The year 2025 has cemented its place in hip-hop history as the year the infamous Cardi B and Nicki Minaj feud exploded into a chaotic, undeniable inferno. What many hoped was a simmering “cold war” has unequivocally turned red-hot, with a new wave of leaked footage and accusations pulling back the curtain on a rivalry that has spanned nearly a decade. This isn’t just about rap beef; it’s a saga of personal attacks, industry power plays, and fan bases weaponized into digital armies.

The most recent bombshell came in late September 2025, when Cardi B, fresh off her highly anticipated second album, “Am I the Drama,” released footage that she had long hinted at. This wasn’t merely a social media rant; it was a calculated move that sent shockwaves through the industry, directly challenging Nicki Minaj and forcing the world to confront the true depth of their animosity.

The 2025 Explosion: A New Level of Chaos

While the beef between Cardi B and Nicki Minaj has always been notoriously messy, 2025 witnessed an escalation to unprecedented levels. This wasn’t a war fought with subtle lyrical jabs or indirect social media likes. Instead, fans were subjected to leaked phone calls, furiously deleted diss verses, personal attacks on each other’s children, and the public shaming of their partners. The internet, already a volatile battleground, teetered on the brink as loyal fan bases—the “Barbz” for Nicki and the “Bardi Gang” for Cardi—prepared for all-out digital warfare.

The timing of the initial catalyst couldn’t have been more dramatic. Just a day after “Am I the Drama” debuted at number one on Billboard, a phone call from July 2024 mysteriously surfaced online. In the clip, Cardi B was heard in a full-blown “Bronx energy” tirade, threatening to physically assault fellow rapper Ice Spice during her Y2K promo event at the Empire State Building. Her exact words, chillingly clear, included threats like, “I’mma beat her ass, i’mma knock her the f*** out. You think I’m lying, I’ll beat you the f*** up.” The call didn’t stop there; it also included Cardi shading Latto as “weak” and taking veiled shots at Megan Thee Stallion.

To many observers, this audio suggested Cardi felt threatened by the new wave of female rappers ascending the charts. Regardless of its veracity, the leak’s timing—a day after her album’s triumphant debut—felt suspiciously like a deliberate act of sabotage. Cardi attempted to downplay it, dismissing the audio as “old as hell” and typical “shot talking when I’m mad.” However, both the Barbz and various entertainment blogs seized on it, treating it as fresh, damning evidence.

Nicki Minaj, never one to shy away from a fight, did not simply “sip tea and ignore it.” She took to X (formerly Twitter) with a flurry of posts containing what appeared to be unreleased diss verses, only to swiftly delete them. But in the age of instant virality, screenshots were captured and spread like wildfire. One particularly scathing post read, “Falling off the charts with a big belly eye running trains barefoot still smelly eyes still you could not outsell me.” Another chillingly declared, “Surgery to look like me.” Nicki’s accusations didn’t stop at aesthetic jabs; she also hurled legal accusations, writing, “Barney B Rico fraud and perjury,” mocking Cardi’s surgeries, her sales, and even alluding to potential legal troubles. While fans speculated that a full diss track was imminent, Nicki retracted the verses before they could fully ignite.

Cardi B, however, was not about to let these attacks go unanswered. She retaliated on X with a barrage of “clapbacks,” labeling Nicki “cocaine Barbie” and mocking her perceived obsession with her. “Damn, she was streaming magnet hard as hell, huh? You must have missed me, huh? Crazy, now kiss my feet.” She further escalated the war of words by criticizing Nicki’s age and career longevity: “You’ve been in the game like 16 years, you need to compare yourself to your peers like Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Drake. I was in high school when you came out, wtf is you comparing yourself to me for?”

This round of the feud descended into a new low, dragging family, motherhood, and even fertility into the mud. Nicki seemingly shaded Cardi’s parenting through social media likes, and rumors about Cardi’s children being on the autism spectrum began circulating from Barbz fan pages. Cardi fired back with accusations regarding Nicki’s fertility struggles, even implying a connection to drug use. At this point, many began to voice concerns that the feud had moved beyond music, transforming into a vicious campaign of character assassination.

