Nicki Minaj isn’t done lashing out at the Recording Academy for moving her hit “Super Freaky Girl” out of the Grammy’s rap category and placing it in a pop one. “The Grammys is having blogs post that Variety article to distract you from the fact that ‘SUPER FREAKY GIRL’ was unfairly moved from the rap category while other poppy rap songs remain in the RAP CATEGORY,” Minaj wrote in an Instagram Story on Tuesday morning (Oct. 18).
“They’re having blogs post that I pulled a ‘stunt’ and that it worked b/c ‘Do We Have a Problem’ is being submitted in rap categories,” she continued about the earlier single that debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in February. “But what does ‘SFG’ have to do with “DWHAP????” In an earlier slide in Tuesday’s Story, Minaj displayed what appeared to be a post from The Shade Room blog chronicling the first time Minaj called out the Grammys for moving the song, noting that “it looks like the stunt may have gotten their attention.”
The post then cited a recent Variety story that reported that Grammy voters who’ve received their ballots “reportedly say that Nicki is in contention in the best rap performance category for another song of hers.” Responding to that Shade Room post, Nicki wrote, “This is gaslighting @ it’s finest & even this post specifically, @theshaderoom is not posting that part of my live. This is done constantly to make ppl look ‘crazy.’”
At press time a spokesperson for the Recording Academy had not returned requests for comment on Minaj’s post.
A third slide found Minaj continuing her rant against the category switch, with the rapper writing, “It was done to decrease my chances of winning awards for ‘Super Freaky Girl.’ It was done to remove me from the category that they don’t want COMPETITION in!!!!!!! They are all scared to death of the success of that song & thought it would be super EASY for them (like it’s been for the last few years) but ‘SFG’ is such a global smash, certain members are AFRAID to keep it in the competition.”
Last week Minaj hit out at the Recording Academy after it was reported that “Super Freaky Girl” — which her team submitted to the Grammy’s rap categories — was moved to a pop one after the Recording Academy’s rap committee overturned the submission, according to a story in The Hollywood Reporter. “That group determined that Minaj’s playful and pop-sounding song sampling Rick James’ 1981 classic ‘Super Freak’ should compete for best pop solo performance instead of rap awards,” THR reported.
It’s worth noting that MC Hammer also sampled Rick James’ “Super Freak” for “U Can’t Touch This,” which won the best rap solo performance Grammy back in 1991.
“Super Freaky Girl” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in August and has spent eight weeks atop Billboard’s hot rap songs chart. Minaj has suggested that the category switch was part of a broader agenda to celebrate rising rap artists over veterans. In 2017, Drake’s “Hotline Bling” took best rap song and best rap/sung collaboration, Minaj pointed out, though even Drake himself admitted it was a pop number.
On the flip side, Minaj said last week that the same rules applied to Latto’s pop-leaning “Big Energy.” “Now, let’s say that ‘Super Freaky Girl’ is a pop song. Let’s just say that, right. What is ‘Big Energy?’ If ‘Super Freaky Girl’ is a pop song, what song is ‘Big Energy.’ What genre is ‘Big Energy?,’” Minaj tweeted.
“If you can’t tell by now that there is a concerted effort to give newer artists things that they really don’t deserve, over people who have been deserving for many years, then you’re not paying attention,” Minaj continued. “And soon female rap will really not have any black women. If you pay attention, you’ll see, you’ll understand.”
The Recording Academy doesn’t reveal reasons when its screening committees relocate tracks into categories other than those that eligible recordings were submitted in, THR noted. The general ballot, which can include thousands of submissions in a single category, isn’t released to the public.
