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Just like Minaj is the queen of rap, Beyoncé is the queen of R&B. The two first worked together in 2014 for the remix Bey's Flawless. Later that year, Minaj's Feeling Myself marked their second collaboration. Nicki Minaj also happens to be the only singer Beyoncé has ever recorded a song about, calling her a "rap queen" in it.
While it's unclear when Nicki and Queen Bey met for the first time, the rapper first talked about it in a 2011 interview. Beyond featuring on one another's songs, performed live together, showed support for their successes and business ventures, and even went on double dates.
Timeline of Nicki Minaj and Beyoncé's friendship explored
January 2011: Nicki Minaj complimented Beyoncé on RWD TV
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On January 23, 2011, Minaj was interviewed by the RWD TV, where she spoke about Beyoncé, saying:
"Just her name alone defines greatness, you know? Like, that push that every woman wants to be that driven."
Minaj also described how warmly Bey received her when the two met, adding:
"When I met her she was a super sweetheart and I liked the fact that she complimented me, I never forgot that, yeah. That stuck with me. She was like, you killed it, and I was like, huh? That just didn't even registe... here was someone who I admire so much and she told me I killed it... that really resonates with me."
August 2014: Minaj featured in Beyoncé's Flawless (Remix)
A year and a half after Beyoncé's Flawless was released, its remix was dropped, featuring Nicki Minaj in it. The song marked the artists' first collaboration, peaking at 41 on the Billboard chart.
Two days later, Minaj spoke to Hot 97 about how her feature in Flawless (Remix) came to be, explaining:
"A month or two ago, Gee [Roberson] called me when I was on my way to Vegas and said, ‘Beyoncé wants you to remix to ‘Flawless.” After I got proper medical help and started breathing again, I was like, ‘What?'"
Minaj also mentioned how Bey had told her to be herself without holding anything back, which made her feel more confident in giving the song her all.
September 2014: Minaj and Beyoncé performed Flawless (Remix) live in Paris
After their successful collaboration, Beyoncé performed Flawless (Remix) live during her On the Run tour. During her concert in Paris, she surprised the audience by inviting Nicki Minaj on stage, and they performed the track together in matching Versace outfits.
Soon after the performance, Nicki also shared a blurry image from the show on her Instagram handle.
December 2014: Beyoncé features in Minaj's Feeling Myself
Four months after Flawless (Remix), a second collaborative track by the duo was released. Feeling Myself was co-written by both the artists, and was included in Nicki's third studio album, The Pinkprint.
February 2015: Minaj called Beyoncé "so hands-on" in a TIME interview
On February 4, 2015, Nicki Minaj talked about what working with Beyoncé in a studio was like confessing:
"I always feel like I learn so much when I work with her. I don’t normally work with people like me. I’m always the one feeling like I’m a lunatic. Like I’m over-thinking everything. But she’s very, very hands-on. So whenever I work with her, I feel maybe I’m not so bad after all."
March-May 2015: Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj's iuting together
Following the release of Feeling Myself, Nicki and Queen Bey were often spotted out together. On March 31, 2015, Minaj posted a picture with Queen Bey and Alicia Keys, on Instagram which looked like it was taken at a party.
Not long after that, Beyoncé and her husband, Jay Z were spotted with Minaj and her then-boyfriend, Meek Mill, on a lunch date. The Starships rapper also shared a picture of the four of them in an Instagram post.
October 2015: Beyoncé uploads a tribute to Minaj on YouTube
On October 27, Queen Bey posted a black-and-white video of herself and Nicki Minaj as they rehearsed for the TIDAL concert. As the soundtrack for the video,Queen Bey sang a few improvised lines from the first verse of Prince's Darling Nikki, as a tribute to Minaj. Here are the lyrics of the track:
"I met this girl named Nicki, I guess you could say she was the rap queen/ I met her in the studio lobby, but her booty looked bigger than in the magazines/ She said, 'Bey will you jump on this song of mine?'/ How could I resist when I heard little Nicki rhyme?"
September 2022: Beyoncé and Jay Z congratulate Nicki Minaj for winning the MTV Video Vanguard Award
In September 2022, Nicki Minaj won the lifetime achievement of the Video Vanguard Award at MTV's VMAs. Following her victory, she received a congratulatory bouquet of white flowers from Beyoncé and Jay Z. The note attached to it said:
"Congrats on your beautiful award. Sending you all of our love. Hov and B Holla"
Minaj shared the picture of the flowers with the note on her Instagram story, thanking the celebrity couple.
March 2024: Beyoncé sends Nicki a handwritten note
On March 15, 2024, Nicki Minaj launched her manicure nail brand, Pink Friday Nails. The rapper sent nail sets from her new brand to many of her celebrity friends, including Queen Bey.
As a response to her gift, Beyoncé sent a handwritten note sharing that she loved the nails and also congratulated her on the success of her Pink Friday 2 tour.
Both Minaj and Beyoncé released their latest studio albums within the span of three months. While Nicki's album tour is ongoing and will conclude in October, Queen Bey is yet to announce her Cowboy Carter tour.
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