All that whining from Nicki Minaj really paid off for Megan Thee Stallion

Megan's shot her 'round the world—a.k.a. her recent single, "Hiss"—has the Billboard charts in a chokehold

By Emma Keates  |  February 5, 2024 | 9:21pm
Music News Nicki Minaj
All that whining from Nicki Minaj really paid off for Megan Thee Stallion
Megan Thee Stallion Photo: Arturo Holmes

Nicki Minaj should really read up on the Barbra Streisand effect. After writing at least one (possibly five?) new song and making a whole lot of noise on Twitter/X in response to Megan Thee Stallion’s “Hiss,” the “FTCU” rapper seems only to have made her enemy stronger. “Hiss” debuted at no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart today, with over 32 million combined streams, radio impressions, and downloads. It’s the rapper’s first-ever solo track to soar to this height and the first from her independent label, Hot Girl Productions. She previously achieved no. 1 twice in 2020—for “Savage” with Beyoncé and “WAP” with Cardi B.

Megan’s single takes shots at everyone from Drake, to her ex Pardi Fontaine, to fans of Tory Lanez, who is currently serving time for shooting the rapper in the foot in 2020. (The track opens: “I just wanna kick this shit off by sayin’ fuck y’all/I ain’t gotta clear my name on a motherfuckin’ thing/Every time I get mentioned, one of y’all bitch-ass n—s get twenty-four hours of attention/I’m finna get this shit off my chest and lay it to rest, let’s go.”)

Megan Thee Stallion – HISS [Official Video]

Minaj, as we now know all too well, wasn’t spared from Megan’s venom. In what has widely been interpreted as a thinly veiled reference to her now-nemesis’ husband, a registered sex offender, Megan raps: “These hoes don’t be mad at Megan, these hoes mad at Megan’s Law/I don’t really know what the problem is, but I guarantee y’all don’t want me to start/Bitch, you a pussy (You a pussy), never finna check me (Yeah).”

In response, Minaj released “Big Foot,” her own very obvious and very mean-spirited diss track—that she swore up and down wasn’t actually a diss track—that mostly attempts to put Megan down for having a dead mom and getting violently assaulted by Tory Lanez. It’s undeniably nasty work, but it doesn’t seem to be getting Megan down at all.

“Thank you thank you thank you ! Thank you GOD, Thank you MAMA HOLLY, Thank you to EVERYONEEEEE that took the time out of their week to go hard and make this happen! I love you I appreciate you I’m so grateful,” the rapper wrote in a celebratory post on Twitter/X today. “#HISS is number 1 !!! Thank you for RUNNING IT UP HOTTIES… Let’s keep going hard and staying positive ! Love yall.” Nowhere does she mention Nicki by name (which must be killing her), but in a separate Instagram post, she did promise to “START PLANNING THEE HOTTIE PARTY LETS GET THE HENNESSYYYY,” a potential reference to a line from “Big Foot” where Minaj accuses Megan of “drinking a bottle of Henny through a straw.” She also included the below photo in her post, which pretty much speaks for itself. Stay petty and congratulations on your victory, Megan.

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