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.