The Industry Takes Sides: A Digital Trench Warfare

As the beef reignited, the wider rap industry found itself drawn into the escalating drama. JT from City Girls openly shaded Cardi’s album sales, tweeting, “lol that home ugly and mad she knows she lied,” a post Nicki almost immediately reposted. Saucy Santana claimed Nicki had texted Young Miami, implying a coordinated effort to fuel the drama and paint Cardi as a liar. Ice Spice, while maintaining a degree of public neutrality, tweeted laughing emojis that many interpreted as a subtle jab. Even Cardi’s sister, Hennessy Carolina, jumped into the fray, vehemently defending her sister and dragging Nicki in multiple posts.

Amidst this chaos, veteran artists offered their perspectives. 50 Cent urged caution, hoping “the girls stop fighting before things escalate.” Waka Flocka Flame dismissed the feud as “corny,” imploring both artists to “grow up and boss up.” However, these attempts at de-escalation proved futile; every new comment, every new post, only served to exacerbate the situation.

Suddenly, the feud transcended a simple Nicki versus Cardi conflict; it became a cultural battleground. Barbz flooded Cardi’s social media with snake emojis, Offset memes, and clown GIFs, while the Bardi Gang retaliated with “Grandma Minaj” trends and relentless posts about Nicki’s husband, Kenneth Petty’s past legal issues. Screenshots of actual threats being exchanged between fans highlighted the dangerous escalation of this digital trench warfare.

Real-World Consequences: Beyond the Likes and Retweets

This feud wasn’t just a source of online entertainment; it carried tangible real-world consequences. Reports surfaced that some fashion brands pulled back from campaigns with Cardi B, wary of being entangled in the public chaos. For Nicki, her reputation suffered each time the feud reignited, often bringing her husband’s legal troubles back into the headlines and overshadowing her music. Even streaming giants like Spotify and Apple faced accusations of favoritism based on playlist placements. While the beef undeniably generated immense engagement for blogs and fan pages, it proved to be detrimental to the artists’ business endeavors.

The tragic aspect of this prolonged conflict, as the video highlighted, lies in its broader implication: it serves as a stark illustration of how the industry often pits women against each other. While both Nicki and Cardi undeniably contributed to the fire, the blogs, podcasts, and fan pages consistently fueled the flames, recognizing that “two women beefing sells more than two women winning together.” As Cardi herself once stated in a 2025 interview, “sometimes it feels like female rap ain’t about music, it’s just about who hates who the most.” And with Nicki and Cardi, that palpable hate has endured for almost a decade.

Hip-hop has seen numerous intense rivalries eventually resolve—Jay-Z and Nas buried the hatchet, and Jeezy and Gucci Mane even shared a stage after a literal murder beef. However, the Nicki and Cardi feud feels different. Too much personal “dirt” has been unearthed, too many “receipts” exposed online, and the internet, with its unforgiving memory, never truly forgets. Yet, the tantalizing possibility of a future collaboration or joint tour, should the “right bag” materialize, remains a fantasy that would undoubtedly “break the internet in half.” Until then, 2025 stands as a testament that peace between Nicki Minaj and Cardi B remains a distant prospect.

Tracing the Genesis: From Respect to Rivalry (2017-2020)

To understand the full scope of the 2025 explosion, one must rewind to its origins. Cardi B and Nicki Minaj weren’t born enemies; their conflict is a layered narrative built upon years of petty slights, misunderstandings, and outright chaos. The seeds of this beef were sown in 2017, precisely when Cardi’s star began its meteoric ascent.

In 2017, Cardi B was fresh off “Love & Hip Hop: New York” and had just dropped her breakout single, “Bodak Yellow.” The track was ubiquitous—dominating clubs, topping charts, and blaring from car windows throughout the Bronx. By September, Cardi had made history, becoming the first solo female rapper since Lauryn Hill to hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Bodak Yellow.” Nicki Minaj, conversely, was a decade into her reign, an undisputed queen with multiple platinum albums and iconic features. Yet, as Cardi’s star rose rapidly, fans and media alike aggressively pushed the “two queens can’t coexist” narrative.

