From "Queen of rap" to "ShETHER": A quick Remy Ma vs. Nicki Minaj refresher
A guide for all that has taken place in the much-talked about rap feud.
At 1:03 p.m. this past Saturday (February 25), the tides in rap shifted and nothing has been the same since. Taking over headlines, memes, and the overall music conversation, the last 24 hours in rap has been fueled by excitement following the release of “ShETHER,” Remy Ma’s scorching hot seven-minute diss track aimed at Nicki Minaj. After circling each other for some time now, the cold war between the two have since gone from indirect to direct and now the (most-anticipated) rap rivalry is officially on.
Remy Ma takes direct aim at Nicki Minaj on “ShETHER”
Little background, here: For the last six years, Nicki Minaj has been hailed (and self-appointed) Queen of Rap — and rightfully so. Back to back platinum albums, logging in the most Billboard Hot 100 hits (surpassing Taylor Swift) as a female artist, releasing a flurry of some of the most memorable verses in rap, and being one-third of music’s most dynamic trio just so happens to be some of the many notches under her championship belt. Within that run, another contender for the throne made her post-prison return, as Remy Ma bounced back in 2014 and went on to scorch everything in her path. Grammy nominations, a Jay Z remix, a Top 10 platinum smash, reality TV, and a hot streak of pointed guest verses, the Bronx Bomber redefined the hip-hop comeback and stretched out a run that has rarely been seen — after all, successful post-prison returns are rare — especially in a game that has seen Lil Kim, Foxy Brown, Da Brat, Shyne, Slick Rick find a hard time to bounce back.
Despite showing love to each other along the way, it didn’t take long for the spirit of competition to emit a sense of rivalry between the two. There was Remy’s verse on DJ Khaled’s “They Don’t Love You No More” in the summer of 2014. While lines like “When y’all was on the TV, I was with the PV’s / I listened to your CD, damn, you really wanna be me,” turned heads, other darts like “Don’t care if your name buzzin’, you know who the queen be” stirred the conversations. In September 2016, Nicki releases her “Pinkprint Freestyle,” which features the rhymes, “You throw shade, but I sun bitch / And now you know what I’ma say, you my son, bitch.” Two months later, Remy appears on the Funk Flex’s show on Hot 97 with husband Papoose and as they lit up the airwaves with their fiery bars, the BX femcee raps, “All this talk about my son and your son/I’m hot and your whole world revolve around me—bitch, I am the sun.”
When asked about the lines and whether or not the two had issues, Remy told The Breakfast Club in early February, “Whenever I’ve had a problem with any female in this entire game, I will say your name.”
At this point, verses on “Money Showers” (“Who the f—k gave you your crown?”) and “Wait A Minute,” drew more assumption by fans. “I’m going to say your government. I’m going to look it up. I’m going to say your mother’s name, your father’s name, your kid’s name. I want you to know that I’m talking about you,” she added. Weeks after, the long-simmering rumors took a turn after Nicki Minaj returned with guest verses for Gucci Mane on “Make Love” and Jason Derulo’s “Swalla,” which featured some thinly veiled darts aimed at Remy. “To be the queen of rap, you gotta sell records, you gotta get plaques,” raps Nicki and. On “Swalla,” she sneers, “Bless her heart, she throwing shots, but every line sucks.” All of these records open the door to the white-hot “ShETHER.”
“And to be the Queen of Rap, you gotta actually rap / The whole industry know that your sh-t is a wrap / No, to be the Queen of Rap, you can’t have a ghostwriter / And that’s why this is my house; Flo Rida.”
After Rem’s seven-minute of viciousness hit online, the war lines shifted the tidal wave and seemingly had everyone, even Nicki herself, talking. From Twitter timelines to the barbershops and beyond, Remy vs. Nicki is the dominant conversation today and so, now that you’re caught up in how we reached “ShETHER,” here’s a recap to all that went down in the hours after 1:03 p.m. this past Saturday.
Fans react
Celebrities react
Nicki Minaj responds
Trey Songz and Nicki Minaj go back and forth
Remy Ma performs “ShETHER” for the first time live
Ebro of Hot 97 denies having “sexual relations” with Nicki Minaj
Now that you’re caught up, stay tuned for more updates in the Remy vs. Nicki feud. And tell us below who you think will win this rap beef.