S. Samuel
The self-proclaimed "Voice of The Young People" Lil Mama, has come forward to finally clear the air on her speculated shots toward fellow lady spitter Nicki Minaj, and revealed that there has never been any tension between them.
Mama said if the two were to dispute, said fight had the potential to get ugly.
“There was never any animosity. She came to my show…the greeting was beautiful. It was like, “Hi beautiful, how are you?” you know what I mean. It wasn’t like “Hi,” and then the name-calling or screwed up face or anything negative. If someone has something negative to say about you or they don’t like you, they wouldn’t greet you and say, “Hello beautiful.” If we decided to go at each other and then somebody ended up dead, everybody in hip-hop would be like, “Oh my God, it’s so sad what happened to them.” It’s just like what happened with Pac and Biggie. The same people that promote it and it’s sad.” (XXL Mag)
Last July, Mama made a distinction between herself and the self-proclaimed “Barbie.”
“I’m gonna be me regardless; I’m not changing who I am because of promotion,” she said defensively. “I don’t look at TV and listen to radio and say, ‘Oh, I’m gonna be a hoe now. Oh, I’m gonna do this now. I’m gonna talk like this. I’m gonna get a tattoo that says I’m a doll. I’m gonna get a chain that says I’m a doll. ‘ I’m Lil mama, till the day I die, period. [Is that another stab at Nick?] Gun shot.” (Power 105.1)
A month prior, Mama claimed Minaj stole her image and flaunted it at the 2011 MTV Movie Awards.
“But my cut is blunt and futuristic and Nicki Minaj started wearing that bob on her head after she came to my show, so at the end of the day I know what I do and I know what I possess and I know who I am. I’m a trendsetter. The biggest form of flattery is imitation so I’m flattered. I understand the universal law. I’m not confused, I don’t feel like a follower. I started so many things that new artists are doing now anyway -my style, the way I’m aggressive on a track, the way I come through, the way my beat bangs. There are so many things that were borrowed, that I influenced that’s happening in music right, so I’m far from discouraged.” (VIBE)
In 2009, Mama criticized Minaj for representing a sexual image toward younger fans.
“Nicki Minaj is a talented rapper,” Lil Mama said in an interview. “She’s out there, she’s doing her. What she represents, I don’t represent and she’s doing something different, that’s her lane. As the voice of the young people, Lil Mama, I focus on bringing up young girls to respect their bodies, respect theyself, do it up.” (BET)
Check out some past Lil Mama footage below:
