RAP BEEF TIMELINE · 2007–2017
Nicki Minaj vs. Remy Ma
“shETHER,” “No Frauds,” and the 2017 rap-world event
An early Queen-of-Rap clash sits dormant while Remy Ma is incarcerated, then explodes after a run of subliminals and Nicki Minaj’s “Make Love.” Remy’s “shETHER” and “Another One” meet Nicki’s “No Frauds,” making 2017’s most watched diss-record campaign before the heat subsides without a face-to-face truce.
THE RECORD
The moments
Music industry · disputed account
A “Queen of Rap” freestyle sparks the first awkward confrontation
On her early Playtime Is Over mixtape, Nicki freestyles over Terror Squad’s “Yeah Yeah Yeah”/“Dirty Money.” Remy takes the crown talk as disrespect, and reporting later describes an uneasy encounter at a mixtape-release party.
▶ Read the early-history timelineMusic industry · disputed account
Remy’s prison sentence overlaps with Nicki’s ascent
Remy serves a multi-year prison sentence after her assault conviction. During that period, Nicki releases Pink Friday and grows into rap’s dominant commercial superstar, changing the power dynamic by the time Remy returns.
Read the receipt ↗Diss track · disputed account
Subliminals lead to Nicki’s “Make Love”
After Remy’s release, listeners and press connect a string of competitive lines to the two rappers. Nicki makes the conflict more explicit on “Make Love,” with a sales jab that becomes the immediate prelude to Remy’s response.
▶ Watch “Make Love”Diss track · disputed account
Remy drops “shETHER”
Remy releases a seven-minute response over the instrumental associated with Nas’s “Ether.” The record’s personal attacks, including family, business, and cosmetic-surgery claims, become the center of hip-hop conversation; they remain Remy’s allegations, not findings of the atlas.
“I came in the game, you was sitting in the throne.”Remy Ma, “shETHER”
▶ Read the “shETHER” backstoryDiss track
“Another One” tries to keep the pressure on
Remy follows quickly with “Another One,” a shorter sequel meant to extend the record-side pressure before Nicki can mount a formal response.
▶ Listen to “Another One”Diss track · disputed account
Nicki answers with “No Frauds”
Nicki responds alongside Drake and Lil Wayne on “No Frauds,” turning Remy’s prison time and commercial record into counterattacks and challenging her rival to turn the exchange into a hit record.
“You can't be Pablo if your work ain't sellin' / Back to back, oh you mean, back to wack?”Nicki Minaj, “No Frauds”
▶ Watch “No Frauds”Performance
Remy’s BET win gives the campaign a final public stage
Remy wins Best Female Hip-Hop Artist at the BET Awards, ending Nicki’s seven-year run in the category. Her acceptance speech quotes “Spaghetti,” becoming the beef’s final major public-performance moment of 2017.
▶ Watch Remy’s BET Awards speech
THE RECEIPTS
Sources and listening
XXL — timeline of Remy Ma and Nicki Minaj’s beef ↗Complex — history leading into “shETHER” ↗Gucci Mane & Nicki Minaj — “Make Love” ↗Remy Ma — “Another One” ↗Nicki Minaj feat. Drake & Lil Wayne — “No Frauds” ↗Remy Ma — 2017 BET Awards acceptance speech ↗BET — Remy Ma on why she released “shETHER” ↗ARTIST LENSES