Nicki Minaj stirred buzz on Tuesday morning with the surprise release of her remix to Lil Wayne’s “Banned From NO”, a standout track from Tha Carter VI. While fans were excited to hear her collaborate with Wayne again, it’s the lyrics in her verse that have sparked serious conversation online.
Nicki Minaj’s verse includes a pointed jab:
“‘Bout to cop you slides, all you do is flip-flop, if I send a pic of Shannon, you ain’t that Sharpe.”
Fans quickly interpreted the line as a diss toward Shannon Sharpe, and Nicki Minaj later confirmed the intent. She referenced a past tweet from the sports analyst that read “Nicki who?”—a moment she clearly didn’t forget. On Twitter, she revealed this was her way of clapping back, noting that she nearly threw a shot at Chad Ochocinco as well, given his frequent appearances with Sharpe on their show Nightcap. Ultimately, she decided to let Ochocinco slide.
Nicki didn’t stop there. She also appeared to take aim at the NFL and, indirectly, Jay-Z, who is widely known to play a key role in Super Bowl halftime show decisions through his Roc Nation partnership.
“NFL, fire some n**s and then call us,” she raps.
Many fans believe this is a response to this year’s Super Bowl in New Orleans, where the halftime show featured Kendrick Lamar rather than Lil Wayne, a local legend. The decision was seen as a slight by many fans, and Nicki’s lyric seems to echo that sentiment without naming names.
Nicki Minaj’s remix was met with excitement from longtime fans who were disappointed she wasn’t featured on the original Carter VI tracklist. Her surprise appearance and unfiltered bars signal that she’s still fearless in taking on public figures, no matter how powerful.
With this remix already setting the internet ablaze, listeners are now wondering: who’s next in Nicki’s lyrical line of fire?