Things came to a head when both artists appeared on Migos’s 2017 single, “Motorsport.” Initially hailed as a moment of unity, rumors quickly began to circulate. When the music video dropped, the conspicuous absence of shared screen time fueled speculation of intentional shade. Cardi, in interviews, later claimed Nicki changed her verse last minute. Nicki, on Beats 1 Radio, broke down in tears, expressing how hurt she felt by Cardi’s perceived lack of respect, explaining, “With Motorsport, I kind of felt ambushed.” Both sides subsequently engaged in a public relations dance, claiming “no beef,” but the underlying tension was palpable. The seed of discord had been firmly planted.

By 2018, the “subliminals” were in full flight. Fans meticulously dissected Nicki’s lyrics for any hint of Cardi references, while Cardi’s impassioned social media rants were widely interpreted as aimed at Nicki. Fan pages transformed every interaction into “evidence.” At the MTV VMAs that year, Nicki’s line in “Barbie Dreams” about Quavo “still in the whip with Cardi” was perceived as a direct jab. Cardi’s constant social media defense only intensified the flames. Even without direct name-calling, their respective fan bases treated every move as an act of war.

Then came September 7, 2018: the infamous Harper’s Bazaar Icons party during New York Fashion Week. This was the moment everything truly exploded. Multiple reports confirmed that Cardi B confronted Nicki Minaj, verbally accosting her over alleged social media likes that disparaged her parenting. The confrontation quickly turned physical, culminating in Cardi throwing a red shoe across the room towards Nicki’s entourage. Photos of a barefoot Cardi leaving the party, her dress torn and a noticeable knot on her forehead, instantly went viral. Some witnesses claimed Rah Ali, Nicki’s longtime friend, physically assaulted Cardi. Cardi later asserted that Rah Ali attacked her while Nicki stood by. On “Queen Radio,” Nicki doubled down, claiming Rah Ali was indeed responsible for the lump on Cardi’s head. Cardi vehemently denied this on Instagram, stating, “Rah ain’t touch me, that was security. How you saying that I got ragged by Rale Ali when there is so many footages of that night, every single angle, and where am I getting ragged at?” Regardless of the specifics, the image of Cardi, barefoot and injured, became an indelible meme, a defining visual of their bitter feud. TMZ sensationalized the story, framing it as a “Wrestlemania” event. Nicki, days later on “Queen Radio,” issued a chilling warning: “You put your hands on certain people, you going to die, period.” Cardi’s Instagram retort encapsulated the personal nature of the conflict: “I’ve let a lot of s*** slide. I let you sneak diss me, I let you lie on me, but when you mention my child, when you like comments about me being a bad mother, that’s when all bets are off.” This incident solidified the feud as far more than mere musical competition; it was deeply personal.

Following Harper’s Bazaar, Nicki utilized “Queen Radio” as her personal battleground. She accused Cardi of using “payola” to artificially inflate her song’s success, mocked her for her tough talk, and aligned herself with other rappers who had issues with Cardi. Meanwhile, Cardi responded with a legendary 10-part Instagram video rant, meticulously addressing each of Nicki’s claims, point by point. Her tone conveyed both exhaustion and fierce Bronx defiance, even brandishing “receipts”—text messages and contracts—to back up her claims.

The beef then evolved into a numbers game in late 2018, with screenshots of streaming stats, Billboard placements, and YouTube views flying back and forth. Nicki accused Cardi’s label, Atlantic Records, of using “payola” to buy radio play, claiming they were actively pushing Cardi while blackballing her. Cardi countered, stating Nicki was simply “bitter” and that she had earned her success organically. At one point, Nicki leaked text messages and private conversations, claiming they proved Cardi was lying, even sharing DMs with Quavo to refute Cardi’s “Motorsport” verse change allegations. Cardi, in turn, presented her own “receipts”—phone contracts, messages with Offset, and screenshots alleging Nicki had actively tried to “stop her bags.” This “receipts war” transformed the feud into a courtroom drama, with each week bringing new screenshots and voice notes, turning fans into armchair investigators meticulously building timelines reminiscent of the JFK case.

