Nicki Minaj is not tiptoeing around the fact that when it comes to female rappers who have the power of the pen, she is among the top. With the release of her new album, Pink Friday 2, she reveled in the opportunity to remind people of her caliber of lyricism, and without saying names, she also made it clear that some of her peers pale in comparison.

In a new Patreon-exclusive sit-down with Joe Budden, she doubled down on declaring that new artists’ undoing is that they take rap as a game. When asked if people expect female emcees to write and execute their own raps at a high level, she half-jokingly stated, “No, not prior to December 8, 2023,” which is the day her latest project was released.

“There’s a lot of female rappers that I really, really, really, actually love, like, as an artist and as a person. And what I don’t want this to turn into, even though I like being funny and stuff, I don’t want this to turn into bashing female rappers, to be honest. There’s girls I like as a friend too, so I don’t want to make it seem like that ‘cause people always make it seem like I’m serious,” she continued.

New acts such as Sexyy Red, Ice Spice, Coi Leray and others have landed a collaboration with the “Last Time I Saw You” artist. “It’s female rappers right now that are even inspiring me, you know what I’m saying. Like, I hear bars and I’m like, ‘Oh, whoa.’ So, let me make sure I say that. And even [with] the delivery and cadence, and flows, I be like, ‘Whoa,’ know what I’m saying,” said Minaj.

The Queens rapper would go on to clarify that when she does come at the necks of her peers, more often than not, the outrage from spectators and fan bases is a case of hit dogs hollering. “When I say stuff about rappers or female rappers, I’m not talking about the female rappers that I f**k with and that’s just the truth, and I’m keeping it all the way real… It’s just talking s**t, like, if you a female rapper I don’t f**k with, this shot’s for you.”

The new LP topped the Billboard 200 chart its first week and sold more than 200,000 units. Earlier this month, she confirmed plans to release a documentary leading up to her March tour kick off.