Megan Thee Stallion dropped her new song HISS Jan. 26, and it contained the diss “-don’t be mad at Megan… be mad at Megan’s Law.” 

Megan’s Law is the federal law that the public has information available regarding sex offenders in their area. Though this line was vague, fans made a quick connection to rapper Nicki Minaj, who is infamous for marrying convicted sex offender Kenny Petty, and having a brother who is also a convicted sex offender. Minaj responded to the line with the song “BIGFOOT”- the title referring to Megan’s tall stature and how she was shot in the foot by Canadian rapper Tory Lanez in July of 2020. Nicki’s song contains references to Megan’s mother who died of cancer as well as the shooting, leaving fans to wonder how far is too far? 

But ultimately, as a former Barb (Nicki Minaj fan) I believe Minaj has taken this far beyond the average rap beef, and moved into the territory of destroying her public image over a single bar. 

To be clear, people say offensive and vile things all the time. It’s not good, but what makes this particularly dangerous is the reputation of Minaj’s fans. The Barbz are known for attacking people on social media, but the same can be said for people like ARMYs (Fans of the K-pop group BTS) and Swifties (Taylor Swift fans). But what makes this particularly dangerous is the lack of any sort of PR manager for Minaj, and her aggressive words riling up her fans.

TMZ reported that security was increased around Megan’s mother’s grave after vandalism attempts from some Barbz. It should go without saying how disrespectful it is to even think about vandalizing the grave of a woman taken by cancer, over a single line written by her daughter. 

Though given her actions, it’s natural to conclude Minaj might be having a sort of mental health crisis. I understand how people might speculate that, but it’s pretty rude to assume that even if Minaj is saying outrageous things. If this is some sort of mental health crisis, Minaj should take herself off social media and get professional help. Her close interactions with her fans through X (formerly Twitter), seem to only deepen her spiral and crusade against Thee Stallion. She, as a wealthy person, has access to get help if she needs it, but only hearing the validation of her fans leads her into an echo chamber where she cannot tell the difference between fiction and reality. If she truly does need help, we most likely won’t know, because she has been convinced her actions are completely in the right by the only people she bothers to listen to. 

Was Thee Stallion purposely trying to generate attention by shading famous rappers like Minaj in HISS? Most likely not. The truth lies in the easiest way to gain attention, social media. If we look at Thee Stallion’s socials, and the fact she hasn’t said anything about the lyrics of the song, shows she feels like she conveyed her feelings through the lyrics. That is confidence. Thee Stallion found her voice through her passion, so she feels there is nothing left to be said about the stance she took. 

Both of these rappers have tragic pasts and work in an industry where making it as a woman is extremely difficult, but what sets them apart, is how they cope with their trauma. Minaj involves herself with dangerous people most likely because she has never felt safe. Thee Stallion speaks up loudly most likely because she’s been frequently silenced. This “beef” goes far beyond beef. This is a juxtaposition between what happens when you overcome your trauma versus what happens when your trauma overcomes you.