On September 5, Nicki Minaj surprised fans by announcing her retirement from rap.
“I’ve decided to retire and have my family,” she tweeted to 20 million followers. “To my fans, keep reppin’ me, do it til da death of me…”
Her message was immediately met with questions about if she’s really serious about retiring. Is the biggest female rapper in history, with more Hot 100 entries than Aretha Franklin, really capping her career after a little more than 10 years in the game?
Rappers announcing retirements that ultimately never happen is fairly common. JAY-Z did it in 2003; Lil Wayne tried to in 2016. More recently, Jeezy backtracked on claims that his latest record was his “final chapter” and Lil Uzi Vert returned from his retirement announcement by releasing “Free Uzi.” So Nicki’s tweet could just be a moment of self-doubt. But the biggest takeaway here can be drawn from the reactions to her announcement, and what they reveal about Nicki’s current position in hip-hop.
The Barbz are a united force, so of course they would never let their leader go without a fight, and they flooded their timelines with vintage photos and performance videos, commemorating a decade of record-breaking hits. But outside of Nicki’s fanbase, there was an overwhelming response of relief. Within 10 minutes of the announcement, an outpouring of celebratory memes and cries of “hallelujah” rang out. Among average hip-hop fans (on the internet, anyway), there was a general feeling of “it’s time.”
The reactions to Nicki’s “retirement” have been wildly different from the response to other artists who have made similar announcements. Take Lil Uzi Vert, for instance. In January 2019, he revealed that he was walking away from music, tweeting, “I wanna take the time out to say I thank each and every one of my [supporters] but I’m done with music.” This was immediately met with near-unanimous messages of disappointment across the hip-hop community, and fans memorialized him on social media by launching “Free Uzi” campaigns until he finally returned months later.
Lil Wayne received a similar response in 2016, when he declared that he was “leaving gracefully.” “I luh my fans, but I’m dun,” he tweeted, and fans prayed for Tunechi to come back. Celebrity friends like Chance the Rapper and Young Thug refused to accept his resignation and assured fans they would do their part to make sure he never left. “I’m with you for life, ur the reason I rap,” Thug tweeted at the time. The media honored Wayne’s career with lists and think pieces about his impact. As of Thursday evening, there is a noticeable lack of public messages of support for Nicki from other high-profile rappers about her retirement.
Why each artist determines it’s time to throw in the towel is different. For Wayne, it was his tumultuous legal battle with Birdman and Cash Money; Uzi’s departure was spurred in part by conflicts with his label and exhaustion from a tireless work schedule. Nicki’s situation, however, appears to stem from an entirely different beast.
The “Nicki hate train,” a term Nicki coined herself, is a widely argued topic. It dates back to 2017 and only intensifies as the years progress. Nicki’s influence on rap and pop culture is undeniable, but critics began to question her place amid the rise of stars like Cardi B, who presented a more relatable persona to get behind. The problematic notion that more than one female artist can’t exist in the industry at any given time played a role in Nicki’s decline, but her own actions also contributed to the situation.
Over the past few years, her music (which has been marked by a string of subpar singles and features) has been overshadowed by controversies. The infamous feud with Cardi B spanned several months and ultimately ended in a violent confrontation at a major New York Fashion Week event. On her Beats 1 show, Queen Radio, she also waged a war against industry executives and artists, which damaged her relationships and her public perception.
The average hip-hop fan has been slowly turning against her for years, but it wasn’t until Thursday’s retirement announcement that it became clear exactly where Nicki stands. If this tweet came a few years ago, it’s fair to assume there would have been a much stronger outpouring of support.
The shifting public perception of Nicki may have been exactly why she made this announcement in the first place. She leaves a clue in her tweet, writing, “I know you guys are happy now,” referencing the negative press and feedback she receives daily. Now, she’s choosing to settle down and focus on life out of the limelight. In a 2018 interview with Wonderland, she suggested the next phase of her life involved starting a family. “I’ve got to get married first. Then I’ll have a child,” she said. “I might be closer than people think, actually… I’m not going to put that off for much longer.” She doubles down on this in the retirement announcement. Did the hate finally get to her?
Of course, it would be unfair to sum up Nicki Minaj’s groundbreaking career by her last two years in the game. She single-handedly carried female rap on her back for years and will forever be remembered as a great, but if we look at the influx of negative reactions surrounding her announcement at this moment (as well as her actions leading up to now), it’s clear she no longer receives the adoration she once did. And if this retirement is real, she just went out in a way no one would have imagined she would just a few years ago.
