Nicki Minaj Clarifies Her Iggy Azalea Shade
Nicki Minaj has taken to Twitter to explain her side of her Best Female Hip Hop Artist acceptance speech from Sunday's BET Awards...or something. In case you need reminding, she seemed to be referring to her fellow nominee Iggy Azalea, when she said, "What I want the world to know about Nicki Minaj is when you hear Nicki Minaj spit, Nicki Minaj wrote it." And then, just in case that didn't sound shady enough (Iggy is said to rely on ghostwriters), Minaj said, "No shade," repeatedly while posing and grinning.
"No shade" is Minaj's story and she's sticking to it. On Twitter today, she explained that instead of shading, she's actually uplifting:
The media puts words in my mouth all the time and this is no different. I will always take a stance on women writing b/c I believe in us!
— PillsNPotions (@NICKIMINAJ) July 2, 2014
I believe we're smart enough to write down our own thoughts and perspective, just like the men do. I've been saying this for 5 YEARS
— PillsNPotions (@NICKIMINAJ) July 2, 2014
I fell in love with Lauryn Hill b/c I knew she was the author behind those amazingly profound and articulated songs on the MisEducation
— PillsNPotions (@NICKIMINAJ) July 2, 2014
I wondered how Lauryn tapped into my brain and wrote an album on love, betrayal, passion, pain, triumph, brokenness.... Did she read minds?
— PillsNPotions (@NICKIMINAJ) July 2, 2014
It's the same reason I have a different level of respect for Missy. I know she's a writer and a producer. Women MUST aspire for more.
— PillsNPotions (@NICKIMINAJ) July 2, 2014
I've congratulated Iggy on the success of Fancy, publicly. She should be very proud of that. All the women nominated should b proud.
— PillsNPotions (@NICKIMINAJ) July 2, 2014
That will never change my desire to motivate women to write. Our voices have to be heard. I hope I inspire up & coming females to do that.
— PillsNPotions (@NICKIMINAJ) July 2, 2014
All together, reasonable points. But congratulating someone on a song's success as opposed to quality? Following a mention of Iggy with a reiteration of the goal of motivating women to write their own lyrics? Still kinda shady. Or not. The wonderful thing about shade is if it's done right, it's ambiguous. It hangs in the air like a deadly, odorless gas that you suspect someone just unleashed. Maybe.
This entire incident is my favorite thing Nicki Minaj has done since "Beez in the Trap."
Iggy Azalea has yet to respond. Maybe that's her way of saying, "Those words are beneath me." Maybe that's shade, too.
[Image via AP]
