Nicki Minaj recently sparked a lively conversation during an Instagram Live when she turned her attention to NBA YoungBoy and the intensity of his fan support. Rather than making a statement, she posed a question directly to her audience: “What is it about NBA YoungBoy that was able to garner that level of hardcore, diehard, unwavering support?” she asked. “That’s without getting help from a lot of the mainstream outlets — let’s just call a thing and thing.”
She didn’t stop there. Minaj drew a comparison between his following and her own loyal fan base, the Barbz. “You know how my fans act with me and it feels more like a family, a camaraderie,” she explained. “They don’t play about me and I don’t play about them — and people are always trying to figure it out.”
After opening the floor, she began reading through responses that poured in from fans trying to put the YoungBoy effect into words. One person described him as having “a raw personality” that allows listeners to vividly picture everything he raps about. They also mentioned that, like Minaj, he doesn’t always get the recognition he deserves. Her reaction was immediate, offering a sweet “aww.” Another viewer highlighted how his critics only make his base more determined, which Minaj tied back to her own experience: “The more haters he gets, the stronger their love gets — kind of like us with you,” she read, sealing the thought with a quick “bingo.”
The conversation comes as no surprise given her history of working with YoungBoy. The two have teamed up three times, most recently on “WTF” from his 2023 project Don’t Try This at Home. Back in 2022, Minaj shared her first-hand impression of collaborating with him on “What That Speed Bout,” writing, “YoungBoy was rlly dope. Chill. Laid back. Sweet. rlly fuk wit his vibe. Didn’t do the most on set, more mature than I thought he’d be. He was on gangsta time.”
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