The Video Music Awards nominee announcements are normally not a big deal: MTV releases a list of music videos we’ve all watched in the past year, we (maybe) read the list, and then we move on to other things. But this year, Nicki Minaj tweeted about it.
Hey guys @MTV thank you for my nominations. 😘😘😘 Did Feeling Myself miss the deadline or…?
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) July 21, 2015
When the rapper saw the list of nominations she took to Twitter (and ) to express her surprise that her “Feeling Myself” video with Beyoncé wasn’t nominated for anything. More pointedly, the “Anaconda” video didn’t appear in the Video of The Year listing even though it broke a VEVO viewing record and caused a wave of video re-enactments and memes. That surprise gave way to a eloquent commentary on the plight of women of color and their work in the music business.
If I was a different "kind" of artist, Anaconda would be nominated for best choreo and vid of the year as well. 😊😊😊
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) July 21, 2015
When the "other" girls drop a video that breaks records and impacts culture they get that nomination. 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) July 21, 2015
If your video celebrates women with very slim bodies, you will be nominated for vid of the year 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) July 21, 2015
It was an apt statement, considering the pervasiveness of both of Minaj’s videos. Taylor Swift waded in, responding to Minaj.
And that was the tweet that launched a thousand articles. Media weighed in saying that the rapper took “jabs” at her fellow female artist, ignoring what Minaj was actually actually doing: commenting on how she thought the industry worked. The resulting fray caused a tangential, one-sided Twitter beef between Meek Mill (Minaj’s boyfriend) and Drake. Katy Perry also weighed in, with a thinly veiled shot (which many believe was directed towards Swift’s ‘Bad Blood’ video) and wondering why Rihanna’s “Bitch Better Have My Money” wasn’t up for a nomination either. Honestly, we’re with her on the latter.
Finally, today, Maxim Hot 100 cover star Taylor Swift put it all to bed, acknowledging that it was all a misunderstanding and extending a genuine apology to Minaj who in turn accepted—meaning that this Twitter kerfuffle is over.
That means so much Taylor, thank you. @taylorswift13 ❤️❤️❤️
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) July 23, 2015
Photos by Lester Cohen / WireImage