The Hotties and the Barbz, two of the largest fan bases in female rap, have been going head-to-head over the morals and actions of the artist that they support. In the past, female rap was about delivering a solid punchline. However, conflicts have now evolved between artists and their fans that can lead to physical violence and endangering their safety. Many social media users are now wondering if there is a point of no return, with the response to the release of “Hiss” being a prime example.

On Jan. 26, Megan Pete, also known by her rap persona Megan Thee Stallion, released her new song “Hiss.” In the song, Pete throws shade at those talking down on her, stating that they “can’t move on, can’t let it go … nose full of that Tina Snow.” However, the most shocking lyric for those on social media was when Pete said “These h**s don’t be mad at Megan, these h**s mad at Megan’s Law.”

Rapper Nicki Minaj did not take the lyric lightly, going on a rant for days on the platform X about Pete and her song. However, Minaj’s fans decided to go down a more despicable route to those on social media and doxxed the location of where Pete’s mom is buried. Pete’s mother, Holly Thomas, passed away in March 2019 after battling brain cancer.

“So the Barbs have found where Meg mom’s grave is and told others to go desecrate that lady grave. This is beyond disgusting and now it’s time to fully cancel that woman and her cult,” X user Tara X said in a Jan. 28 post.

According to TMZ in a Jan. 30 article, the cemetery where Pete’s mother is located has increased their security and notified local authorities to protect the area.

Leaking Pete’s mother’s gravesite information is only part of the attacks that Minaj and the Barbz have been leading since the release of Pete’s new single.

When it comes to the release of private information, “it’s just something that’s happening online that is now way too casual of an occurrence. In the past, people have leaked where people’s kids go to school, photos of their children, and it’s all in the name of a feud between two celebrities that they don’t actually know,” host of NPR Music and reporter Sidney Madden said in a Jan. 29 podcast.

Gone are the days it seems of witty diss tracks like Lauryn Hill’s “Lost Ones” or Queen Latifah’s “Name Callin’” Today’s beefs often transcend music, bleeding into social media mudslinging, leaked private messages, and even alleged physical threats. The lines between artistic expression and personal attacks blur, leaving a bitter taste in spectators’ mouths.

This toxicity spills over into the broader hip-hop community, pitting fanbases against each other in online crusades. Those like Dustin J. Seibert argue that what should be healthy debate devolves into vitriol and harassment, silencing constructive criticism and fostering a hostile environment for both artists and fans.

“[Nicki] weaponizes her nearly 30 million X followers by tweeting and retweeting about her “enemies” – she’s so singular in this behavior that people have written essays about it. Nicki understands the cult of personality well, so by the time she finally actually asked her fans to chill out in November, it felt far too little and way too late,” Seibert said in a Jan. 29 article on The Root.

Megan’s Law and Minaj’s response to “Hiss”

Megan’s Law was signed into law in 1995 after the rape and murder of seven-year-old Megan Kanka by a known registered sex offender, who moved across the street from the family without their knowledge. The law now requires law enforcement to make information about registered sex offenders available to the public.

Rapper Nicki Minaj is married to Kenneth Petty, who was convicted in 1994 for the attempted rape of Jennifer Hough and served over four years in prison. He now must register as a sex offender wherever he moves, and was recently sentenced to house arrest in Sept. 2023 for violating his probation.

Minaj’s brother, Jelani Maraj, was also sentenced in 2020 to 25 years to life in jail for the sexual assault of his stepdaughter.

The same night as the release of “Hiss,” Minaj went on Instagram Live to let her fans know her thoughts.

“Bullet fragment foot b*tch… you bringing up 30-year-old tea from when this man was a 15-year-old child. You bringing up 30-year-old tea cause no man will ever f*cking love you, and lying on your dead mother,” Minaj said while live on the app.

Social media users immediately began to comment on the situation.

“She’s referring to r**e as ‘tea,’ that should tell y’all everything,” X user It’s AG in your face said in a Jan. 26 post.

Minaj over the weekend continuously posted about Pete and “Hiss,” eventually leading to her releasing her own diss track called “Bigfoot” on Jan. 29.

She directly addressed the “Megan’s Law” lyric, stating that “this lil’ beggin’ wh**e talkin’ ‘bout Megan’s Law, For a free beat, you could hit Megan raw, If you a ghostwriter, party in Megan jaw.”

Pete has not directly addressed Minaj in the song or since its release, who called into The Breakfast Club on Jan. 26 to discuss the single.

“I’m saying, a hit dog is gonna holler. That’s it,” Pete responded when asked by the hosts if any names are directly said in the song.

Barbz on defense and how to respond

Minaj’s fanbase have gone to the extremes trying to defend and support Minaj. They have allegedly doxxed people like Bela Delgado who spoke out against Minaj online, as well as attacking their loved ones. Singer Victoria Monet was also allegedly doxxed for dancing with Pete at a birthday party the day after the song’s release.

In the midst of the chaos, Minaj posted on X Jan. 30 to the Barbz that she “absolutely adore[s] you. So inspired by you. Soooo appreciative of you. Always have been & always will be. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, barbz.”

Nevertheless, those on Tiktok like Lex, who works in cybersecurity and IT, are encouraging people to continue to speak out on the situation and also state what to do if they are unfortunately doxxed.

“There’s more of us than there are of them. They are using a lot of fake information in order to create these pages. If you find a page that is doing this doxxing, just report it. Make a video, screenshot whoever it is and report it … Keep up the good work. Keep fighting the good fight,” Lex said in a Jan. 29 Tiktok video.

Where do we go from here?

Pete announced Jan. 30 on “Good Morning America” that there will be a new tour and album this year while Minaj has continued to promote “Bigfoot.” Time will tell if there will be more developments in this conflict or if hip-hop’s trends of harassment and doxxing will cease someday. Nevertheless, those online like TikTok’s Haja B. want to make it clear that this behavior is unacceptable.

“Going as far as harassing people and possibly committing crimes over someone that you don’t even know [on] something that has nothing to do with you is not normal. And if you think it is you should seek professional help immediately,” Haja B. said in a Jan. 29 video.