Nicki Minaj, 35, is living up to her namesake. After releasing her Queen album in August and launching Queen Radio the same month, Nicki’s fans bowed down even more after she posted her photo shoot for the cover of Harper’s Bazaar Vietnam, shot by photographer Greg Swales, to Instagram on Oct. 5. Nicki gave us a couture show fit for royalty, stunting in a Stello coat, a sheer leotard embellished with appliques, a ballroom gown and pink fur! The “Barbie Dreams” rapper even gave a social media wink to fellow hip hop chart-topper Lil Uzi Vert, 24, referencing a verse from one of his tracks. “Spanish girl name Rosa, and she from the coast,” Nicki captioned one of the photos, borrowing a line from “Let You Know.”
The last time Nicki was associated with Harper’s Bazaar’s name, it was because of her showdown with nemesis Cardi B, 25! The two rappers had an awkward run-in at the magazine’s ICONS party at New York Fashion Week on Sept. 7, which resulted in Cardi chucking her shoe at Nicki. And the “Chun-Li” rapper didn’t let us forget the incident, either. On the same day Nicki revealed her photo shoot, she shared her new merch to Instagram fans, all splashed with the slogan “Nicki Stopped My Bag.”
That’s a reference to Cardi’s social media outcry after their brawl, because she wrote on Instagram, “I’ve let a lot of sh-t slide! I let you sneak diss me, I let you lie on me, I let you attempt to stop my bags, f–k the way I eat!” Cardi also accused Nicki of doing the same to others, claiming that the singer has tried to “attack people and to stop their bags.” An amused Nicki has since used the expression herself in tweets, but today she memorialized the catchphrase on T-shirts and backpacks.
We’re just happy to see Nicki doing best what she does on social media: Giving us outfit inspiration, and poking fun at the music industry. Nicki’s earlier posts from this week were much more somber. She revealed her heartbreaking past of witnessing abuse in her home, in addition to claims of experiencing abuse in a relationship on Oct. 2.