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Aug 225 min read

Nicki Minaj Sparks Feud Rumors After Unfollowing JT and Ice Spice on Instagram

by Diamond Brown

Rapper Nicki Minaj is gearing up for the second leg of her sold-out world tour, "Pink Friday 2: Gag City Reloaded."

Image Credit: Astrida Valigorsky | Getty Images


The rapper will also be releasing a deluxe version of her latest studio album, which was released in December 2023 and, at the time of writing this article, is sitting comfortably at number 38 on the Billboard 200 charts. With all this excitement and much to look forward to, fans couldn't help but notice that yesterday, Minaj took to her Instagram to unfollow both JT and Ice Spice, two fellow female hip-hop artists who have since dropped their own albums and/or mixtapes. Since then, fans have speculated that Nicki Minaj is upset with the pair for not signing to her record label, "Heavy On It."


It's not uncommon in the music industry for mainstream hip-hop and R&B artists to sign additional artists to their label. Minaj, of course, is no stranger to this, having been signed to Lil Wayne’s Young Money Entertainment record label at the start of her career, which he founded in 2005. This label, however, was launched as an imprint of Cash Money Records—a joint venture colloquially branded as Young Money Cash Money Billionaires, which later became recognized simply as Young Money, hosting an array of artists from Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Lil Wayne to Tyga, to name a few.


Beyoncé, too, recently signed both Halle and Chloe Bailey to her management company, Parkwood Entertainment, and is responsible for the promotion and direction of the young ladies' music careers. However, signing a record deal with an established artist does come with its drawbacks, as many would say, considering Chloe Bailey does not receive the level of promotion her fans believe she deserves from her management company, Parkwood, in conjunction with Beyoncé. This may be because Beyoncé herself is still an artist and does not appear to be considering retirement anytime soon. So, what's the real reason for the beef, and is Minaj justified?


On Stationhead via X (formerly known as Twitter), Minaj said, “A motherf****** will tell somebody they don’t wanna, uh, sign with ‘Heavy on It,’ but then they’ll go and sign with the White people, and guess who the White people finna call, always? Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty. Always make sure they get the attention of the Barbz. So, you would be surprised—and I’m not talking about doing ad-libs on any songs—if their name is not on Pink Friday 2, they are not a ‘Heavy On It’ artist.” Now the question becomes, why are many artists eager to sign newer artists under their own manufactured record labels? Well, here are a few reasons:


  • REVENUE AND PROFIT SHARING: By signing newer artists, established artists can earn a share of the revenue generated by those artists' music. This includes profits from album sales, streaming, tours, merchandise, and other income streams. It’s a way to diversify their income and capitalize on the success of emerging talent.

  • CREATIVE CONTROL AND INFLUENCE: Established artists often want to shape the music industry by nurturing and mentoring new talent. By signing artists to their own label, they can exert creative influence, helping to develop and guide the careers of the artists they sign in ways that align with their vision.

  • NETWORKING AND INDUSTRY POWER: Having a roster of successful artists under their label increases the established artist’s power and influence within the music industry. It also helps them build stronger relationships with major labels, producers, and other industry players.

  • FULFILLING CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS: In some cases, signing new artists might be a part of an established artist’s contractual obligations with their major label. These deals often include provisions where the artist can sign and develop new talent as part of their agreement.


With regard to the last reason, sometimes a music artist may be locked into an eight-album contract that they are no longer interested in fulfilling. To offset this, a new artist under their label can complete an album, which may count towards the major artist’s contractual obligation.


The difference here is, let’s say the major artist was to receive a $50,000 advance from their label to complete their album, but they chose to have their signed artist do it; they could essentially pay that artist a lesser amount, say $10,000, and pocket the remaining $40,000. This leaves the newer artist with little money to invest in the development of their album—music videos, producers, etc. But overall, the contractual obligation to complete an album for the major artist is met.


Another factor, of course, is profit sharing. It’s not uncommon for newer artists to request features from top artists to help propel their careers. When this happens, the major artist is typically compensated a fee, along with their label, due to them owning the artist’s likeness. In this case, if Minaj were to sign someone like Ice Spice, they would have equal publishing on all of the songs they create. She would also earn a slice of the revenue each time she features on a song. It's no surprise that artists like JT and Ice Spice are slowly beginning to carve a name for themselves in the industry.


However, the Barbz aren’t holding back this time, expressing frustration with Nicki’s antics. Despite wanting to remain loyal, many fans genuinely enjoy some of the music being released by other hip-hop artists. Comments on social media include:

  • “She has the same traits as Diddy, and it’s getting scary… Diddy tried stealing people’s masters and coercing them into bad record deals, and that’s exactly what Nicki is doing.”

  • “One thing about Nicki is she will always be a bitter granny.”

  • “The most fallouts LMAOO.”

  • “No way in hell she’s had more issues with women than Azealia Banks.”

  • “This woman wanted to have both artists under her. Not next to—not above, but under her. She was never about women empowerment. She despises anybody who climbs up the ladder above her.”


An old clip of Lil' Kim speaking on Nicki Minaj during a Breakfast Club interview resurfaced, where she said, “She wanted to be the only female out there, so when Baby and them said, ‘We’re not effing with this chick because you can’t stand next to her,’ she loved it because she didn’t wanna stand next to me, she wanted to be out there by herself.”


Only time will tell what will happen with Nicki Minaj going forward, as more and more fans are looking to celebrities to showcase a bit of unity.

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