Even though Nicki Minaj has other femcee beefs to handle these days, the conflict with Lil Kim continues to be one of her most well-known and debated. Moreover, she inadvertently contributed to another point of contention on Wednesday (October 16) during a conversation at Vogue‘s Forces of Fashion event in New York City. The specific claims that Kim fans are mad about is how the Trinidadian femcee claimed that there were no rappers naming their fanbases before Nicki cultivated, supported, and championed the Barbz, citing Justin Bieber’s Beliebers and Lady Gaga’s Little Monsters as her predecessors in this regard in other genres.
“Before l had a record deal, my fans were making a moment for themselves on Twitter,” Nicki Minaj expressed. “I had already given them a name. In fact, do you know that all these artists that give their fans names now, when I started calling my fans the Barbz, there were no rappers naming their fans. […] That was it. Now every single human being that becomes an artist gives their fans a name. Even artists in other countries. I didn’t think it was something that would spread to the hip-hop community at all. But it doesn’t matter, because the Barbz are still superior.”
Nicki Minaj Addresses Fanbase Culture
As for Lil Kim fans, they called Nicki Minaj out because they feel like Kim deserves that credit. “Rappers better run and hide, ’cause here comes the Beehive,” the Brooklyn femcee rapped on “The Beehive” off of her 2003 album La Bella Mafia. “Maturing is realizing Nicki Minaj’s number one goal is to take credit for EVERYTHING Lil’ Kim contributed to the game,” one fan retorted. “KIM WAS THE FIRST RAPPER to name their fan base (BEEHIVE) in early 2000s (That’s 20+ years ago!) sorry nicki the fan base names existed BEFORE the internet.” This criticism also extended to include other femcees like Foxy Brown. Check out more reactions down below.
Fans & Lil Kim Defenders React
Meanwhile, some other alleged Nicki Minaj shade came in the form of her apparent reaction to the drama between her ex Safaree and his ex wife Erica Mena. That’s just a theory, though, so take it with a grain of salt. Either way, this Lil Kim debate has solid points on both sides, although we doubt they will reconcile.
About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022.
Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case.
Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.
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