It should be no surprise that there has been a brewing conflict between women composers in the hip-hop community. It has been years in the making since Nicki Minaj was effectively crowned queen of hip-hop after signing with Young Money Entertainment and releasing her breakout album Pink Friday.
In my assessment of the current situations with Cardi B, Glorilla, Lato, City girls, and other points of contention, there are several reasons why we have seen conflicts play out in this manner. The critical issue stems from how hip-hop elders responded to emerging artists. Additionally, mainstream award shows' influence has exacerbated the situation.
The women's hip-hop community has not always had a history of withholding praise, blocking opportunity, and stifling the careers of new composers. The transition from composers like Sha Rock, Mc Lyte, and Salt-N-Pepa to Lauryn Hill, Foxy Brown, and Lil Kim were met with an embrace as the latter was inspired by the former. On the other hand, it is also fair to argue that negative remarks were not public enough for common critique.
As the wheel turned, this time was much different. The original sin came about when Lil Kim took offense to Nicki's style because of how similar it was to hers—leading to Lil Kim sending subliminal messages in her lyrics and interviews. Lil Kim was referencing, in particular, Nicki Minaj's photoshoot for "Sucka Free" and Nicki's use of colored hair and wigs.
The similarities are undeniable. However, it is precisely why Lil Kim should have felt honored. People do not imitate what they do not admire. Instead of understanding how this statement applies to life, Lil Kim went on the offensive. Her comments ultimately changed the trajectory of women's cohesion in the hip-hop community.
Nicki Minaj did not let that interaction with Lil Kim go, shown in Nicki's career following the debacle. Just look at the number of times Nicki Minaj has dissed other women in the industry with her remarks about them being her sons. She also rarely, if ever, collaborated with other women during her peak.
Nicki was the apex composer for years until the upstart Cardi B became prominent. The mistakes of Lil Kim repeated themselves when Nicki and Cardi began to trade blows with their comments to media outlets.
Unfortunately, everyone will not always get along, but given the history of the communities these women belong to regarding their gender and ethnicity, they must appear together in the industry. Especially with the way that major labels repeatedly conspire with contemporary media to manufacture divisive narratives among the hip-hop community.
Cardi B has clarified that she is trying to change the narrative. Now the unofficial inheritor of Nicki's title, Cardi has collaborated with and uplifted many women daring to break into the industry. However, she is beginning to fall into the same habit of publicly dissing other women.
At this stage, women should know or, at the very least, understand that social media and established media outlets will try their hardest to manufacture conflict to drive clicks onto their articles or videos. For example, the online quarrel between Jt of city girls and Cardi B behind JT's comments on Tomorrow 2 did not warrant any disagreement. JT complimented Glorilla's success, but because she did not mention Cardi B, this became an opportunity for "fans" or bots, in most cases, on Twitter. One comment led to another sparking a back-and-forth between the two composers.
Furthermore, the current music award show platforms continue to foment schisms between composers and their camps. These shows have proven to be year after year, not for the culture or of the cause. These shows continue to play politics in the face of consumers and stakeholders. We have seen this with people receiving awards with almost zero "skin in the game" or not having nearly enough of a catalog or impact to be awarded. What's more reclassifying composers into different genres purely based on ethnicity or when it is convenient for a particular agenda.
In her recent statements, Nicki Minaj commented on this unethical behavior sparking a massive backlash because of her comparisons to how they treated her versus Latto in the recent Grammy awards. The dispute came after the Grammy's reclassified her song and not Latto's despite having the same musical properties. This incident is not the first time that shows of an equivalent caliber have been scrutinized for similar behavior. Yet, they can still control the narrative and divide coalitions.
In closing, composers can control their narratives and should identify the legacy and impact that they want to leave on their societies. In these uncertain times, communities must stick together and create the world they want to live in. This thought should also serve as a reminder to support grass root organizations and composers, as that is the proven way to push forward the vision that individuals and communities desire.