Nicki Minaj Addresses Rumors of a Big Payout from Jay-Z’s Tidal: “I Didn’t Even Get One Red Penny”

Nicki Minaj recently took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to express her support for Lil Wayne after he was not chosen to perform at the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show in his hometown of New Orleans. Her tweets sparked widespread discussion, with many content creators and fans weighing in. While some agreed with Minaj’s sentiments, others expressed frustration and wished she would remain silent.

A recurring observation among fans is the lack of visible support from Minaj’s male allies during public disputes with other female artists, though some argue this could be due to men avoiding involvement in what they perceive as women’s issues. Amid the ongoing discussions, one user specifically pointed out perceived issues involving Minaj, Drake, and Jay-Z.

THE LAUNCH OF TIDAL IN 2015

Back in 2015, Forbes reported that Jay-Z’s Tidal launch, which featured 16 superstar co-owners, including Nicki Minaj, Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, and Rihanna, aimed to reestablish the value of music and support the sustainability of the industry by being artist-owned. The platform promised exclusive early releases for its owners’ music, distinguishing itself from other streaming services. At the time, Drake was offered a stake in Tidal but declined in favor of a $19 million deal with Apple Music, where he played a significant role in launching the platform and provided exclusive content.

Fast forward to 2021, Jay-Z sold Tidal to Jack Dorsey’s Square for $302 million. Many assumed that the co-owners would receive compensation from the sale, but Minaj recently claimed, “I didn’t even get one red penny when no one promoted it more than me outside of Beyoncé.”

However, online sources suggest that Minaj and the other co-owners did receive approximately $8.9 million each for their shares. Despite this, Minaj’s comments imply that she feels underappreciated and overlooked, especially considering her commitment to Tidal from the start, unlike Drake, who opted for an upfront payday with Apple. Whether Minaj and Jay-Z should have issues is up for debate, but it appears that Minaj feels shortchanged by the deal.

SOCIAL MEDIA REACTIONS

Minaj fans aka “The Barbs” as they are so affectionately known, have jumped on social media to discuss the comment made by Nicki Minaj. Check out the reactions below.

Let’s wake it up. She’s not the only person that was scammed 🥱 pic.twitter.com/D5RQC1qxNA

— Stats of Minaj (@statsofminaj) September 11, 2024

Why should they? https://t.co/Hlo2cuhDYl

— COWBOY 🤠🐎 (@cowboy__texas) September 11, 2024

THEY WERE MADE PART OWNERS. Where is her money???? Even Kanye said Tidal owed him money

— WE JUST ARRIVED (@TheeAzanian) September 11, 2024

Shut up. pic.twitter.com/mXfX0XuugK

— WE JUST ARRIVED (@TheeAzanian) September 11, 2024

Call Nicki all sorts of name but I can testify that everything she’s ever said came out to be true it’s only a matter of time

— ᴍɪᴀʜ (@MIAHEDJUTO) September 11, 2024