Latto had an interesting pick for one of her top three women rappers of all time – and it has fans speculating that she really meant Nicki Minaj.
After being announced as the headliner for Atlanta radio station Hot 107.9’s annual Birthday Bash concert this June, Latto sat down for a few interviews with the station. While talking to The Morning Hustle‘s Lore’l on Tuesday (April 9), the “Big Energy” rapper was asked to name her top three female rappers.
“My top 3 female rappers of all time dead or alive?” Latto clarified. “Okay – Kim, gotta say Kim. Wait, my favorite? Or the best? I’ma say the best. I’ma say Kim. Gotta say Kim. I’ma say Left Eye. Rest in peace Left Eye. And Shawty.”
As the clip went viral, many fans were confused as to who ‘Shawty’ is, but others put together that it was likely Nicki Minaj.
“Lmao ‘shawty,” someone commented with laughing and fire emojis. “when you don’t fw somebody but you not a hater.”
Someone else wrote: “‘Shawty’ is Nicki. She ain’t gotta say her name tf. It took a certain level of maturity to even still give credit after everything. Some of yall don’t even got that part down.”
Another person said, “Showing love but standing on business.”
Nicki and Latto infamously feuded in a 2022 Twitter/X spat, which stemmed from Minaj’s frustration that “Super Freaky Girl” was deemed a pop song — rather than rap — by the Grammys, but Latto’s “Big Energy” wasn’t.
Latto had frequently declared her love for Nicki prior to that, however, and often mentioned the influence the Queens native had on her growing up.
In response to people talking about the new viral clip, Latto seemingly played into it by posting on Twitter/X, “NP: Plies ft. T Pain – Shawty.”
Since the 2022 spat, Latto and Nicki Minaj have remained on bad terms. Earlier this year, Latto seemingly threw a sub Nicki’s way on her collab with Anycia, “Back Outside.”
The 777 artist raps: “Got auntie hatin, she burnt!”
When Akademiks posted the snippet to his page, he highlighted the possible Nicki shade in the caption — which Latto didn’t shy away from as she shared it to her story.
In the comments of Ak’s post, the two women’s respective fanbases battled it out amongst each other — while Anycia’s fans were annoyed that she wasn’t even mentioned.
Prior to that, fans speculated that Latto dissed Nicki on her hit “Put It On Da Floor,” when she raps: “Bitches acting like they running shit, they really ran through” and “She thought I would kiss her ass, she mustn’t have took her meds.”
And then fans speculated that Nicki Minaj took shots on her recent Pink Friday 2 cut “Fallin 4 U,” seemingly using her clever wordplay skills to blur the line between “locs, ho” and the rapper’s name.
“Picture you endin’ up under the seat, where the dread at?/ Picture not listenin’ when I said you would dread that/ I mean locs, hoe, you’s a chop hoe/ I’m number one, y’all go argue over top four/ Clean sweep, you gettin’ mopped, hoe!”
Neither have said the other’s name on wax, however, so it’s all fan speculation for now.