A tweet that triggered chaos
A fan has found herself the target of rapper Nicki Minaj’s followers — and of the star too
Wanna Thompson, 26, has long considered herself a Nicki Minaj fan.
As a freelance writer living in Toronto, Thompson also counts herself as a cultural critic with a focus on hip-hop, and with her insights, she has built an audience via her personal website and social media feeds. So when she posted a tweet one evening late last month about Minaj’s recent musical direction, Thompson hoped only to spark a conversation among the rap obsessives with whom she regularly communes.
“You know how dope it would be if Nicki put out mature content?” Thompson wrote to her then 14,000 or so followers. “No silly” stuff, she added with an expletive. “Just reflecting on past relationships, being a boss, hardships, etc. She’s touching 40 soon, a new direction is needed.”
What happened next was one part dystopian sci-fi, and one part an everyday occurrence in pop-culture circles online: The Nicki Minaj stans — or superfans — attacked. Then, galvanising them further, Minaj chimed in. In the week since publicising the acidic messages she received directly from Minaj, whose next al- bum, Queen , is scheduled for release in August, Thompson said she has received thousands of vicious, derogatory missives across Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, email and even her personal cellphone, calling her every variation of stupid and ugly, or worse. Some of the anonymous horde included pictures Thompson once posted on Instagram of her fouryear-old daughter. Thompson also lost her internship at an entertainment blog in the chaotic days that followed, and she is now considering seeing a therapist.
“I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy,” Thompson said through tears in an interview, calling herself “physically drained” and “mentally depleted.” Such are the risks of the new media playing field, which may look level from afar but still tilts towards the powerful. As social media has knocked down barriers, direct communication among the uber-famous and practically anonymous has become the norm. But it can leave those who have earned a star’s ire, like Thompson, reeling as eager followers take up the celebrity’s cause.
“Her fans mimic her behaviour,” Thompson said of Minaj, who responded to her critique after some of the rapper’s 21 million followers brought the initial tweet to her attention.
Minaj has been particularly present online lately, rallying her troops in the run-up to her new album, as early songs from the project have failed to stick commercially. Minaj and her team declined to comment for this article.
‘JUST SAY U JEALOUS’
In response to Thompson, Minaj started obliquely, posting a list on Twitter of her own songs that she considered mature. But in a tweet the next day, Thompson revealed two direct messages from Minaj — much of it in unprintable language — in which the rapper called her “ugly” and implored, “Just say u jealous I’m rich, famous intelligent, pretty and go!”
Thompson said that while she stuck by her opinion on Minaj’s music, she wished she had never made it public.
“If I knew it would get this much harassment and that my daughter would be affected, I don’t think that I would have posted it,” she said. “Every person has a right to defend themselves and react to certain statements. But when you start to insult somebody, you’ve crossed a line.
“You have a responsibility as a public figure to present yourself in a certain way.”