Warning: Discussion of child abuse, rape.

Nicki Minaj is facing backlash for her tirade against Megan Thee Stallion.

Things initially seemed good when Megan’s popularity began rising, with the two even appearing on an Instagram Live together and Nicki featuring on Megan’s song “Hot Girl Summer.” However, after years of Megan’s growing closeness with Cardi B, Nicki appeared to throw jabs her way. This included rapping in “Red Ruby Da Sleeze,” “That .40 cal a make ’em dance like a go-go” — an apparent reference to Tory Lanez reportedly shouting, “Dance, bitch!” when he shot Megan in the foot in 2020.

On Friday, Megan released her new single “Hiss.” Lyrics include the line, “These hoes don’t be mad at Megan / These hoes mad at Megan’s Law.” Megan’s Law is another name for a federal law which essentially makes sex offender registries public.

Why did some interpret this as a comment on Nicki? Well, her husband Kenneth Petty pled guilty to and was convicted of attempted first degree rape at knifepoint in 1995 and served almost four years. In 2022, he was sentenced to house arrest for failing to register as a sex offender in California.

Nicki herself has previously spread misinformation about the case and was named in a lawsuit accusing Kenneth of “harassment and witness intimidation,” though she has since been dropped from the ongoing suit. Her lawyers claimed that the woman Kenneth attempted to rape was going after her for her celebrity status.

Nicki’s brother, Jelani Maraj, has further been convicted for sexually assaulting an 11-year-old. She also worked closely with rapper 6ix9ine, who has pled guilty for use of a child in a sexual performance and subsequently been sued for it, and she defended the collaboration in 2020.

Of course, Megan could have been referring to a number of abusive men in the industry. Nicki then took to Instagram Live to share a snippet of her song “Big Foot,” which included the lyrics, “Bad b*tch she like 6 foot, I call her big foot, the bitch fell off I said get up on your good foot” — once again a reference to Megan being shot in the foot.

Twitter: @PopBase

Nicki subsequently took to X and began tweeting and retweeting countless posts about Megan, including one where she called out the “Megan’s Law” line and mockingly accused her of exchanging sex for beats:

Twitter: @NICKIMINAJ

She then repeatedly brought up Megan’s mother, who died in 2019, as well as Megan’s ex, Pardison Fontaine, in reference to Megan initially saying that she and Tory did not have a sexual relationship. She accused Megan of telling her to get an abortion and encouraging her to drink while she was pregnant.

Twitter: @NICKIMINAJ

Nicki announced the released of “Big Foot,” using a still of Megan from the Gayle King interview where she discussed the shooting for the first time. Nicki further tweeted that she had “five extra songs” for “if that pussy ass hoe deny 1THING.” In the song itself, she accused Megan of lying about being shot and echoed posts she had retweeted about Megan “speak[ing] about people’s families” with “Hiss.”

Twitter: @NICKIMINAJ

So, how has Megan responded to what must be well over 100 tweets about her? On the Breakfast Club, she said that the song was about multiple people but “a hit dog will holla” and “whoever feel it, feel it.”

While many Barbz continued to voice their unwavering support of Nicki, many people criticized her:

Twitter: @ldrarmpit

Twitter: @arianaunext

According to a statement from JeffBet.com, Nicki has lost over 38k Instagram followers amid the barrage of tweets — while Megan has gained over 101k.

“Hiss” is currently at the top of the Apple Music chart.

If you are concerned that a child is experiencing or may be in danger of abuse, you can call or text the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (4.A.CHILD); service can be provided in over 140 languages.

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 (HOPE), which routes the caller to their nearest sexual assault service provider. You can also search for your local center here.