The feud inevitably spilled into their music. Nicki’s “Hard White” video notoriously featured a smashed Cardi doll in the background, a clear act of shade. Cardi, conversely, strategically collaborated with artists Nicki had fallen out with, like Megan Thee Stallion, drawing clear battle lines. Every verse they released during this period was meticulously dissected for coded messages. Nicki’s “the QB, the QB, the QB” line in “Barbie Dreams” or Cardi’s “I ain’t fighting for attention, competition is never mentioned in money” were treated as direct, coded attacks.

By 2019 into 2020, direct shots subsided, but every action was still interpreted as shade. Nicki unfollowed those who worked with Cardi, while Cardi liked shady comments about Nicki’s chart placements. Nicki’s 2020 “Yikes” release had fans convinced she was still subtly attacking Cardi. Cardi’s “Press” video featured imagery that Barbz swore was mocking Nicki’s ongoing legal drama. Nicki’s fanbase doubled down on calling Cardi an “industry plant,” while Cardi’s fans labeled Nicki “bitter and washed.” Anytime one artist achieved success, the opposing fanbase would attempt to discredit it, creating what fans aptly termed a “cold war”—fewer direct punches, more strategic, silent moves, but an undeniable undercurrent of unresolved tension, always simmering, awaiting the next spark.

The Cold War Era: Silence, Subliminals, and Strategic Alliances (2021-2024)

By 2021, the overt brawls had ceased. No more “Queen Radio” screaming matches or multi-part Instagram rants. Instead, the Cardi B versus Nicki Minaj beef entered its prolonged “cold war” phase. Direct blows were replaced by calculated silences, petty likes, strategic features, and the relentless perpetuation of fan drama. They rarely mentioned each other by name, yet their actions were consistently interpreted as veiled communication.

In 2021, Nicki dropped “Seeing Green” with Lil Wayne and Drake, and her line, “These bitches thirsty, I can see why they alcoholics,” was immediately seized upon by Barbz as a jab at Cardi, who had faced accusations of heavy partying. Cardi’s 2021 single “Up” included the line “Big bags busting out the Bentley Bentayga,” which some interpreted as a flex over Nicki’s frequent references to “big bags” in her raps. Neither artist confirmed these interpretations, but their history ensured that every line felt like a deliberate shot.

While “Queen Radio” originated in 2018, Nicki briefly revived it during this period. Whenever she returned to Apple Music, fans tuned in, anticipating Cardi-related shade. Nicki consistently delivered just enough fuel—subtle digs about “payola princesses” or “girls who get help writing”—to keep her name, and the feud, trending. Cardi never directly responded on radio, but her fans clipped Nicki’s quotes, blasting them across TikTok as “proof” of Nicki’s “obsession.”

By 2022, the fight extended beyond social media timelines, infiltrating algorithms. Barbz organized streaming parties for Nicki’s songs, artificially boosting her numbers on Spotify and YouTube. The Bardi Gang countered by mass reporting Nicki’s YouTube videos, alleging policy violations. Even casual fans noticed both fan bases attempting to game the system.

One of the most significant subplots of this era was Cardi’s tumultuous relationship with the City Girls. In late 2022, JT and Cardi clashed on Twitter over streaming numbers and industry favoritism. Nicki immediately sided with JT, even collaborating with her on a track, a clear signal that Nicki was aligning herself with the younger generation of rappers who were at odds with Cardi. This alliance allowed Nicki to position herself as a mentor, while Cardi was framed as an outsider struggling to maintain alliances. Fans eagerly consumed this new narrative: Nicki uplifting Ice Spice, JT, and other rising stars, while Cardi seemed to have only Megan Thee Stallion consistently by her side.

Speaking of Megan, her relationship with Cardi, initially strong after their 2020 “WAP” collaboration, cooled between 2021 and 2022. Rumors circulated that Megan was attempting to remain neutral, especially after working with artists Nicki supported. Cardi’s fans accused Megan of being a “flip-flopper,” while Nicki’s fans used it as “proof” that Cardi struggled to maintain long-term industry friendships.

