Rapper Nicki Minaj has set off a firestorm on Twitter after she appeared to compare herself to abolitionist Harriet Tubman.
“All the QUEENS I remember, SHOOK S*** UP!!!!!!!! Queen of the week may go to HARRIET TUBMAN!!!!!! Had she just sat there & ate her rice, you n***** history would’ve been a lot less triumphant,” wrote Minaj in a vile tweet.
She continued, “Y’all I had no idea Harriet Tubman was now trending. I said what I said.”
The 35-year-old musician then added, “#QueenRadio will honor her tmrw. She said she could’ve rescued more slaves had they known they were slaves. I fought for streaming services to count toward billboard when alotta n**** stayed quiet.”
Minaj is referring to her fight to have streams of her songs count toward overall album sales.
This is not exactly the same thing as freeing slaves, of course.
Minaj doubled down on the highly dubious remarks in an interview with TMZ, in which she said she had no regrets at all about comparing herself to Tubman.
“I am the new Harriet Tubman,” the singer announced to the publication.
Minaj has alleged recently that the streaming service Spotify hurt her new album’s chart debut on purpose — that the service did it as a way of punishing her for working with Apple Music.
People have not responded kindly at all, let’s just say, to Minaj’s strange comparison on social media.
Check out these responses, for starters:
So Nicki Minaj blamed a baby, Travis, Apple, Kylie, Safaree, Spotify, me, you and your auntie for not debuting at #1 and NOW she's comparing herself to Harriet Tubman????? pic.twitter.com/DFn3gWhmEI
— Androgynous Fog. (@VigorousMental) August 20, 2018
Nicki Minaj is under fire after tying her complaints about Spotify to Harriet Tubman's fight against slavery. https://t.co/PezIqOoIB6
— HuffPost (@HuffPost) August 20, 2018
Nicki Minaj is a self centered narcissist. Her music has never had any sort of activism or substance. She once wore a chicken wing chain necklace. For her to compare herself to Harriet Tubman is blasphemous. pic.twitter.com/gG4p5FgfcA
— NBA Old Head (@genuinecandor) August 20, 2018
Nicki Minaj comparing herself to Harriet Tubman? Here’s who Tubman was and why that’s absurd. https://t.co/FNeKs6VUJm
— Washington Post (@washingtonpost) August 22, 2018
Yeah, no https://t.co/HyT4nSxJq3
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) August 21, 2018
Harriet Tubman is trending because Nicki Minaj compared herself to her. Hmmm…Nicki Minaj… pic.twitter.com/n4NtPyhQzc
— DeShaun (@DeShaunArtis) August 20, 2018
Nicki Minaj and Future have cancelled their NICKIHNDRXX Tour in North America due to low ticket sales. pic.twitter.com/gu3FZFCqKp
— HIP HOP FACTS (@DailyRapFacts) August 22, 2018
Nicki Minaj is comparing herself to Harriet Tubman. A revolutionary who freed her family and countless more. Her husband left her for another, while she was gaining freedom, but she had enough sense to go and not dwell in heartache. Nicki can't even stop subtweeting Safaree.
— 20Something & Living (@20SNL_) August 20, 2018
It is doubtful that Minaj actually thinks she is the new Harriet Tubman.
She is an artist who knows exactly how to get attention for herself — and exactly how to become a trending topic in today’s cultural landscape.
She just had one of her music tours postponed, reportedly due to low ticket sales, so this wild comparison is likely just a way to get eyeballs back on her.
Related: Kanye West Earns Support from Some Fellow Musicians
To see the singer’s interview with TMZ, check out the video shown below:
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