BY ODIGIE OKPATAKU 

Nicki Minaj and SZA got into an explosive online exchange on July 15, 2025. The rapper first criticized Terrence “Punch” Henderson, the president of Top Dawg Entertainment. She claimed he allegedly bullied her when she rejected some business proposals.

After Nicki’s tweet, the singer tweeted about Mercury retrograde and suggested not to take the bait. It is unclear who SZA was referring to, as she neither tagged anyone nor mentioned them explicitly.

“Mercury retrograde. don’t take the bait lol silly goose,” SZA wrote. However, Minaj believed the singer was addressing her, and went off on her appearance, and her voice, comparing SZA to a “dead dog.”

For the uninitiated, the hashtags #JusticeForDemoree and #DepositionPerez refer to Roc Nation’s CEO, Desiree Perez, and her daughter, Demoree. Minaj has been criticizing the music label for months for various reasons, from allegedly “sabotaging” her career to not hiring a Black woman as CEO.

Currently, the rapper is publicly supporting Demoree Hadley after she accused her mother of abusing her. “Go draw your freckles back on bookie #JusticeForDemoree #DepositionPerez Liar liar pants on fire. Sounding like a dead dog,” Nicki Minaj tweeted.

SZA replied to the rapper’s tweet, stating that she doesn’t care about Nicki Minaj’s tweets. Nicki then again mocked SZA’s voice and her freckles. When the rapper’s fanbase, Barbz, told SZA not to get involved with them, the singer said she receives hate online on a regular basis.

However, she then goes on to perform for a packed stadium, receiving “real love” from her fans. SZA then stated that she’s successful and her parents are healthy, then dismissed the fandom, telling the Barbz to get “perspective” and “bark at the wall.”