Nicki Minaj has been wildin' since her fourth studio album dropped this month. Her erratic online activity reached a new high after Queen debuted in second place on Billboard 200 behind Travis Scott's Astroworld. The female emcee went on a Twitter rampage naming all of the reasons why she was effectively robbed from a satisfactory chart-topping debut.
Spotify was part of a long rant that also involved Scott's family, Drake and systematic discrimination against women in the music industry. Nicki claims the online streaming platform tried to "teach me a lesson" by taking away the promotional efforts that were promised to her.
Since then, the company has issued a response to the claims of discrimination and favoritism. A Spotify representative clarified the type of promotional support Nicki received and confirmed that some of their efforts yielded a boost in streaming numbers.
“Spotify supported Nicki Minaj with a Times Square billboard, a host of the largest playlists, New Music Friday and the new music release shelf. Her song ‘Bed’ actually saw an increase based on the promotions put behind the campaign. The company continues to be big fans of Nicki."
Spotify had been accused of playing favorites with Drake's release of Scorpion as they plastered the artist's face across an unprecedented about of banners and playlists. Some subscribers were overwhelmed by the advertising to the point of canceling their subscriptions.