NEED TO KNOW
SZA is keeping things diplomatic when it comes to her social media beef with Nicki Minaj.
The Grammy-winning singer, 35, appeared on the cover of GQ on Nov. 6, and explained that there’s “no backstory” when it comes to the heated back-and-forth she shared with Minaj, 42, on X over the summer.
“I don’t know her. We have no connection to each other,” SZA (née Solána Imani Rowe) told the outlet. “Like, there was no through line narrative. It was just like, ‘Roc Nation’… I don’t know where it came from.”
Minaj first went after SZA on X in July, as she believed the “Saturn” singer had subtweeted her over a post Minaj shared about SZA’s former manager Terrence “Punch” Henderson.
Before long, the “Super Freaky Girl” rapper was hurling insults at SZA, who she wrote “look[ed] & sound[ed] like she got stung by a f—–g bee.”
“That’s not even my place to correct a narrative that I don’t got s— to do with,” SZA told GQ. “It was a little strange. It was very like, ‘Why?’ But also, you know ‘I guess.’”
Harry Durrant/Getty
During the thick of the back-and-forth, SZA seemingly bowed out of the conversation, writing on X, “I don’t give a f— bout none of that weird s— you popping… Lmao lemme go back to being calm shy and meek.” But shortly after, Minaj threw barbs as SZA’s career, criticizing her decision to re-release her 2022 album SOS as the deluxe version Lana last year.
“Bitch put out a whole new album as a deluxe to an already existing album that was out for like a year or 2 so the original album could break records,” Minaj wrote. “Like what in the insecure lack of morals & integrity you doing? I thought she was like a real artist? Girl bye.”
The “Super Bass” rapper went on to write that if “every song [SZA had] ever done vanished right now the music business wouldn’t even miss [her]. I’ve been to countries that never heard of [SZA].”
SZA then responded with a screenshot of a text exchange with Minaj from 2020, in which the rapper reached out to ask if SZA would be interested in joining her for a feature on a song called “Don’t Do.”
Mike Coppola/Getty Images
“Nicki. You absolutely know my music and what I contribute cause you’ve asked for features twice to no response,” she wrote. “In addition to rapping my lyrics on feeling myself ‘cooking up the bass looking like a kilo’? Lol ur having a moment .. im not sure why but be blessed.”
Minaj’s 2014 song “Feeling Myself,” which features Beyoncé, was co-written by SZA. In another post, Minaj resurfaced old tweets written by SZA that seemed to make negative comments about Beyoncé and Rihanna.
In October, Cardi B — who has had her own feud with Minaj — waded into the conversation on X, writing, “Girl STFUUU done beefed with every black woman in the industry like girl who tf beef with SZA??”
Both SZA and Minaj have each had three No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. SZA’s Lana album came out in December 2024, while Minaj’s most recent album Pink Friday 2 came out in 2023.