By 2023, the alliances were crystal clear. Nicki teamed up with Ice Spice on the “Princess Diana” remix, offering the Bronx newcomer her stamp of approval. Meanwhile, Cardi collaborated with GloRilla on “Tomorrow 2,” a song that achieved viral success on TikTok. Fans treated these collaborations as direct battle lines: Barbz declared Ice Spice the “new queen in training,” while the Bardi Gang hailed Cardi and GloRilla as embodying “real street energy.” Both collaborations exploded online, but the underlying optics made it clear that Nicki and Cardi were still playing a strategic game of chess, using emerging artists as their pieces.

This cold war wasn’t confined solely to music; real-life legal cases added further fuel. In 2022, Cardi won a $4 million defamation lawsuit against blogger Tasha K, who had spread rumors about her drug use and past sex work. The Bardi Gang celebrated this as a monumental victory, while Barbz spun it as “proof” that Cardi couldn’t handle criticism. That same year, Nicki Minaj’s husband, Kenneth Petty, was sentenced to house arrest for failing to register as a sex offender. Each time Nicki released new music, headlines about Petty resurfaced. Cardi’s fans weaponized this in arguments, while Nicki’s fans dismissed it as irrelevant to her artistry. Their personal lives, even outside of music, kept the feud alive.

In 2022, Nicki scored a number one hit with “Super Freaky Girl,” but when the Grammys controversially shifted the track to the pop category, Nicki vehemently protested online, claiming other female rappers were being “protected” while she was being “sabotaged.” Fans immediately linked this to Cardi, despite her lack of involvement, accusing her of benefiting from industry favoritism. Cardi, despite not releasing an album during these years, continued to chart with features and singles, providing her with “ammo” to claim she was winning without actively trying. Meanwhile, Barbz accused Billboard of boosting Cardi with “bundles and discounts,” echoing Nicki’s old “payola” accusations. Both fan bases obsessed over who could hold a number one spot longer, turning music statistics into battle ammunition.

Throughout 2021-2023, Nicki’s fans heavily accused Cardi of not writing her own bars, citing old interviews where Cardi admitted to co-writing hooks with producers. Cardi pushed back, tweeting, “I make money, I make hits, and I make history, y’all worried about credits more than the charts.” However, the “ghostwriting” label persisted, and Nicki frequently used it in her subliminal jabs, calling out “girls who need a team for every verse.”

When Cardi skipped the 2023 Grammys, fans speculated it was to avoid being in the same room as Nicki. Blogs amplified the rumor, despite Cardi later stating personal reasons for her absence. The narrative that even sharing an awards show floor was impossible between them took hold.

From 2021 to 2024, online spaces like Lipstick Alley and other pop culture chat forums became virtual “war rooms” for this feud. Every like, every music video blink, every selfie posted by Nicki or Cardi was dissected, sparking new theories. Threads with thousands of comments debated whether Cardi’s “Press” video mocked Nicki’s court drama or if Nicki’s outfits copied Cardi’s fashion choices. The beef had transformed into a captivating, addictive reality show.

What truly distinguished this cold war period was how both artists mastered the art of calculated silence. Instead of live rants, they allowed their fan bases, blogs, and industry drama to keep the narrative alive. Cardi would drop a subtle like or retweet, Nicki would post cryptic emojis or laugh at shady memes. To outsiders, it appeared as if nothing was happening, but to their dedicated fans, every move was decoded like CIA files.

By the close of 2024, both women had entrenched themselves. Nicki had her alliances with Ice Spice, JT, and other rising stars, while Cardi had Megan (on and off), GloRilla, and her loyal Bardi Gang. The accumulated lawsuits, subliminals, collaborations, and cold shoulders had created a volatile powder keg. So, when the 2024 audio leaked in 2025, it wasn’t a random clip; it was the final crack in a dam that had been leaking for almost a decade. The cold war had turned hot again—nastier, louder, and more expansive than ever before.