It seems like Jay-Z has a problem with Young Money, as he recently responded to the fresh ICEMAN disses from his former collaborator Drake. But his freestyle during the 2026 Roots Picnic last night (Saturday, May 30) didn't stop there, as it also took aim at Nicki Minaj, among other targets. Pop Tingz caught a clip of the Roots Picnic freestyle on Twitter, which happened at the beginning of Hov's headlining slot with The Roots.
"That lady back on the stuff, she sound like she in love with 'em / Her Ken can't even... Take they kids.... *Tch* enough of them / A rapper can't be my opp, I got MAGA Republicans / Them shots came from the very top of the government, good luck with them," he rapped.
There are a few references here that seem to allude to Nicki Minaj's fiery beef with Jay-Z. There are drug use allegations, references to her right-wing political pivot in the United States, and more.
Jay-Z Disses Nicki Minaj
But one part of these disses fans have a lot of questions about is the "Ken" bar, specifically the way Jay stumbled and seemed to lose his footing at that point of the verse. For those unaware, "Ken" is both a homophone for "kin" in possible reference to Nicki's brother and a direct reference to her husband Kenneth Petty. Both men have histories of sexual assault and domestic violence, with Petty facing consequences for reportedly failing to register as a sex offender and Minaj's brother behind bars.
There are some other possible interpretations for this part of that verse, such as making fun of someone's speech. Or maybe it's just a flub. Either way, the Nicki shots definitely rang out.
Elsewhere, Jay-Z's bars about "MAGA Republicans" seems to suggest Nicki Minaj's rants against Hov are indicative of much larger issues between him and U.S. political powers, with the Trinidadian superstar just being the messenger. He may be saying he doesn't worry about an MC when he has MAGA enemies in high places of government. Or it could suggest these very same people are also in Jay's corner, minimizing and mocking Minaj's MAGA turn.
Of course, Nicki will respond at some point. We'll see if it's sooner rather than later...
