Nicki Minaj Declares "YoungBoy Better"

BYGabriel Bras Nevares6.8K Views
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She was a little late to the party, but at least it's clear that Nicki's aware of Internet rap memes.

Nicki Minaj just joined all the YB die-hards on Twitter and took to her Instagram story to proclaim: "NBA YoungBoy better." Moreover, this follows the release of their much anticipated and high-profile single "WTF." On that track, the Baton Rouge MC gave us a taste of what's to come on his next album, Don't Try This At Home. Furthermore, that vibe consists of incredibly soulful samples, trilling hi-hats, and almost clipping bass. Of course, Nicki floats over the track with ease, and it makes for quite the energetic and charismatic collaboration.

Of course, this is hardly the first link-up between YB and the Queen, such as the track "I Admit" which showed up on the former's Gangsta Grillz tape, Ma' I Got A Family. Given the positive reception to these tracks, many believe that we could be witnessing a power duo in the making with these collaborations. After all, their styles are quite distant at first glance, but they match similarly raw bars with more varied production than you'd expect. As such, Nicki Minaj praising YoungBoy in this context could be a sign of further work together.

Nicki Minaj Has YoungBoy's Back

During a Twitter Q&A, the New York MC actually detailed what it was like working with YoungBoy. "YoungBoy was rlly dope," she wrote on Twitter. "Chill. Laid back. Sweet. rlly f**k wit his vibe. Didn’t do the most on set, more mature than I thought he’d be. He was on gangsta time." What's more is that YB's gotten similar praise from other collaborators that usually aren't perceived to be in his space like Tyler, The Creator. It highlights quite an admirable part of his artistry in that, while he's very clear about what he doesn't like, he won't say no to the chance of collaborating with any rapper if he sees a connection.

However, there might be a point of contention between these collaborators- which has nothing to do with personal or career-driven beef. In fact, Nicki Minaj aired out her frustrations with her partnership with Amazon AMP for not giving her a bigger cut for bringing other artists (like YoungBoy) onto the company. "Now they’re getting other artists, like NBA Youngboy, all this stuff because of me. Didn’t give me equity in it, didn’t give me shit,” a voice that sounds like Nicki says. “All I said was, ‘Hey, you guys, now that I see what it is and now that I realized you used me." She continued for a bit before realizing her microphone was still on and quickly fixed the issue. Whether it's a real complaint or not is up to Father Time. On that note, stick around on HNHH for the latest updates on Nicki Minaj and YoungBoy.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a music and pop culture news writer for HotNewHipHop. He started in 2022 as a weekend writer and, since joining the team full-time, has developed a strong knowledge in hip-hop news and releases. Whether it’s regular coverage or occasional interviews and album reviews, he continues to search for the most relevant news for his audience and find the best new releases in the genre. What excites him the most is finding pop culture stories of interest, as well as a deeper passion for the art form of hip-hop and its contemporary output. Specifically, Gabriel enjoys the fringes of rap music: the experimental, boundary-pushing, and raw alternatives to the mainstream sound. As a proud native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, he also stays up-to-date with the archipelago’s local scene and its biggest musical exponents in reggaetón, salsa, indie, and beyond. Before working at HotNewHipHop, Gabriel produced multiple short documentaries, artist interviews, venue spotlights, and audio podcasts on a variety of genres and musical figures. Hardcore punk and Go-go music defined much of his coverage during his time at the George Washington University in D.C. His favorite hip-hop artists working today are Tyler, The Creator, Boldy James, JPEGMAFIA, and Earl Sweatshirt.