Cardi B vs. Nicki Minaj: New Shots, an Old Feud — and a Question About Bias in Praise

A renewed public spat between Cardi B and Nicki Minaj has reignited long-running questions about the veteran rapper’s pattern of public praise — specifically whether Nicki reserves warm, flattering shout-outs for white pop stars while taking a harsher tone toward many Black artists in her orbit.

The latest flashpoint came after Nicki Minaj publicly praised Taylor Swift’s new work and even joked about astrology while doing so, writing in a post that played on both artists’ Sagittarius birthdays: “Why does every Sagittarius have such an expensive face card? Like…?” — a gushing tone that was widely picked up by music blogs and fans. 

Cardi B responded by resurrecting a longer-running accusation: that Minaj frequently heaps praise on white artists — which Cardi says is a search for mainstream validation — while simultaneously clashing with or shading Black peers she views as competition. That critique has surfaced repeatedly during the pair’s intermittent feud over the years and reappeared in recent exchanges on X (formerly Twitter) and other social posts. 

What happened this time

The back-and-forth escalated on social platforms in late September, with both artists trading sharp public posts and fans on both sides amplifying claims and receipts from past incidents. Media outlets tracking the feud note Cardi’s direct callouts about perceived slights and Nicki’s equally pointed responses — including posts that some observers call defensive or retaliatory. 

Minaj’s public admiration for Swift isn’t new: she has previously called Swift a “Sag Queen” and publicly celebrated aspects of Swift’s commercial success, moments that critics say are easy to weaponize in discussions about selective praise. 

Is there a pattern?

There are three factual pieces to separate when evaluating Cardi’s claim:

1. Nicki publicly praises some white artists. That is documented — Minaj has tweeted and posted complimentary takes about Taylor Swift and other pop acts. 

2. Nicki has a history of feuds with certain Black artists, including extended, public spat-style exchanges with Cardi and others; those episodes are also documented. 

3. Whether those two facts prove motive — that Minaj praises white artists for validation and undermines Black artists to limit their success — is a value judgment that goes beyond public posts and requires access to intent, private conversations, or a wider pattern of corroborated behavior.

Context and caveats

Music-industry relationships are often complicated by competition, management dynamics, fandom wars, and PR strategy. Public praise can be strategic (courtesy lighting, crossover signaling) as much as personal. Likewise, feuds sometimes reflect personal history, business disputes, or misinterpreted actions rather than a single driving motive. Independent observers, journalists and fans have pointed out both patterns of complimentary posts and patterns of clashes — but no public record proves a single, consistent intent behind Minaj’s choices. 

Nicki has also mobilized her fanbase in recent disputes (for example urging boycotts of companies tied to adversaries), which shows she actively uses public platforms to defend her position — a factor that fuels perception and reaction in these public rows. 

So — do I agree?

There’s evidence of selective public behavior: Nicki Minaj does sometimes lavish praise on certain white pop stars while also engaging in heated exchanges with Black artists, including Cardi B. Those observable facts give some basis to Cardi’s critique about inconsistent public treatment.

That said, confidently asserting motive — that Nicki’s praise is primarily for “validation” from white audiences or that she deliberately works to stunt Black artists’ careers — is a stronger claim than the public record alone can support. Intent is difficult to prove from tweets and public statements alone. Rivalries in the music business often mix personal grievance, branding, and performative posturing; each episode needs to be evaluated on its own facts.

Bottom line

Cardi B’s accusation echoes a theme fans and commentators have raised before and is supported by patterns in public posts and feuds. But proving a deliberate, singular motive requires more than social-media receipts — it would require corroboration from insiders or consistent private behavior that has been verified. For now, the feud remains a high-profile example of how social media amplifies perception: public praise and public shade both tell a story, but they don’t automatically reveal the full script behind an artist’s intent.