Nicki Minaj has been on a roll lately. She broke the record for the highest grossing tour by a female rapper, and her latest album, contained her first solo number one single. The positive vibes have been carried over by Minaj, who has welcomed multiple guests during her shows. She reunited with Drake at the Toronto show, and gave the fellow Young Money artist his flowers in early May. Minaj decided to kick things up a notch during her London show, however. She brought the King of Dancehall, Beenie Man, out to perform.
The rapper welcomed Beenie Man with all the reverence one would expect. All she asked for upon his entrance was a hug, and then she proceeded to bow down before Beenie Man and the rest of the crowd. Beenie Man quickly repaid the compliment, noting that Minaj is the queen of hip-hop if he is the king of dancehall. The two artists then helped Minaj and Beenie Man sing along to the classic Beenie Man track "I'm Drinking / Rum & Redbull." Nicki Minaj is known for being one of the most outspoken and boisterous artists in the genre, so her deference was notable. The rapper even posted about the onstage collab via X (formerly Twitter).
Nicki Minaj Considers Beenie Man An "Inspiration"
"I just performed with the KING OF DANCEHALL," Minaj tweeted. “One of the most talented musicians that I looked to for inspiration my entire career. I can’t believe this is my life sometimes. Wow. One of my heroes. I love this man so much. @KingBeenieMan." The rapper may be New York raised, but she was born in Trinidad, and has made a point of incorporating dancehall influences into her music. She made this evident on the Pink Friday 2 cut "Forward from Trini," which featured appearances from artists like Skillibeng and Skeng.
Nicki Minaj even got on Stationhead to tell fans that didn't like her dancehall cuts to get with it. "Y’all, some of them don’t like it, but it’s okay," she noted. "They’re gonna have to get with it… I’m sorry if y’all can’t understand this kind of music." Minaj isn't the first Young Money artist to link up with Beenie Man, either. Drake featured the legendary artists on his blockbuster 2016 album Views. Beenie didn't have an actual verse on a song, but he provided the outro on "Controlla."
