NICKI MINAJ & MEGAN THEE STALLION - I'M SHOOK

It has been a week since Nicki Minaj & Megan Thee Stallion broke the internet. It has taken me the same amount of time to get my thoughts semi-together to write this. I am still SHOOK. When Megan joined Nicki on IG Live it was a great moment for the culture, PERIOD. Don't let anyone tell you differently. Megan is the hottest female rapper out and Nicki is the G.O.A.T. For men, this would be the equivalent of seeing Kendrick Lamar on IG Live with YBN Cordae. A young legend in the making chill'n on IG with the legend she/he hopes to become. But unlike with so many of the men's "moments", this was spontaneous. This wasn't a moment created for Elliott Wilson to repost. This was Megan Thee Stallion seizing the opportunity to speak to a legend she has watched since she was in 8th grade. This was an opportunity for Nicki Minaj to remind us why we fell in love with her. And even though I don't think this was a passing of the torch or should I say the crown, it definitely solidified Megan as the princess Nicki has been searching for.

WATCH THE THRONE

Megan Thee Stallion is quickly establishing herself as the head of the class when it comes to the new female rappers. She is showing her branding skills with the Hot Girl Summer takeover. She has the barz, the looks, & most importantly she has the respect of her peers (men & women). Megan has that “IT Factor“ that hasn’t been seen since some girl from Southside Jamaica, Queens. I forget her name at the moment 🥴.

But the one attribute that Megan has that will distance her from many of her peers is she is a natural go-getter. I’m sure there were other female rappers in Nicki’s Live that would have loved to get her attention, but it was Megan who had the courage to type three simple words, “LOL ADD ME.” Now it may have been D'Usse courage but it was still courage. Those three little words were all it took for Hip-Hop history to be made. Once Megan's face popped up on my screen it was EVERYTHANG. Megan gave Nicki her flowers right away, which I felt put Nicki at ease. There was none of that awkward who will speak first / staring contest that often comes when artists do something more for press versus something they really want to do. Megan and Nicki had a natural back and forth. One of the highlights in this highlight filled night was when Megan and Nicki spoke about education. Nicki revealed her only regret in life was never going to college. She spoke about living vicariously through those who pursue higher education. When Megan told Nicki that she was majoring in Healthcare Administration, Nicki made the cutest shocked face. Megan went on to explained the reasoning for her major. This is when we got to see Nicki Minaj at her best. Nicki did not in any way discourage Megan or make her feel like she wouldn't be able to rap & fulfill her goal of openings up facilities in her hometown. In fact, Nicki spoke about people having two callings and how things are coming together for Megan. Nicki has been inspiring girls to get an education and to be "boss bitches" for years. That night, we got to see Nicki do the same for Megan.

Megan also spoke about her new song, Hot Girl Summer, that will drop on Aug.9th. We found out that Megan had already inquired about Nicki Minaj jumping on the track. Even though it appeared Nicki was too busy to have done the song, there is speculation that Nicki is on the track. But bump all that. What impressed me is that Megan had the ovaries to put in a serious request to work with Nicki Minaj. It's usually just social media talk with the new girls. Megan then showed along with that go-getter spirit, she also has Obama‘s Audacity of Hope and asked Nicki to be on her debut album in front of 90k plus people😲. If Nicki is smart, she will hop on Megan’s debut album the same way Rihanna hopped on Pink Friday. Don't run from Megan...friennn🗣.

NO GRAMMY STILL THE GOAT THO

There were so many things you could have taken away from this live. Of course there were those people who chose to put a negative spin on this moment. But, many took it for what it was; a special moment in female Hip-Hop. I can go on and on and on about the people benefitting from negative narratives surrounding Nicki Minaj, but I want to focus on how this Live potentially shifted the culture for female Hip-Hop.

We have have to remember that when it comes to Nicki Minaj, no other female rapper can relate to her success/impact except for Lauryn Hill. Remember Nicki Minaj quoted L-Boogie in her high school yearbook. By the time Nicki Minaj was making a name for herself, Lauryn Hill had given the music industry the middle finger, while the other veteran female rappers had failed to keep the genre commercially viable. So for 10 yrs, any gripe/expectations someone had about female rap was laid solely at the feet of Nicki Minaj. She has been blamed for failures of other female rappers, however the past two years has proven that Nicki Minaj has no say in who pops and who doesn't.

Nicki Minaj never really had female peers on her level. She is a "Middle Child" like J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, and Drake. Nicki is the ONLY female in this "Middle Child" class. Nicki Minaj had to blaze a new trail for female rappers because no one before her had did it as big and for as long as she has done it. There was no "BluePrint" for her. She literally has to create a "PinkPrint" for female rappers.

While Hip-Hop Nicki may not of had female peers, Pop Nicki did. Pop Nicki was able to be challenged and able to build relationships with peers and upcoming girls. Pop Nicki wasn't accused of stopping bags or blamed for Pop girl’s failures. So over the years, it did appear that Nicki Minaj was more comfortable in the Pop world. She seemed anti-social and less open when it came to Hip-Hop interactions. I feel like this hurt the culture more than anything.

Now, back to the IG Live that happened with Megan Thee Stallion. Nicki got to interact with the current "IT" girl in Hip-Hop. Megan could have easily chosen to take the route of throwing shade or a shoe at Nicki Minaj in order to get attention. But unlike some fools in the industry, Megan isn't a dummy. Megan is a true Hip-Hop head. This is why she loves freestyles. This is why she has an appreciation for Juicy J and Q-Tip. This is why when she got the opportunity to be on a live with Nicki, she wasn't on some BS. She had no problem showing her excitement. This is where I think Megan NOT being for NY helps her. The NY girls seem to have their guard up. Megan has that southern hospitality, which allows others to feel comfortable around her. So when she is interacting with Nicki they are both comfortable enough to talk about things we don't normally hear female rappers really speak about. I already mentioned the conversation about education. But, they also spoke about the frustration of doing a freestyle and it goes viral, but when they drop a song there seems to be less enthusiasm. That was some real shit to admit. This is what the culture needed. This is what Queen Radio should be about.

What I hope Nicki Minaj got from this experience is that she is not hated by other femcees as much as the media/ her pop fans would have her believe. I hope that she takes Megan under her wing the same way she has with Ariana Grande. Nicki Minaj has knowledge and experience that no male rapper can give to Megan or any other new girl. Nicki has been mentored by Lil Wayne, came up with Drake, and out rapped Jay-Z. Nicki has survived the many changes within the industry. She is currently surviving being blackballed. Nicki’s unique perspective cannot be matched by any male rapper.

If Nicki moves more into a Jay-Z role, where she mentors these girls or does business with them, that would be culture changing. That would put the female rappers on equal footing as the men. Can you imagine if Nicki had her own management company and the hottest femcees signed with her😤. Queen Radio has already shook the culture but that would flip it 🤯.

While I feel Hip-Hop crowns are taken more than they are given. I think as Nicki Minaj looks forward to marriage and having a baby, she will signal that Megan Thee Stallion is next. Megan has shown she is willing to listen and lead. I always say the crown is heavy. I have a feeling that Megan will have no problem wearing it.

“I’m the Queen, I’m still searching for a princess”

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