Nicki Minaj has publicly expressed her frustration with JAY-Z over financial issues related to TIDAL, the streaming platform he launched nearly a decade ago. Nicki was part of a high-profile group of artists, including Kanye West, Rihanna, Beyoncé, J. Cole, and Usher, who supported the platform’s debut. Each artist was promised three percent equity in return for their exclusive content, aimed at boosting TIDAL’s subscriber numbers.
However, according to Nicki, she has yet to receive any payment from her involvement with TIDAL. Responding to a fan’s comment on Akademiks’ TikTok page that suggested all artist stakeholders had been compensated, Nicki wrote, “I didn’t even get one red penny when no one promoted it more than me outside of Beyoncé. lol chi.”
When JAY-Z sold his majority stake in TIDAL to Jack Dorsey’s Square, Inc. (now Block, Inc.) for about $302 million, reports indicated that the artist co-owners would retain their shares and become the second-largest shareholders. Contradictory reports later surfaced, claiming each artist received approximately $9 million from the transaction, even though they did not sell their stakes.
Nicki Minaj’s discontent with JAY-Z extends beyond financial matters. Recently, she criticized him on social media, accusing him of blocking Lil Wayne from performing at the upcoming Super Bowl halftime show in New Orleans due to personal grievances. She posted on X, “Denying a young black man what he rightfully put into this game for no other reason but your ego. Your hatred for BIRDMAN, Drake & Nicki got you punishing Lil Wayne?!?!!! LIL WAYNE!!!!!!!!!! THE GOAT?!!!!!!!!!!!” Nicki also expressed her disdain for JAY-Z’s attitude, calling him “spiteful & evil,” but later clarified that her comments were not meant to disrespect Kendrick Lamar, who will headline the Super Bowl LIX halftime show.