This article was updated to include SZA’s response to Nicki on July 17th.
If you opened X (formerly Twitter) on July 15 and saw Nicki Minaj and SZA trending, you definitely weren’t the only one wondering, what in the celebrity feud is going on?
The two artists—who literally have no known beef and even worked together once (SZA co-wrote Feeling Myself)—went head-to-head in a messy, confusing, and extremely online feud.
From misunderstood tweets to savage drags and old receipts, here’s a play-by-play of everything that went down—and why it even happened in the first place.
It All Started with Nicki Coming for TDE’s Punch
Outta nowhere, Nicki hopped on X and started dragging Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) president Punch. According to her, he used to bully her on Twitter years ago and she’s just now addressing it.
“lol. Yall remember that man from tde who kept bullying me on Twitter for no reason? We have the receipts. lol. I never even responded to him. What was his name again, yall? Im going to give him a nickname. Ima call him ‘Minus 30 million’ from now on.”
— NickiMinaj / X
She kept going:
“Tiny Dick Executive.”
— NickiMinaj /X
OKAYYYY
SZA Posts One Tweet and Nicki SNAPS
Then SZA posted this:
That’s it. That’s the tweet. She didn’t name names. Didn’t @ anyone. Just a vague astrology moment.
But Nicki was not having it and immediately assumed it was shade, tweeting: “Go draw your freckles back on bookie #JusticeForDemoree #DepositionPerez Liar liar pants on fire. Sounding like a fkng dead dog.”
SZA clapped back:
To which Nicki replied:
YEAH. Things escalated fast.
SZA Tries to Clear It Up
SZA then hopped back on X to explain her post was about “Mercury retrograde” (questionable) and not about Nicki at all:
She tried to exit stage left, but Nicki? Still mad:
From Petty to Personal
Nicki didn’t let up. In fact, she hit a whole new level of savagery:
She then continued in a rant, tweeting, “This what they be wanting when they release music. Speak ON me or ABOUT me at your own risk. When I’m discussing the abuse I’ve suffered at the hands of ANY man, if you as a woman choose to get in the field, you’re going to leave bloody. (Figuratively speaking of course) #JusticeForDemoree#Bumblina I’ll expose more of your lies & I tell yall all the time I play the long game. So while yall celebrated insignificant “wins” & fake laughed for hours, God was already working…”
And if that wasn’t enough, Nicki accused SZA of faking her streaming numbers, basically implying SZA’s success was smoke and mirrors:
Oh, and she went off in a livestream too, dragging SZA’s entire existence: “I don’t know one of your motherfu**ing songs. Not one, bi*ch,” Nicki said on Stationhead.
She continued, “Listen, MZA. … I said find you some motherfu**ing else body to play with, bi*ch. You already played with your own, h*e, and we see how that went, bi*ch. And, you know, I don’t surgical shame or body shame, you know I don’t even do that,” she continued. “But bi*ch, I don’t know if you fat, obese, chubby or skinny, you see, and so now I got to call Dr. Now to make me figure out what the fuck has been going on here. Bi*ch, because what retrograde were you in, ma’am? You see what happens when you’re so thirsty to be stupid and motherfu**ing corny?”
Then she dug up alleged old tweets from SZA that shaded Rihanna, Beyoncé, and Ciara, saying: “You took to your Twitter during those times to downgrade and downplay the top black women… So that tells me a lot about you.”
SZA Claps Back — And Brings the Feature Receipts
The next day, SZA finally responded and she didn’t hold back.
After Nicki tweeted a shady video showing Rihanna seemingly ignoring SZA at the Met Gala, with a caption calling out “fake girl’s girls” who act friendly on camera but talk behind your back, things escalated fast. Nicki didn’t name names, but the message was loud and clear—especially with the clip.
SZA hit back with a post of her own, calling Nicki out directly. She said Nicki definitely knows what she brings to the table, because Nicki had asked her for a feature not once, but twice, and got ignored both times. SZA also reminded her that Nicki once rapped her lyrics on Feeling Myself, proving she’s always known SZA’s work.
She didn’t get into the name-calling or the #JusticeForDemoree stuff, but she made her point loud and clear: she’s not scared of Nicki, and she’s not here for the fake drama.
So… Why TF Are Nicki Minaj and SZA Even Feuding?
Let’s be real—fans are confused. There’s no known beef between these two, so everyone’s asking: WHY is this happening?
1. Nicki’s Drama with TDE & Roc Nation
Nicki’s been in her industry beef era lately, and it runs deep. She’s had long-standing issues with Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez and, more recently, TDE president Punch. According to Nicki, these execs have been shady behind the scenes for years—blocking opportunities, spreading lies, and trying to sabotage her career.
So on July 15, she decided to bring up Punch out of the blue and air out her grievances. She went on a full rant and tied it to something bigger she’s been speaking out about lately: the #JusticeForDemoree situation.
For context, Demoree is the daughter of Roc Nation’s Desiree Perez. Earlier this year, Demoree filed a lawsuit accusing her own mother of having her wrongfully institutionalized to cover up abuse she allegedly faced. It’s a super serious case, and Nicki’s been vocal about it—using the hashtag #JusticeForDemoree to call out what she says is the industry’s hypocrisy and abuse of power.
To Nicki, this isn’t just petty Twitter drama. She sees it as part of a much bigger problem involving powerful figures in music silencing Black women, protecting predators, and gatekeeping the industry. So dragging Punch (who’s tied to the same industry circles) felt like another piece of that puzzle for her.
2. SZA Is Caught in the Crossfire
While SZA never publicly attacked Nicki, her associations may have been enough to set things off. SZA is a TDE artist, making her a labelmate under Punch: the same executive Nicki was calling out.
On top of that, she performed with Kendrick Lamar (another Roc Nation-affiliated artist) at the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show, a move Minaj had previously criticized.
So, to Nicki, that “silly goose” tweet from SZA seemed like it was strategically timed to side with her enemies. Even though SZA said it wasn’t about her, Nicki obviously wasn’t buying it.
What’s your take on this feud? Sound off in the comments!
Originally published July 16th.
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