Nicki Minaj's "Super Freaky Girl" Kicked Out of Grammy Rap Category, Will Compete in Pop (Exclusive)



Nicki Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl” is spending its eighth week connected apical of Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart, nevertheless connected the Grammys, the opus volition vie wrong the popular class.

Minaj primitively submitted the tune — which debuted astatine No. 1 connected Billboard’s Hot 1 100 illustration successful August — to the rap categories connected the Grammys, nevertheless the enactment turned into overturned by means of the Recording Academy’s rap committee, successful keeping with a supply. That enactment decided that Minaj’s playful and dad-sounding way sampling Rick James’ 1981 accepted “Super Freak” ought to vie for satisfactory popular solo wide show successful penchant to rap awards.

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Minaj criticized the determination connected societal media Thursday successful an Instagram video taxable and a concatenation of tweets. “They enactment transferring the goalposts successful narration to me,” Minaj said connected IG astir the academy. “Why is the goalpost simplest ever moved whilst it’s Nicki?’

Minaj additionally stated if “Super Freaky Girl” person to vie successful pop, truthful ought to Latto’s “Big Energy,” that's pop-leaning and samples Tom Tom Club’s 1981 way “Genius of Love,” famously sampled done Mariah Carey for the No. 1 deed “Fantasy.”

“I person nary prob being moved retired the RAP people arsenic agelong arsenic we r ALL being dealt with FAIRLY,” she tweeted. “If SFG (Super Freaky Girl) has 2B moved retired RAP past truthful does Big Energy! ANY1 who says diff is sincerely a Nicki hater oregon a troll.”

Latto’s “Big Energy” spent 2 weeks astatine No. 1 connected Billboard’s rap illustration and peaked astatine No. 3 connected the all-style Hot a 100 chart. At the Grammys, “Big Energy” volition vie for rap Grammys, present not pop.

A advisor for The Recording Academy did not respond to an physics message looking for comment.

Nominees for the 2023 Grammys whitethorn beryllium introduced connected Nov. 15, and the enactment telecast volition aerial connected Feb. Five, 2023, on CBS. Voting for the superior circular of nominees begins Thursday and ends connected Oct. 23.

Minaj has launched immoderate of popular and hip-hop hits successful the people of the years that diagnostic her rapping oregon singing — sometimes some astatine the aforesaid song. Her debut solo unmarried, 2010’s “Your Love,” became pop-adjacent with its illustration of Annie Lennox’s 1995 cowl exemplary of “No More I Love You’s,” and Minaj has released other pop-heavy songs similar “Super Bass” and “Starships,” which Hot 97 vigor big Peter Rosenberg famously dubbed “not existent hip-hop” and triggered Minaj to propulsion retired of the station’s yearly Summer Jam unrecorded performance.

But of Minaj’s 10 Grammy nominations, she’s simplest competed successful popular arsenic soon arsenic — for high-quality popular duo/organization wide show with “Bang Bang” alongside Ariana Grande and Jessie J. The bulk of her Grammy nominations were successful rap, unneurotic with fantabulous rap medium for Pink Friday and The Pinkprint, fantabulous rap way for “Anaconda” and first-rate rap show for “Moment 4 Life” and “Truffle Butter.”

“Super Freaky Girl” is successful akin leader to Lizzo’s “Truth Hurts”: The singer-rapper’s measurement guardant euphony topped Billboard’s rap illustration for 13 weeks and sooner oregon aboriginal led the all-genre Hot a 100 illustration for 7 weeks, but it didn’t vie successful the rap categories connected the Grammys. Instead, it go nominated — and received — exceptional popular solo wide show connected the 2020 show.

Other songs that diagnostic rap elements that person competed for satisfactory popular solo wide show see Doja Cat’s “Say So,” which includes her making a opus and rapping, and Post Malone’s “Better Now,” which meshes hip-hop, accidental and popular sounds.

Collaborative songs that topped Billboard’s rap illustration but competed for large popular duo/group show connected the Grammys dwell of Iggy Azalea and Charli XCX’s “Fancy,” Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s “See You Again” and Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus’ “Old Town Road,” which received the respect successful 2020.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis were primitively kicked retired of the rap Grammys whilst the duo had a measurement guardant with the hits “Thrift Shop” and “Can’t Hold Us” connected the 2014 display. But that prime turned into aboriginal overturned — and heavy criticized — erstwhile the enactment swept the rap Grammys, besting Kendrick Lamar and others — a enactment adjacent Macklemore denounced. As a result, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis didn’t station their sophomore medium for Grammy rivalry connected the 2017 show.

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