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Nicki Minaj Addresses Rumors of a Large Payout from Jay-Z's Tidal: "I Didn't Even Get One Red Penny"

by Diamond Brown

Image Credit: Jamie McCarthy | Getty Images


Yesterday on X (formerly known as Twitter), Minaj shared a series of tweets in defense of Lil Wayne not being selected to perform at the Super Bowl 2025 halftime show in his hometown of New Orleans. What followed was a series of content creators and users chiming in to share their take on the matter, with some agreeing with Minaj, while others simply wished she would remain quiet.


Many fans have noticed that whenever there is a public misunderstanding between Minaj and another female artist, her allies are never there to show support—though this could simply be men refusing to involve themselves in women's drama. However, one user, in particular, shared their thoughts on where the problems lie concerning Nicki Minaj, Drake, and Jay-Z.


In 2015, Forbes reported that Jay-Z's Tidal launch did not necessarily garner significant media attention, but the company did introduce sixteen owners, all of whom happen to be massive superstars. The idea behind Tidal was to be an artist-majority-owned company with a mission to reestablish the value of music and protect the sustainability of the music industry rooted in creativity and expression.


Artists like Nicki Minaj, Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Jack White, Rihanna, and Usher, to name a few, all signed the declaration, which meant their music would release exclusively on Tidal before other streaming platforms. Needless to say, it was during this time that Drake was invited to sign, but he declined, opting for a more lucrative deal with Apple Music. The rapper helped launch Apple Music with a $19 million deal and has since supplied exclusive projects, premieres, ads, visuals, and OVOSOUND radio for the platform. This marked the first sting for Jay-Z towards YMCB.


Fast forward to 2021, and Jay-Z reportedly sold Tidal to Jack Dorsey’s Square for $302 million. This should be good news, right? This would mean that the co-owners—all sixteen of them—would be compensated from the deal. However, according to Nicki Minaj, “I didn’t even get one red penny when no one promoted it more than me outside of Beyoncé.”

Yet, sources online claim Minaj, along with the other owners, received $8.9 million for their shares. So, should Jay-Z and Minaj have any issues at all? It seems that Minaj was willing to be a team player, even signing onto the streaming platform (unlike Drake), for no money upfront. But it seems she was played out of the deal.


We will keep digging into this feud and bring you the latest. Don’t forget to subscribe.

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