The Nicki Minaj and Kanye West Beef: Ye Unfollows Nicki After ‘Clown’ Insult
Nicki Minaj went from stopping “Monster” in the middle of rapping to getting unfollowed by Kanye West himself. What happened between these musicians? Here’s what we know about what happened at The Essence Music Festival this year — and what happened on social media after that.
Kanye West and Nicki Minaj released ‘Monster’ — Minaj performed part of the song at The Essence Festival years later
Kanye West and Nicki Minaj are award-winning musicians. In 2010, West collaborated with Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Bon Iver, and Nicki Minaj for the song “Monster.” Since its release, this track has earned millions of Spotify plays and praise from fans worldwide.
“I was actually in the studio with Kanye in Hawaii when he played the concept for me,” Ross said of the collaboration during a 2010 interview with MTV. “I was blown away. I had the opportunity to sit in the studio while Nicki wrote her verse just off the record.
In 2022, Minaj performed a live version of this track at EssenceFest. According to HipHopDX, Minaj abruptly asked the DJ to cut the music, saying, “I’m monstered out, I’m monstered out. And we don’t f*** with clowns.”
She moved on to another song in her setlist, leaving fans to speculate regarding the meaning behind the “clown” jab.
The Root reports that one cause could be Ye’s decision not to release “New Body,” which featured Minaj, instead dropping Jesus Is King back in 2019. Another could be his recent support of Cardi B.
Kanye West unfollowed Nicki Minaj on Instagram
Following the Essence Festival comments from Minaj, West unfollowed the “Starships” artist on Instagram. However, he has not directly responded to the dig from Minaj. As of July 16, Minaj is still following West on Instagram.
Kanye West beefed with artists like Drake, Taylor Swift, and even Peppa Pig
Minaj isn’t the only celebrity who has beef with West. West took a shot at Drake with “The Life of the Party” on Donda. Infamously, the “Flashing Lights” artist ran on stage after Taylor Swift won the VMA for Best Video by a Female Artist.
On his Instagram account, West posted a list of people (and, evidently, cartoon characters) he has drama with. That list included Beyoncé, Nike, Billie Eilish, and even Peppa Pig, the animated character from the television series of the same name. Ye even added to the list, mentioning his disdain for Hillary Clinton, Disney, and Spotify.
Of course, due to his divorce from Kim Kardashian, Ye publicly mentioned his disdain for Pete Davidson. The Saturday Night Live cast member is currently dating Kardashian, with Kim Kardashian even worrying for her partner’s safety after social media comments from West, according to Page Six.
Music by Ye is available on most major streaming platforms, as is music by Nicki Minaj.
