Hip Hop: Nicki Minaj has to respond to Remy Ma or her street cred is dead
It was only a matter of time before the subliminals stopped and someone actually said another’s name. Hip Hop has been waiting for Remy Ma to finally come back for her throne as top female MC since she was released from prison. But first, she had to tie up a few loose ends. Now, that she has stepped back into the underground, the gloves have come off and she’s ready for war.
Her first target, Nicki Minaj.
Many will tell you that Minaj is the top MC in the game but that depends who you ask. See, Minaj is not a Hip Hop artist. She’s more will.i.am then she is MC Lyte and that alone puts her in the danger zone. Female MC’s have taken shots at Nicki before but, what Remy did with ShEther was a brilliant move.
In Hip Hop a battle means everything but Minaj has not really engaged anyone. Most of the ladies she looked up to may have a problem with her but they’re well past their time, audience and Nicki never viewed them as a possible threat. With the way Hip Hop is set up now, everyone wants to sneak attack and offer private jabs instead of being upfront. That was until Remy decided to pull a Jay Z and put the subs to bed.
To be fair, you can’t compare Remy and Nicki as they each represent different aspects of music. Remy is Hip Hop while Minaj is rap.
For months they have reportedly traded shot at one another but it was Remy who delivered the first real blow. Now, the question is; will Nicki respond and if she does will she pull a Meek Mill move as he did with Drake and wait almost an entire week with a return track? However, the timeframe it takes her to respond, Minaj must be extra careful. Hip Hop does not claim her but, in all honesty, she’s the face of female MCs. Her career doesn’t hinge on how badly she disses Remy, but in a certain way, it does. Nicki is still from the hood, grew up on Hip Hop so she knows and understands the rules and consequences that comes with battling.
If she drops something that is wack, there goes whatever hood standing she has and quite possibly her grasp as lead female MC. Remy, on the other hand has a lot at stake as well. If Nicki comes at her hard then the Hip Hop community will look at her like “how did you let Minaj beat you”?. It’s the same that happened to seasoned battle rapper Meek when he let commercial artist Drake destroy him in battle. Needless to say, his career has not been the same since. And maybe that loss was one of the reasons that he and Nicki are no longer together.
Rap/Hip Hop needed this. It’s not that I hate Nicki but, it was just time that someone went at her. It’s easy to make a layup when no one is in your face but what happens when a defender is standing in front of the rim? Nicki has to step her game up or step out the way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBL_tW8hTo0
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
