Even the self-proclaimed Queen of Rap experiences sexism at work. Nicki Minaj took to Twitter last night to explain the double standards she's faced as a successful female rapper in a male-dominated hip-hop industry.
"In any field, women must work TWICE as hard to even get HALF the respect her male counterparts get. When does this stop?" Minaj tweeted yesterday evening. She also noted that "greats" have teamed up with her fellow male rap stars —including Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and J. Cole—because "they're dope MCs," but only worked with her because "someone pulled a gun to their heads."
To further prove her point, Minaj dug up an old tweet Lamar posted in 2010, implying more men give her flak than women do.
"This is so telling. And scary," Nicki wrote when she retweeted him. She added that she'd have to dress like a man for male listeners to give her the credit she deserves.
She also retweeted one of her fans who challenged the concept of fragile masculinity and the stigma of men who like female rappers.
Minaj's string of tweets were inspired by Russ, a rapper who gave her praise in a recent interview. He noted that she didn't get enough credit after achieving musical success and having "birthed so many females" in hip-hop and in fashion. Nicki thanked him on Twitter before sounding off.
Earlier this year, Minaj earned the title of having the most Hot 100 entries to ever be held by a woman, breaking a record previously held by Aretha Franklin. But she also praised her fellow artists' achievements in addition to celebrating her own. In September, she congratulated Cardi B for being the first female rapper to top the Hot 100 chart since Lauryn Hill.
