Nicki Minaj isn’t backing down when it comes to Jay-Z and Roc Nation. She’s been vocal about her frustrations, and recently, she took shots at one of Jay-Z’s close allies, Steve Stoute. I’ll get into that in a minute, but first, let’s talk about how Nicki revealed that some people tried to pay her off to keep quiet about a bad business deal she had with Jay-Z and Tidal.
Back in 2015, Jay-Z launched Tidal, a streaming service that was meant to compete with big players like Apple Music and Spotify. He brought in 16 artists, offering them stakes in the company. These artists included Beyoncé, Rihanna, Madonna, Kanye West, and, of course, Nicki Minaj. Drake was originally supposed to be part of it too, but he chose to make a deal with Apple instead, which reportedly upset Jay-Z. For the artists who joined, they were promised co-ownership and a small cut of the profits.
But as it turns out, they didn’t make any money. Kanye West eventually pulled out of the deal and claimed that Jay-Z owed him $3 million. Nicki Minaj recently spoke out, saying that she also never saw any payment from Tidal. She was especially frustrated because she had given Tidal exclusive rights to stream her music and music videos, and she heavily promoted the platform. But despite all her efforts, she didn’t get anything in return. She even made a comment saying, “I didn’t even get a single red penny when no one promoted it more than me, outside of Beyoncé. LOL. Child.”
After Tidal struggled to take off, Jay-Z ended up selling most of the company to Jack Dorsey, walking away with $297 million from the deal. While this was a huge win for Jay-Z and some of the other co-owners, Nicki Minaj wasn’t one of the ones who benefited.
After Nicki Minaj called out Tidal for allegedly scamming her, Steve Stoute, a music executive and close affiliate of Jay-Z, jumped to Jay’s defense during an interview on the Pivot podcast. Stoute, who is known for backing Jay-Z in public disputes, has a reputation for speaking up whenever Jay is in the middle of controversy. Along with Elliot Wilson, Stoute has often gone up against Jay’s critics. Even Dame Dash suggested that Jay sends people like Stoute to go after him:
“I don’t know why certain people are always sent to defend others and speak on me. I know they’re sent, and Steve Stoute is one of those people who’ll do anything for a dollar. I hate the culture he represents, and I just want to know, who’s sending you? Why won’t you leave me alone?”
On the Pivot podcast, Stoute addressed both the Super Bowl halftime show controversy involving Jay-Z and Nicki Minaj’s claims that she wasn’t paid by Tidal. Stoute didn’t hold back his disappointment:
“I really don’t like it when successful Black people publicly attack each other like that. In Nicki’s case, I think she was wrong to bring up Tidal. Jay-Z gave her equity in the company, but she didn’t sign the paperwork, and that’s why she missed out on millions. Jay didn’t do anything to her.”
Nicki wasn’t about to stay silent, though. She took to Twitter to explain her side:
“I got a call saying Tidal was sold, and they made no money from the deal, so they could only offer me a million dollars. But here’s the kicker: the lawyer told me that Desiree from Roc Nation said I had 24 hours to sign the agreement, or the offer was off the table. If you want to know my response, listen to the end of ‘Fractions.’”
Nicki Minaj recently made waves with her comments, bringing up Jay-Z in a playful reference: “While I count a mill, Jigga what? Jigga who?” She took a moment to express her gratitude to her fans, the Barbz, for their unwavering support but also revealed a troubling experience. Nicki shared that she was offered a million dollars to remain silent about something she felt strongly about, saying, “The grace of God is sufficient; I didn’t need their hush money.” She added “#GagCity” and announced her shows in Los Angeles.
Initially, Nicki had been promised more than just the million-dollar offer. She held a 3% equity stake in the company and had signed a contract, but when the lowball offer came in, it felt like a slap in the face. She perceived it as an attempt to undervalue her contributions and suppress her voice, which is why she turned it down.
Nicki also hinted that her documentary may have been blocked by Roc Nation. She implied that it could have contained sensitive details about her relationship with Meek Mill, who was part of Roc Nation at the time, suggesting that they didn’t want those revelations to see the light of day.
In a particularly intriguing statement, she said, “They gotta keep the conversation on me so that no one asks about these charges against their BFF.” Many are speculating that this was a subtle jab at Diddy.
With all this drama, it’s clear that Nicki is still a hot topic. She even took a shot at Roc Nation’s famous brunch and Diddy’s notorious baby oil, saying, “They wanted brunch and baby oil.” It’s evident that she has a lot more to say, and she’s not holding back anytime soon.
Nicki had some strong words, saying, “I’m worried about the tea surrounding a 15-year-old child who was railroaded,” referring to her husband, Kenneth Petty. She continued, “But no one’s talking about the drama that’s been going on for decades, or the stuff that happened just months ago. If we’re going to hold 15-year-olds accountable and tell them they can never escape their past, what about the 30-year-olds who groomed them and stayed silent?”
She then suggested that the blogs should focus on her instead, pointing out that “short and stout D” doesn’t want to discuss himself or his friend. She raised an interesting question: why is Steve Stoute discussing everything except his buddy Diddy? After all, he used to be part of Diddy’s inner circle and hung out with him and Jay-Z quite a bit.
Nicki went on to call out a few people, giving them some cheeky nicknames. I’m not entirely sure who all of them are, but I have some guesses. When she said, “Dear short and stout D,” she was obviously talking about Steve Stoute. The nickname “Laffy Taffy alien” could be aimed at Jay-Z—maybe because of his distinctive laugh? Then there’s “De breath,” which might be about OT Wilson or the radio host Fatman Got The Juice, who recently shaded her by saying she was dodging his questions. Nicki shot back, saying his breath was awful, so it could be directed at either of those guys. Lastly, she mentioned “Sass” or “SAS,” which I think could refer to Stephen A. Smith, who has also criticized her and is friends with Jay-Z.
Wow, Nicki Minaj has really been going off with some wild nicknames lately! In one of her tweets, she said, “Now this is interesting. We want to know if you were around during the abuse of teenagers and children. That’s what we really want to know. You can’t taste my pee. Stop. Aaliyah, Foxy, and others during R. Kelly video shoots—did you know about the abuse involving Kim Porter and Cassie? It seems like you all run in a little rat pack. So, that’s what we, the people, want you and your crew to talk about. Ugly bald-headed bowling ball, B. You ants never have this energy for gangsters face-to-face, only for bees online.”
Whoa! Someone needs to watch out for Nicki because she’s diving into some serious stuff here. And just the other day, she reacted to a post saying she surpassed Jay-Z on the Billboard charts with a simple “Move!” Honestly, Nicki is fearless, and while I admire her boldness, I can’t help but feel a little concerned for her. She always speaks her mind, no matter what.
On another note, there are rumors going around that Beyoncé and Jay-Z might be heading for a split. Apparently, Jay has been seeking legal counsel, and there are claims he met with both a criminal defense attorney and a divorce lawyer. This scoop came from a lawyer associated with an anonymous tipster site called Crazy Days And Nights.