Azealia Banks has once again made headlines for her sharp opinions, this time setting her sights on Doja Cat. After the release of Vie, Banks told her followers on X that the Grammy-winning rapper is sounding far too much like Nicki Minaj. “Ok I love the girls and love Nicki but we can’t just be riding Nicki’s d**k like this,” she wrote. “Like a teeeny bit of inspiration/borrowing is okay and respectful … but the full on Nicki cosplays have to stop because it’s almost like mocking her. Which is rude.”
What makes the critique sting more is that Banks had just praised the album days earlier. She had openly shared how impressed she was with Doja’s new sound, writing, “Wait I really like this doja record,” and later adding, “This is her best work. I’m obsessed with this. It’s so good.” That early praise was followed by a quick reversal when she decided Doja’s delivery crossed into imitation. Banks summed up her change of heart with, “Ugh, she almost had me.”
Her commentary on Doja’s artistic direction is not new. Last fall, Banks speculated online about what kind of music Doja might try next. She warned that the rapper could slip into what she called a “tiered alt-emo eartheater/twigs rip off.” Instead, Banks suggested Doja take a completely different lane, encouraging her to try adult contemporary sounds reminiscent of Zero 7, Sonique, and Seal.
Doja Cat herself has not shied away from acknowledging Nicki Minaj as one of her inspirations. She collaborated with Minaj on the “Say So” remix in 2020, though Nicki later declined to feature on “Get Into It (Yuh).” In 2023, Doja addressed comparisons on her track “Attention,” rapping, “Why she think she Nicki M? She think she hot shit.”
Leave a Reply