nicki Minaj and Cardi B began and what’s happened since. While there has been a lot of speculation about who said what, we’ll just stick to the facts.
Beginning – 2017
In our original timeline of Nicki and Cardi’s feud, we noted that it would likely start with Cardi’s release of “Bodak Yellow.” The ensuing fan and media frenzy resulted in the song becoming the first solo female rap artist to reach number one on the chart. Billboard Hot 100 charts following the release of Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop (That Thing),” a goal Nicki had pursued but failed to achieve nearly a decade ago.
However, the song was still weeks away from its peak when Nicki Minaj fans, known as the Barbz, began throwing shade at Cardi. At this point, it had been almost three years since Nicki had last released an album. Perhaps the Barbz felt threatened by Nicki’s dominance or simply wanted to see a fight, but either way they got it – ironically, as a result of the two women trying to show solidarity.
Open conflict – 2017 – 2018
In October 2017, Migos added Cardi B to their Culture II single “Motorsport”. This turned out to be the straw that broke the camel’s back. After the song’s music video was released in November, news began leaking about behind-the-scenes drama between the two. Scenes with Nicki and Cardi were filmed separately, leading to even more speculation about tension between them, and after it was revealed that Migos added Cardi without consulting Nicki, and that Nicki’s verse was allegedly changed at the request of Cardi’s label, Atlantic, it was no longer possible to stop. an approaching train wreck.
In April 2018, Nicki began openly throwing Cardi under the bus in interviews while promoting her 2018 album. Queenwhich was two just months after Cardi’s debut. Invasion of personal space. Invasion turned out to be a coronation, with Cardi’s victory lap cementing her status as a breakout star. In the interview, Nicki accused Cardi of being “ungrateful” and not standing by her explanation regarding their separate filming days, which led to a scheduling conflict with her hairdresser.
In September 2018, things flared up as their meeting at a New York Fashion Week party that year led to a physical altercation in which Cardi gave Nicki a show, receiving a blow to the forehead in return from one of the older rapper’s bodyguards. They have since returned to less open hostilities, entering a cold war filled with proxy militants and accusations of mean-spirited language coming from fans on both sides.
Cold War – 2019 – Now
The closest the two sides have come to an outright fight since Nicki’s 2022 “Super Freaky Girl (Queen Mix),” which featured rappers Akbar V, BIA, JT, Katie Got Bandz and Maliibu Miitch. A few weeks after its release, Akbar V and JT attacked Cardi – allegedly at the direction of Nicki Minaj, if you ask fans what sparked such talk.
Ultimately, both feuds died down, returning to the status quo until the 2023 MTV VMAs—the first time since their New York Fashion Week fight that they both appeared at such an event. Right now, the details of this inciting event are unclear, but it appears there was some kind of dialogue going on behind the scenes between the two rappers’ teams that led to Cardi apparently being threatened, but later boasting on Twitter, “I don’t even flinch.” .
Then, the following weekend, Nicki’s husband, Kenneth Petty, posted a video of his crew roaming around New York City looking for Offset. While Offset laughed off their threats, the judge apparently didn’t, punishing Petty for violating his probation (he’s serving probation for failing to register as a sex offender in California) and sentencing him to house arrest.
Nicki didn’t seem too worried afterward, sharing a snippet of a song from her upcoming album. Pink Friday 2 this indicates her husband’s “G” status and his gunslinger status.
However, the key to it all may be in that last piece; presumably beef sells, and with both rappers gearing up to release new full-length projects, don’t be surprised if that list gets longer in the near future.