Nicki Minaj didn't just become a superstar overnight: There was a long laborious grind and many who helped her along the way. While the Harajuku Barbie was still cementing her brand alongside Lil Wayne and Young Money, she also held close ties to Gucci Mane, who she recorded a number of mixtape tracks with.
Now that Nick is on top of the world, though, Gucc has some reservations about how she handled her rise to the top. "I tip my hat to Nicki for being a hard worker, but at the same time she know she ain't keep it real," Gucci told Atlanta's Hot 107.9 during an interview on Wednesday.
The "Wasted" rapper didn't ignite a full-on beef; he did give Nicki credit for acknowledging his contribution even if he doesn't fully agree with how she handled herself after splitting with former manager Deb Antney and Gucci's camp. "It's like when she came to Atlanta, she gave me a shout-out and said I helped her in her career, but at the end of the day, a lot of times, I just think if you keep it real with somebody you can't expect them to keep it real with you," he said.
Gucci feels a similar way about Bad Boy Records spitter French Montana. Though French was known throughout New York City since the early 2000s for his "Cocaine City" DVDs and numerous collaborations with underground Harlem hero Max B, key collaborations with Gucci's camp like 2011's "Choppa Choppa Down" helped him gain even more notoriety. "French Montana know he ain't keep it real," Gucci charged.
That wasn't all, Mr. Zone 6 seized the moment and also expressed his displeasure for frequent collaborator Yo Gotti, who dropped his CM7: The World is Yours mixtape on the same day as Gucci dropped his Trap God tape. "My main problem with him is that he dropped his mixtape on 10/17 and tried to ride my wave like he's an artist of mine or we get some kinda money together," he explained. "Why would you drop it if you ain't on 1017 and when I call you as my partner to ask you why you did it, you say, 'Oh, I didn't know you were droppin' a mixtape'?
"It just made me lose all respect for him instantly," Gucci said.
"I do my music and I don't keep up with what other people are doin'," Gotti said in an earlier radio interview on K97 in Memphis on October 24. "I don't have no insecurities or doubts about what I do, or concerns about what nobody else do."
Gucci went on to drop a dis record against Gotti, who described the situation as funny. "I'm more disappointed in him than anything. What I perceived him [to be] is not what he's playin' out," Gotti said. "Street dudes don't handle business like that."
Do you believe Nicki Minaj should give Gucci Mane more credit? Let us know in the comments!