When establishing her future as a solo artist, Jesy Nelson looked to the past. In “Boyz,” the former Little Mix singer sampled Diddy‘s “Bad Boy For Life,” and the corresponding music video paid homage to the 2001 original. There’s even an appearance from the former “Puff Daddy” himself, now in the Ben Stiller role. However, he’s arguably not the biggest cameo. That honor may go to Nicki Minaj, who comes roaring in fronting a rock band in Jesy’s garage. Later, Nicki joins Jesy in front of an expensive-looking ride, having traded out her black hair for a set of turquoise-colored locks that nearly touch the floor.
“My body smokin’, come get a pull,” raps Nicki, 38, on her verse, per Genius. “Lucky charms on my anklets, no, not cereal / Jesy, we got all the jelly bitches actin’ real messy / Still a bad bitch whether I’m sporty or I’m dressy / I don’t know why I got these dudes actin’ zesty / But I only want a bad boy as my bestie.” Cue Jesy, 30, to deliver the final chorus, where she once again professes how she likes a “bad, bad boy,” and will love “bad boys for life.”
Nicki previously worked with Little Mix on the 2018 song, “Woman Like Me.” In December 2020, Jesy announced her departure from the band. After she and her bandmates — Jade Thirlwall, Perrie Edwards, and Leigh-Anne Pinnock – achieved things Jesy “never thought possible,” she realized that after nine years, she needed a break. Citing how the pressures of being in the band had “really taken a toll on my mental health,” it was now time to “reinvest in taking care of [myself] rather than focusing on making other people happy.” She said thanked everyone – including her former bandmates – for “creating some of the most amazing memories I’ll never forget.”
Ahead of her “Boyz” video, Jesy chatted with Glamour UK about her post-Little Mix Life. She revealed that she hadn’t “spoken to the girls” since leaving the group. “Hopefully, at some point in the future, we can all come back together. I love them. They are my sisters in so many ways, but for the time being, we just don’t talk,” she added.
While Jesy has been working on her solo career, Nicki has had a very busy 2021. She recently celebrated her son’s first birthday and announced that she’d be part of the Real Housewives of Potamic reunion. There was also the COVID-19 drama in September after she claimed her cousin in Trinidad wouldn’t get the vaccine because “his friend got it [and] became impotent [after his] testicles became swollen.” Some outlets – like Jezebel and The Mary Sue — have argued that Nicki’s outlandish claim was her way of distracting the public from the legal troubles involving her husband, Kenneth Petty. Around the same time as this “testicle” drama, Jennifer Hough, the woman who accused Kenneth of raping her in 1994, has filed a lawsuit against Minaj and Petty, accusing them of “harassing and intimidating” her.