In 2024, it's essentially Young Money against everyone else. During the first half of the year, Drake tackled the industry solo. Now, the spotlight is on Nicki Minaj, who fiercely criticized JAY-Z after it was announced that Kendrick Lamar will perform at the Super Bowl Halftime Show in 2025. Minaj believes her label head, Lil Wayne, deserves to headline the show because he is from New Orleans. She had a lot to express about this issue, and it appears that Drake supports her stance. On September 9, Minaj launched a series of tweets where she accused JAY-Z of putting profits before culture and highlighted Lil Wayne's influence on the music scene. She stated, "You don't know the half of what Lil Wayne has done for me and others," adding that he inspired many artists to aspire to greatness, noting he was never in it just for the money. This last remark seemed to be a direct jab at JAY-Z, who has long promoted himself primarily as a businessman. DJ Akademiks shared Minaj's tweet on Instagram, and Drake liked it, which is significant considering his known interest in Akademiks' posts. His choice to like the post, aware that fans would see it, communicates a lot.
Drake's muted response to the situation has been intriguing. Recently, he has been quick to respond to criticisms from other famous rappers but has opted for a more subtle approach lately. He has been sharing cryptic posts on Instagram, including a strategically timed throwback after the Super Bowl headliner was announced, which was not Lil Wayne. Shortly after, he shared an old photo of Wayne and the Young Money crew from 2009 without any caption, leaving fans to interpret his message.
Over the years, Drake and Nicki Minaj's relationship has generated much speculation. Although they faced some rough patches, such as in 2015, they appear to have reconciled. Earlier this year at her concert in Toronto, Drake surprised the audience by joining her on stage, performing a few songs, and then humorously mentioned getting back to his rivalry with Lamar. Minaj praised him before he left, calling him an "icon" and a "legend." Keep it locked to 103.5 The Beat for more!