When did Nicki Minaj launch LØCI sneakers? Everything to know as rapper calls out Kelsey Nicole for modeling footwear

Nicki Minaj is one of the most successful rappers in the world and has recently emerged as the wealthiest of all female rap artists. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Minaj's net worth is estimated to have surpassed $150 million in 2024.

While a large portion of her earnings can be traced to the sales of her records and tours, her business investment also contributes to it.

The Swalla rapper, who has collaborated with fashion, cosmetic, and sports brands in the past, launched her own press-on nail line - Pink Friday Nails - in March 2024. Followed by Pink Friday Nails was LØCI Sneakers, a sneaker brand that Nicki announced the same month.

LØCI Sneakers was launched on April 12 and has since been the go-to website for Barbz who want to shop for sneakers. However, earlier this month, Kelsey Nicole - the award-winning sports journalist - posted pictures on her Instagram handle wearing Nicki Minaj's LØCI Sneakers. While it originally appeared as an ad for the brand, it was later dismissed by the Hey Mama rapper.

Here's a deeper look at what went down in the seeming ad campaign for LØCI Sneakers.

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Nicole's post with LØCI Sneakers was removed following Nicki Minaj's callout

On October 1, The Shade Room shared screenshots of the pictures Kelsey Nicole had previously posted on her Instagram handle. In the pictures, Nicole was wearing the press-play shoes from Nicki Minaj's collection and sitting on a large can with a newspaper in her hands with an ad for LØCI Sneakers printed on the paper.

The second picture from her post captured Kelsey in the same outfit and sneakers, but this time riding a bicycle with what appeared to be a subway in the background.

According to Complex, the caption of the since-deleted Instagram post read:

"Have y'all checked out the @locibynickiminaj shoe line? Now available at @dtlrofficial and @shoepalace I'm wearing the press-play shoe. This brand is eco-friendly & constantly working to protect future generations to come. Available in-store & online."

It was followed by credits to her photographer, hairstylist, and studio. Soon after Nicole's post was shared on the social media handle, The Shade Room re-shared it on its handle, claiming in the caption that the journalist was modeling for Nicki Minaj's sneaker brand.

When the Anaconda rapper learned about the post, she was quick to call both The Shade Room and Kelsey Nicole out. In a tweet posted on October 7, Minaj called the outlet's claim a "LIE," further adding:

"Me, nor my company knew anything about it until she posted it. So she did what many ppl did when they received my sneakers, they posted a photo in them. Kelsey def went all the way out with this professional looking backdrop tho…but she is in no way professionally connected to my sneaker brand."

The 41-year-old then called the post "clownery" which the media outlet was paid to do to "promote" the "calculated, planned stories & narratives." Towards the end, she also called Kelsey out for not clarifying to The Shade Room that her Instagram post was not a part of an ad campaign, writing:

"Btw, did Kelsey not tell them she wasn’t modeling for the line Barbz? Did she just let them think that? I gotta get caught up y’all."

While Kelsey Nicole has since removed the Instagram post that promoted Nicki Minaj's brand, she hasn't addressed or commented about the whole affair publicly yet.

The false ad campaign incident comes six months after Nicki Minaj's LØCI Sneakers was launched. In its debut collection, 11 designs were launched in shades of pink, brick red, royal blue, black, and white. The starting price of the sneakers is $200.

As an eco-friendly sneaker brand, Nicki's collection stands out for using next-gen raw materials for the shoes, including recycled ocean plastic and bio-leather.