A weekend is always a good excuse to escape from the monotony of daily life and go a little batshit. But, this weekend some of your favorites took that philosophy a little too far. Over the last 72 hours, baffling music news has emerged at a head-spinning pace—no one would blame you if your response was to log the hell off and tune it all out. But fortunately for you, we’re gluttons for punishment, so we’re here to catch you up on whatever the hell was in the air this weekend that caused a flurry of movement in a number of long-stalled beeves. (Cardi vs. Nicki! Meek vs. Drake! Kanye vs. Himself!)
Cardi B and Nicki Minaj
If you’ve ever paid attention to the misogyny and hierarchy in hip-hop, this beef doesn’t surprise you. People were pitting Cardi and veteran rapper Nicki Minaj against each other long before Cardi released her debut album, Invasion of Privacy. The tension surrounding the two was amplified by their collaboration on “MotorSport,” which was a breeding ground for conspiracy theories which Minaj addressed in an interview with Zane Lowe. The Queens rapper was tearful and even said Cardi hurt her feelings after feeling “ambushed” when Cardi was added to the song. A month later, photos surfaced of a conversation between the two rappers at the Met Gala, where Cardi says the two addressed any misunderstandings they may have had in person.
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Whatever truce was made between the two seemed to be called off after the release of Queen. Cardi’s “bitch” moment at the VMA’s suggested all wasn’t well. With the two rappers having a buzzworthy year, it felt like only a matter of time before tensions came to a head. In a grainy video provided by TMZ, Cardi quite literally tried to put a “Louboutin where her neck at,” and was escorted out of the party shoeless with a knot on her head, courtesy of a security guard. Cardi shared a statement on Instagram, alleging that Nicki Minaj had been trying to thwart her business ventures as well as spoken ill about her two-month-old, Kulture. Today, Nicki Minaj is scheduled for another episode of Queen Radio where she’s likely to tell her side of the story.
Drake and Meek Mill
It’s been a long time coming for these two. We watched as Meek Mill brought out what could’ve been a career-ending allegation about Quentin Miller as Drake’s ghostwriter. Hell, we even danced to “Back to Back” as it pushed Meek further out of relevance. After Meek was facing two to four years for a parole violation stemming from an arrest when he was 19 , the tide began to shift from the reputation Meek gained as “Twitter Fingers” to one that was focused on how he was one example on how the criminal justice system mistreats brown and black victims. Last November, Drake even said, “Free Meek” at an Australia show of his Boy Meets World Tour. Meek co-signed that there was nothing but “good energy” upon his return from prison.
Things changed for the better this weekend at a Boston show for Drake’s Aubrey and the Three Amigos Tour. Drake was Meek’s hypeman for a surprise performance of “Dreams and Nightmares.” Their exchange was a lesson in how to step up and defend your name when necessary but a reminder that all beef has an expiration date.
JAY-Z and Kanye West
Where do you even begin with these two? Their sibling rivalry publicly dates as far back as Graduation’s “Big Brother” but reaches back to Kanye’s days as a producer. Kanye went from being Jay’s “little” brother to amassing a level of fame that puts him in the same category as his idol. The duo were bromance goals on 2012’s Watch the Throne, and although they both had visions of what they’d be like as fathers on “New Day,” fatherhood was very different for them IRL. Jay didn’t make it to Kanye’s wedding. Kanye was upset North and Blue never had a playdate. Beyoncé even subtly bills Everything is Love as the new throne. So big question here, does Jay know this is happening? ‘Ye has also been forming new alliances with Lil Pump and 6ix9ine, so who’s to say JAY-Z will even want to participate in that discourse.
We don’t know what’s happening, but let’s just blame it on this wild summer we’ve had and pray no one brings this energy into fall.
Kristin Corry is a staff writer for Noisey. Follow her on Twitter.
