What a time to be alive! The Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion beef heated up in late January 2024. Fans have been picking sides, running up the streaming numbers for diss tracks, and dropping think-pieces on every platform. Female rap beef may have had a comeback at the beginning of 2024, but it has a long history that dates back to the ’90s.
Despite being overlooked for their lyricism, female rappers are not afraid to take it to the mic when there is an issue. Female rap has never been this hot before. The rap girls have taken over the hip-hop genre as they continue to push the needle.
From Khia vs. Trina to Latto vs. Ice Spice, female rap beef continues to be a hot topic. Here are some of the most iconic female rap beefs of all time!
1. Azealia Banks vs. Iggy Azalea
Dating back to 2011, Azelia Banks and Iggy Azalea have exchanged words. Banks essentially started the beef between the two. According to Billboard, Banks posted a tweet stating that other female rappers, including Iggy, had coincidentally released songs similar to hers. Banks also took issue with Iggy’s display of flagrant cultural appropriation and racism.
The feud seemingly died down in 2013 but restarted in 2014. During this time, several hip-hop artists began to call Iggy out. Banks also began referring to Iggy as “Igloo” in many tweets. There have not been any significant updates to the beef since 2017.
2. Trina vs. Khia
Considered one of the longest female rap beefs in history, Khia and Trina have been at each other’s necks for decades. The two have been at odds since the early 2000s. According to Complex, Khia claims to have written Trina’s hit song “Da Baddest B—h,” but never received credit. In 2020, Khia suggested she and Trina should participate in a Verzuz battle.
Without stating names, Trina decided to clap back on her morning radio show, “Trick n Trina,” in May 2020.
“When you girls are calling my name talking ‘bout you want to battle, make sure you have ten hits,” Trina warned. “Make sure you have enough records. Make sure you’re on my level if you think you can go toe-to-toe with me because you can not.”
3. Cardi B. vs Nicki Minaj & The City Girls
The rap beef with MTS is indeed not Minaj’s first go-around. After Cardi B found immense success with her hit song, “Bodak Yellow,” Minaj’s fans (The Barbz) began to stir up drama. The beef reached a head on the set of The Migos music video, “Motorsport.” Allegedly, rumors persisted that Cardi was added to the song without Minaj’s knowledge, leading to tension on set. However, Minaj cleared up the drama in a Beats 1 interview in June 2020.
“[Quavo] texted me and asked, ‘Is it OK to put Cardi on it?'” Minaj said this when referring to “Motorsport.” “I still have the text in my phone where I said, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.'”
The “Pink Friday 2” femcee shared that, at the time, The Migos, Cardi, and their camps didn’t clear up the rumors that made her look like she was being mean. While rumors persisted about the tension between the women due to their not appearing in the video at the same time, the Trinidadian native shared that it was a scheduling conflict. Apparently, Cardi B now uses Nicki’s old hairstylist, Tokyo Stylez, who worked with both women.
Unfortunately, Minaj also mentioned that she took offense to Cardi’s first interview after the song dropped, which alluded to issues with Minaj’s final verse on the track. From there, the beef went into overdrive.
Minaj began to throw shade in Cardi’s direction as she promoted her album, “Queen.” The drama erupted at New York Fashion Week in 2018 when Cardi threw a shoe — and missed — at the 42-year-old. The beef seemed to be at rest until fans suspected Cardi sneak dissed Nicki Minaj and The City Girls in her verse on “Tomorrow 2.”
Cardi B and The City Girls, specifically JT, exchanged tweets about a personal conversation posted on Cardi’s X account in October 2022. Minaj sneakily took the side of JT by making her profile picture one of the 31-year-old’s. The beef became more evident due to the lyrics in Glorilla’s hit single.
4. JT vs. Glorilla
Hip-hop fans watched the 2023 MTV VMAs in delight as Minaj hosted the annual event. While most folks thought Minaj would throw shade at other femcees — which she cleverly did in true Minaj fashion — it appears that another female rap beef was brewing. Days after the show, JT had to shut down rumors that she and Glorilla were involved in an altercation at the VMAs. Allegedly, JT refused to speak to Glorilla, resulting in Glorilla throwing a drink or purse at her.
Interestingly, Glorilla has never publicly confirmed or denied the rumors about her run-in with JT. However, in a Jan. 8, 2024, Instagram Story post, Glorilla shared a snippet of her new song, “Glo Go Crazy,” per Hip Hop Dx. In the song, Glorilla rapped a line that made folks believe that she may have had an altercation with JT.
“Slapping rap b—–s and making bail, h-e/ Yeah Glo! Two-tone Cartier match the nails, hoe/ Yeah Glo! No competition — these b—–s stale, h-e,” Glorilla rapped on the song.
However, if Glorilla’s track was a diss to JT, it didn’t land, as the Miami native has yet to respond.
5. Latto Vs. Ice Spice
In October 2023, Uproxx speculated that Ice Spice and Latto may be at odds. The outlet stated that Latto is featured on Offsett’s album, “Set It Off.” In her verse on the track “Fine As Can Be,” some fans believed Latto took a direct shot at Ice Spice, while others thought she was participating in lyrical wordplay.
Latto rapped, “That [n-word] a munch, your booking fee, ate it for lunch.”
However, in February 2024, Ice Spice confirmed that she and Latto do not get along. This comes as a response to Latto including a snippet of Ice Spice’s video “Pretty Girl” in her Instagram video post.
In an X Spaces session, shared by gossip site The Neighborhood Talk, Ice Spice confirmed the rumors of her beef with Latto. In fact, the Bronx native shared that her song, “Think You the S–t,” is a diss track aimed at Latto.
Spice stated, “The thing for me is, why am I seeing that I’m in the back [on the television screen] of your weak ass snippet.”
It is unclear what the source of the feud is or how it started. Fans continue to dig through songs and lyrics to determine who started the beef and why.
Female rap beef has been extremely entertaining over the last couple of years. Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion are not the first to do it, and they will not be the last.
What do you think is the most memorable female rap beef? Let us know in the comments below.
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