When did Nicki Minaj and Cardi B's beef start? Timeline of their complicated history explored

Nicki Minaj has been a rapper since 2007, which makes her a senior to the 10-years-younger Cardi B, who entered the rap industry in 2015. However, the two rappers have rarely been on friendly terms, with a beef starting between the two during Cardi B's early days.

The beef between Cardi B and Nicki Minaj began in 2017, prompted by the release of Cardi's Bodak Yellow. It led to the feud over their shared feature in MotorSport, along with the shoe-throwing incident at the 2018 New York Fashion Week party.

Here's a closer look at the timeline of the artists' complicated history.

Cardi B's Bodak Yellow started her feud with Nicki Minaj

June 2017: Cardi B's Bodak Yellow peaked Billboard Hot 100

In June 2017, Cardi B released her single, Bodak Yellow, which found instant success among fans as well as the media. Soon after its release, the song was picked as the "Best Song of 2017" by Pitchfork Music and The Washington Post.

It also topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for three weeks and was later voted Billboard's top female rap song of the year. The fact that the Finesse rapper became the first female rap artist to achieve No.1 on Billboard, which Nicki Minaj had failed to do a decade ago, enraged Nicki's fans - Barbz.

According to Uproxx, Minaj's fans saw it as a threat to her dominance in the world of rap. However, Minaj herself didn't feel that way and congratulated Cardi B on X (formerly Twitter).

October 2017: Nicki Minaj and Cardi B were both featured in Migos' MotorSport

Four months after their first altercation, Migos featured both Cardi B and Nicki Minaj on their upcoming track, MotorSport. Around the production of the track's music video, things began to get more heated between the rappers.

Their scenes were shot separately for the video. Later, it was revealed that Migos' decision to add Cardi to the track was made without Minaj's consultation. Uproxx also reported that the Truffle Butter rapper's verse was allegedly revised, following a request from Cardi B's label.

Nicki took to X (formerly Twitter) to clear up this rumor. Her statement in the since-deleted tweets read:

"Anything w/ my name on it gets approved by me. It can’t even go on a streaming service w/o me hearing it & giving written approval. I was on the song w/ Quavo. No one else was on it. He called & asked if I think we should put Bardi on it, I said: “ok let’s do it”. The end. Migos weren’t even on it yet. Just Quavo."

April 2018: Nicki Minaj confessed to being upset about Cardi B's denial to address the MotorSport feud rumors

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In April 2018, Nicki Minaj discussed the rumored bad blood between her and Cardi in an Apple Beats 1 interview with Zane Lowe, revealing that their separate shots in the MotorSport music video were due to scheduling issues. She also expressed her disappointment that the Be Careful rapper didn't clear the rumors publicly. Referring to Cardi, Minaj said:

"And you still did interviews just to paint Nicki as the bad person. And play the victim. And that really, really hurt me because I really fully supported her."

The 41-year-old continued:

"And up until this recent interview she did [with Ebro Darden for Beats 1], I had never seen her show me genuine love in an interview. And I can only imagine how many girls wished they could’ve been on a song with Nicki Minaj."

September 2018: Minaj and Cardi B had a violent encounter at the New York Fashion Week party

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Five months later, when both artists came face-to-face while attending the New York Fashion Week party, things took a violent turn. Cardi B allegedly threw a shoe at Nicki, which was responded to by her bodyguards, leaving the younger rapper with a bump on her forehead.

Following the altercation, Nicki and Cardi stayed away from each other. However, in 2022, after Minaj dropped her Super Freaky Girl, featuring JT and Akbar V, Cardi started a Twitter war with one of the featured artists. The rapper made a "lapdog" comment, which was hinted at being directed toward JT.

September 2023: The husbands of Nicki Minaj and Cardi B get into a feud

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In the 2023 MTV VMAs, Nicki Minaj returned as a host and performer in the event, while Cardi B, alongside Megan Thee Stallion, performed as well.

While no interaction took place between the rappers, there was allegedly some tension between their husbands - Kenneth Petty (Nicki's husband) and Offset (Cardi's husband) - following the award show.

On September 16, a video of Petty and his crew outside a building, seemingly looking for Offset, surfaced on the internet, reported by Vibe. Responding to it, Offset posted a clip of himself in a private jet, laughing off the antics.

However, the video led to a court order being filed, which ordered Petty to stay under house arrest for 120 days on account of threatening Offset. The house arrest ended in January 2024.