While it seems like the tensions between Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion, two of the biggest female rap stars in the industry, have just become a whole new monster entirely, the feud they have now goes way back. And it seems like an unlikely suspect in the form of Hip-Hop legend Jay-Z may be the fuel that enraged the fire.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z from their music video
One of the wealthiest and most iconic rappers of all time, the star has more reach and reverence than most in the Hip-Hop scene, and rapper Azealia Banks reveals how Jay-Z’s support for Stallion may have rubbed Minaj the wrong way, also instigating that she might be pursuing him romantically despite him being married.

How Jay-Z May Be The Reason Behind Nicki Minaj And Megan Thee Stallion’s Recent Beef

Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion in a still from their music video
The recent flare-up in the heated rivalry between Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion has been widely talked about in conversation circles, especially after verbal shots were fired by both of them at each other through their music. And now, it seems like the public may finally have some answers thanks to another female rapper stepping up to talk about this situation.

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Taking to her Instagram story recently (via Complex), rapper Azealia Banks was pushed by fans to talk about what was the reason that the feud between the two became so bad all of a sudden. She said that this was all because rap legend Jay-Z had shown his support for the singer by signing her up for his record label Roc Nation in 2019.

She alleged that Minaj had been seeking to get a hold of that recognition for herself, and also, she may be romantically pursuing him, which is why she’s mad at Stallion for beating her to it (the label deal, that is). Azealia said:

“This isn’t about Meg [collaborating] with Cardi, This is about Jay-Z…Jay-Z has this way of presenting himself in the culture as a Daddy Warbucks type of figure. When you really dig down deep into it, Nicki be sweating Jay in a different type of way. Low-key, she be on his di*k. I’m really good at reading body language and I could see in the ‘Feeling Myself‘ video, Beyoncé’s kinda like laughing at her.”

Therefore, since Jay-Z is such a prominent figure in the rap industry, it’s natural for everyone to be seeking his attention in any shape or form.

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How Did The Feud Begin?

Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion in a still from their music video
After Stallion signed up with Roc Nation in 2019, she went on to perform several songs with industry-leading ladies such as Cardi B as well as Jay-Z’s wife Beyonce. This wasn’t something that the singer was comfortable with, which is why she threw shade at Stallion in her hit 2023 single Red Ruby Da Sleeze.

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Seeing this, the singer went on to bite back on all the disrespect she was getting from Minaj, and thus, she released a song called in January of this year, in which one of the lyrics was a direct jab at Minaj’s husband, Kenneth Petty, who was convicted of attempted rape in 1995 and received a three-year probation sentence in July 2022. And now, it has turned into a full-blown war of words between the two.