Nicki Minaj & Missy Elliott's Exclusion In Netflix's "Ladies First" Docuseries Explained

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US hip hop recording artist Missy Elliott smiles during the ceremony to honor her with the 2,708th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, California on November 8, 2021. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP) (Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images) NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 06: Nicki Minaj attends The 2019 Met Gala Celebrating Camp: Notes on Fashion at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 06, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
Fans were understandably upset that Nicki Minaj and Missy Elliott didn't appear in the trailer for Netflix's "Ladies First: A Story Of Women In Hip-Hop."

Missy Elliott and Nicki Minaj have undoubtedly shaped the culture as we know it. Lil Wayne stated that Missy stands at the top of his GOAT list while Nicki Minaj has undoubtedly influenced the rising number of women in hip-hop these days. However, both artists were seemingly absent from Netflix’s upcoming docuseries Ladies First: A Story Of Women In Hip-Hop. The trailer for the documentary dropped this week, highlighting a number of women who’ve broken down barriers, such as Queen Latifah, and their predecessors, such as Coi Leray.

Despite boasting talents like Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, and Rah Digga, fans expressed their grievances surrounding the absence of Nicki Minaj and Missy Elliott. A number of Twitter accounts began calling out Netflix and the docuseries creators for excluding two of the most pivotal women in modern hip-hop. One fan wrote, “We really got to sit down and walk, why do they keep excluding Nicki Minaj from these topics like she isn’t the most successful female rapper of all time. They’re literally tryna wipe her from the history books due to personal vendettas.”

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Shawn Allen Explains 

However, there seems to be an explanation for their absence, according to Shawn Allen, a podcaster who is reportedly involved in Ladies First: A Story Of Women In Hip Hop. An account claiming to be Allen’s, who supposedly serves as a producer on the project, suggested that Nicki Minaj and Missy Elliott denied them the opportunity to license their music. “Nicki didn’t let us license music & videos,” he responded to the fan.

Another fan asked if the initial plan was to have Nicki Minaj as part of the docuseries. “Yes but it didn’t make sense because she didn’t give us any licensing,” Allen stated before adding that Missy Elliott similarly didn’t license her music, either. However, Allen doesn’t seem to have any hard feelings about it, especially since Cardi B, Trina, Lil Kim, and Foxy Brown also aren’t part of the docuseries. Ladies First: A Story Of Women In Hip Hop arrives on Wednesday, August 9 on Netflix.

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About The Author
Aron A.
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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