Nicki Minaj did not mince words in a new interview while speaking about her recent drama with Travis Scott over their album sales.
“I felt like I wanted to punch him in his f–king face,” the “Chun-Li” rapper, 35, said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Tuesday, September 4. “It’s not anger, it’s just what’s right and what’s wrong, what’s fair.”
Minaj called out Scott, 26, on Twitter in August when his new album, Astroworld, topped the Billboard 200 chart for two consecutive weeks, while her latest, Queen, debuted at No. 2. She insinuated that he only hit No. 1 because his girlfriend, Kylie Jenner, promoted his record and upcoming tour on her Instagram page.
“I’ve had a No. 2 album and I never cared,” the singer said on Tuesday. “It’s just that when you have a No. 2 album [behind] someone who is selling shirts and merch and selling passes for a tour that’s not even announced yet, it feels like you’re being tricked. It feels like someone is playing a game and beating you at a game as opposed to just selling music. I want to sell music! He sold a lot of T-shirts and sweaters.”
She then reiterated her unfounded claim that Queen charted higher than Astroworld.
“I don’t like being bullied and I don’t like being taken advantage of,” she continued. “Sometimes people use scare tactics against you because they know — especially as a black woman — that people will call you ‘angry’ or ‘bitter,’ so now it’s almost like we’re not allowed to defend ourselves or stand up for ourselves. And I’m not going to have that.”
Minaj and Scott narrowly avoided each other at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards after her Twitter remarks, but he made sure to remind fans at the end of his performance that his album was No. 1.
Later in Tuesday’s interview, the 10-time Grammy nominee opened up about her love life. She told Ellen DeGeneres that she is “still good friends” with her ex Nas, and that she had a “toxic” relationship with Meek Mill. She then teased that she has been casually dating a new guy “for a couple weeks now,” but she did not reveal his name.
