Everyone has followed some kind of celebrity drama in showbiz — artists in particular are always a standout case. In recent years, rap entertainers and pop singers alike have had their public feuds, and music enjoyers around the world join in meaningful conversations about who to defend — and who to fire back on. Some of the flashiest headlines include Kanye West and Taylor Swift’s 2009 MTV Music Award speech controversy, Mariah Carey saying “I don’t know her” in reference to Jennifer Lopez in 2003, and most recently, Nicki Minaj’s public spat with Megan Thee Stallion over a perceived diss.
Out of Megan’s new song “HISS” on her recent album, the bars “These hoes don’t be mad at Megan, these hoes mad at Megan’s Law” and “I don’t really know what the problem is, but I guarantee y’all don’t want me to start” soon caught listeners’ attention. Let the record reflect: Megan’s Law is a federal law requiring law enforcement to make registered sex offenders’ information available to the public. As listeners picked apart the lyrics, they linked it as an apparent dig to Minaj’s husband, Kenneth Petty, who is a registered sex offender. Minaj has had a long past restlessly defending her husband for his sexual offense, as well as his guilty plea to first-degree manslaughter, for which he spent seven years in prison and has been discussed on Wendy Williams’ talk show and Minaj’s own Queen Radio.
Instantly after “HISS” became a hot topic on X, formerly Twitter, Minaj went live on Instagram. Although she was seen off-screen for most of the live post’s duration, her voice sounded agitated while she provided a preview of her unreleased track referencing Megan’s publicized trial with Tory Lanez in 2020, who shot the Houston-born artist in the foot, culminating in Lanez being sentenced to 10 years in prison. Minaj’s album “Pink Friday 2,” released in December, mentions this in “FTCU,” where fans speculate that her line “Stay in your Tory Lanez, bitch, I’m not Iggy,” was a direct shade in response to Megan’s lyrics.
The feud culminated in Minaj’s release of “Big Foot” Jan. 29, a diss track that call’s Petty’s conviction for attempted rape “thirty-year-old tea” and accuses Megan of “lyin’ on your dead mama” about, among other things, Lanez shooting her in the foot. (Megan’s mother died of a brain tumor in 2020, and the rapper has spoken openly about how deeply the loss affected her.)
Music fans all over the industry fervently expressed their opinions on this topic. Countless fans took to all social media platforms to debate whether to support Megan or Minaj. Both rap icons are well-regarded in the community in terms of their musical versatility, animated rap flow and their alter egos. Although the two rappers both stand out in their own rights, the majority of fans appear to have sided with Megan, exemplified by “HISS” outperforming “Big Foot” in streaming.
This whole situation prompted the public to once again ponder the question of whether one can separate artists from their craft, which has been a lengthy debate since the success of hit pop idols like Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson and John Lennon. But, as it stands, the definition of “separating an artist from their craft” is not realistically possible if fans are still backing them financially, namely by streaming their music. While there’s no doubt that celebrity drama can be entertaining, it’s important to consider the people behind the personas when deciding who to support and how.
