Nicki Minaj, Megan Thee Stallion both coming to Tennessee: What to know about their feud

The feud between rappers Megan Thee Stallion and Nicki Minaj has taken the music world by storm, and fans ponder if the conflict has reached a boiling point. The rivalry may affect rap music fans in Tennessee ahead of planned performances in the coming months.

Megan Thee Stallion will take to the stage as one of Bonnaroo’s biggest acts on Sunday, June 16, an evening that will be headlined by DJ Fred Again.. And before she makes her way to The Farm, Stallion is slated to drop a new album and announce a summer tour.

Nicki Minaj is headed to Bridgestone Arena on her “Pink Friday 2 Tour,” a tour that was originally 40 stops before Minaj added 13 more. Nashville was the only American city added to the tour that did not already have a show planned. Atlanta, Boston and Chicago were added to the docket for a second show.

Here’s how the feud started and what it means for the two rappers’ audiences in Tennessee.

When and why did the Nicki vs. Megan feud start?

Fans first saw a friendship between Thee Stallion and Minaj blossom in July 2019 with a joint Instagram Live session where Megan Thee Stallion expressed her admiration for the rapper.

From there, in 2019 they worked together on a dream collaboration for the then up-and-coming Thee Stallion and seasoned industry vet Minaj. Fans were ecstatic when the two dropped “Hot Girl Summer,”' with Ty Dolla Sign; they believed it to be the first of many collaborations.

But then, when the song “WAP” by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion dropped in 2020, Minaj’s fan base was furious with Thee Stallion due to Minaj’s ongoing and highly public feud with Cardi B. The tension between Cardi B and Minaj had reached a boiling point two years prior with a physical altercation at a New York Fashion Week Party in 2018.

Jumping ahead to 2023, Megan Thee Stallion dropped the track “Hiss” on Jan. 26, a diss track that contained lyrics fans are linking to Nicki Minaj. One lyric refers to “Megan’s Law,” a federal law requiring law enforcement authorities to make information public regarding registered sex offenders.

Fans associated this with Minaj, whose husband Kenneth Petty is a convicted sex offender. From there, Minaj dropped track “Big Foot” on Jan. 29 — a title that refers to when Megan Thee Stallion was shot in the foot by rapper Tory Lanez. Lanez was sentenced to ten years in prison as a result in August.

Minaj, too, takes a jab at Thee Stallion’s height and says she’s “Lying on your dead momma.” Thee Stallion’s mother died in 2019 due to a brain tumor.

Post-diss tracks, fans have taken sides on social media.

What does the rap music feud mean for fans in Tennessee?

Gabrielle: So, how could this actually impact fans in Nashville and Tennessee in general?

With the late addition of the 13 tour dates, which were added Jan. 16, it’s interesting to see how certain venues aren’t doing as well in terms of ticket sales. For example, according to Pollstar’s Fourth Quarter 2023 Report, Bridgestone is the fourth largest venue in America when it comes to ticket sales.

Audrey: It’s especially interesting, too, when you factor in that Nashville wasn’t originally included in a major American tour with 40 stops. It’s important to note that the “Pink Friday 2 Tour” is actually Minaj’s best-selling tour to date. 25 arena shows were sold out in just a few days.

Gabrielle: When looking at Ticketmaster’s website, the majority of tickets for Nashville are still unsold. For reference, the second Atlanta show that was added has already appeared to have sold a higher percentage of tickets than the only Nashville show.

Even beyond ticket sales and diss tracks, this feud has elevated to have potentially serious legal ramifications. Several members of Minaj’s fan base better known as the “Barbz” have begun doxxing people on various social media platforms who oppose Nicki’s behavior. A tiktoker known as @Belatown made a video explaining the feud and how he believed Minaj to be in the wrong.

Following his viral video, fans began not only doxxing him and his family but also sending death threats. In a follow up video, he said “I’m sorry Nicki fans. Please leave my family alone, I took the video down.”

Audrey: This feud is also showcasing the impact “stan” culture has in real life. While many believe what people write on social media stays on that platform, the actions of certain members of her fan base show that it can absolutely be taken too far.

What I’m finding online is that peoples’ loyalties are just not up for debate. In a post from Bonnaroo on Instagram, they said Megan will be releasing her third album this summer. Commenters had strong opinions.

One person said, “Makes me not even wanna go.” Another said, “unfollow” and “actually annoyed that she’s on the line up.” One commented that Nicki “ate her up” in song “Big Foot.”

Gabrielle: I see a commenter posted, “A lot of these comments are…interesting. Y’all are definitely not radiating positivity and being ‘that guy/gal’ right now lmao do y’all not know the roo code?!”

Audrey: And tickets for the June festival have been selling quickly with General Admission tickets currently on tier four, the last tier for general admission.

Gabrielle: With Minaj’s concert happening next month and Megan’s performance happening in June, it will be interesting to see if Nashville fans show up for their favorite artist.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: What Megan Thee Stallion, Nicki Minaj feud means for Tennessee fans