Nicki Minaj Or Killer Mike? ‘Best Rap Song’ Grammy Mix-Up Feeds Theories Of Foul Play
Nicki Minaj has insisted for years that higher-ups within the Recording Academy have strategically kept her from taking home a Grammy. Their ‘Best Rap Song’ mix-up now sits as her latest piece of evidence of foul play.
Or, some bumbling intern running their social made an honest mistake and sent out the wrong tweet. You be the judge.
Ahead of the 66th Grammys ceremony, the winner from the ‘Best Rap Song’ category was announced as Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice for their summer 2023 hit “Barbie World.” This would’ve been significant as Minaj’s first Grammy win. She was also listed as the winner on the official Grammy website, which populates Google search.
Soon after, however, Killer Mike’s “Scientists & Engineers” featuring André 3000, Future, and Eryn Allen Kane was announced as the winner, leaving fans of the “Everybody” rapper calling foul.
“Google, The official Recording Academy website, their social media, etc ALL had Barbie World as the winner,” tweeted one observer. “u absolutely can not tell me that they didn’t change it last minute. Grammy’s have been a scam for over a decade, yet here we are. I hope yall see, Nicki was never a liar.”
Another fan believes that Minaj’s social media tirade against Megan Thee Stallion last weekend resulted in votes being changed, writing, “its giving Barbie World WON but #they pushed behind the scenes for it to be changed last minute for all the reasons we know. There’s no way the official Recording Academy tweeted it for no reason. first time in HISTORY the grammys make a “mistake” on twitter and its over Nicki Minaj…. you mean to tell me its all a coincidence?”
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Last year, Minaj called out The Recording Academy for reportedly attempting to place her “Super Freaky Girl” song within the pop category rather that rap, which would lessen its chances of receiving an award. After speaking up about the matter, comparing the pop elements of “Super Freaky Girl” to Latto’s “Big Energy”, she insisted both songs be moved, adding that she believes there’s “a concerted effort” to award newer artists rather than who is truly deserving.
“If you can’t tell by now that there is a concerted effort to give newer artists things that they really don’t deserve over people who have been deserving for many years, then you’re not paying attention,” she said in an Instagram video at the time. “And by the way, this is not to say any song is bad or any female rapper is bad. I always say this: Any rapper, female or male, that wins a Grammy, you should be fucking proud of yourself. But why is the goalpost only ever moved when it’s Nicki? Well, I’ll tell you why. They don’t want the people that they have in the industry to go up against me.”
She then emphasized that the strategic decision to only move her song felt like an attempt to guarantee she didn’t walk away with the prize, as she’d be up against the biggest names in pop.
“Now what do you think is gonna happen when they start voting on these pop categories? And it’s a bunch of people, white or wherever they’re from, or older, and they have to decide between Nicki Minaj and Harry Styles, or Nicki Minaj and Adele? That’s purposely designed so Nicki is not in the (rap) category that we don’t want any competition in. Put her in there (in pop) so she has more competition and less of a chance to win.”
When told to stop complaining, she tweeted, “Could you imagine someone telling you not to ‘complain’ about being treated unfairly at your workplace? This is my job. I work very hard. No diff from a 9-5 where you should speak up for yourself if you know you’re a great employee & continue to be purposely sabotaged.”
