Nicki Minaj has things to do. She just released Pink Friday 2, her first album in five years. She just appeared on Watch What Happens Live to talk about it with Andy Cohen and rate some Housewife fashion. (Of course, she loves Kathy Hilton.) She might have a war to wage with Billboard over the charts allegedly disqualifying thousands in sales for the album. (“It’s at 300 but once they filter out 100K, you’ll be none the fking wiser,†she wrote in a deleted tweet. Billboard has yet to reply.) And now, of all times, Ye decides to ask her to clear “New Body� See, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West (and now known as an antisemite, among other things) is hoping to use the track on his upcoming album with Ty Dolla $ign, Vultures. As the Barbz know, “New Body†has been in the vaults for years, since it was allegedly supposed to appear on Ye’s scrapped album Yandhi. And Ye’s been talking about Vultures for a bit now, too. But, according to a screenshot he tweeted, he only asked Minaj to clear his release of the song on December 14 — hours before he planned to release the album. (Like we can act surprised.)
Minaj did see his text, as she later made clear when she responded on an Instagram Live. “Now regarding Kanye, chile, that train has left the station,†she said. “Okay, no disrespect in any way. I just put out a brand-new album. Now, why would I put out a song that has been out for three years? Come on, guys.†But Ye, at least, seems to think she might owe him one. While speaking about Minaj and “New Body†in a newly surfaced video from an album listening party, he said, “I made that girl rewrite her verse three times for ‘Monster.’ I supported her career. So I don’t know what it is. But Gag City doesn’t run itself — and it’s not Yeezy season over there.
This post has been updated.