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‘Nicki Minaj Should Focus on Rap’ Says Nicki Minaj in Beef-Ending Hot 97 Talk

Nicki Minaj Hot 97 Starships Beef Peter Rosenberg Hip-Hop

Just shy of a year ago, Nicki Minaj and Hot 97 radio host Peter Rosenberg wound up in the Worst Beef Ever after he questioned the validity of her “Starships” single in a wrong-headed attempt to hype Summer Jam attendees up about “real hip-hop shit” such as A$AP Rocky and ScHoolboy Q. Her Pinkness immediately pulled out of her headlining slot at the New Jersey festival, angering fans and creating drama that has, apparently, pestered Rosenberg daily since.

The two came together for a peace-making interview on air today that turned into a fairly smart and relatively hubris-free chat about the positives and pitfalls of hip-hop authenticity, plus Minaj’s plans now that she’s completed her run on American Idol. After Rosenberg explains his stance on “Starships” and she throws a lil’ shade regarding his “résumé,” Minaj basically admits that “Starships” was a detour that she’s not looking to repeat anytime soon.

She says she’s choosing not to make another pop song next, that she wants to return to her roots and “feed the poor hip-hop fan” with music that’s “more organic [and] more authentic … because ‘Starships’ became so big it kind of erased everything else I was doing.” Regarding pop, she later added, “I feel like I did it. I don’t need to do it again … I agree that Nicki Minaj should focus on rap.” Backpack owners the world over just died and went to heaven.

Also, Meryl Streep is Minaj’s favorite actress, thanks for asking.