BIA shared her thoughts on Hip-Hop veteran Nicki Minaj and how the Queens rapper is regarded in the industry. During a conversation with Billboard, the “CAN’T TOUCH THIS” rhymer expressed her feelings that Minaj should be held in the same esteem as Jay-Z and others who are labeled as rap legends.
“I always say to people, when you speak of Nicki, you got to speak on her like how you speak on Jay-Z and the greats that laid out the foundation for the people that’s after them,” shared BIA. “She broke amazing records and she’s made it easier for people like me to come through and do what we do. I’m always going to give her that credit and that respect because she helped me hit another milestone in my career.”
That milestone BIA hit thanks to the “Did It On Em” rapper is the most commercially successful song of her career thus far. BIA’s “WHOLE LOTTA MONEY” was released in December 2020 on the EP For Certain and broke onto the Billboard Hot 100 in July 2021 after she released a remix featuring Nicki Minaj. The “BarBIA” track peaked at No. 16.
The updated track became BIA’s first entry on the chart as lead artist, previously breaking ground as the guest artist on Russ’ 2020 record “Best On Earth.” The Boston native reflected on this groundbreaking moment in her career, which garnered attention from Rihanna and expanded her fan base.
“This is like one of my favorite moments of my whole career and my whole life. It’s absolutely a full-circle moment. I love Russ. He’s such a great friend of mine and I love Rihanna so much. She’s so top-tier of absolute taste level. For her to embrace my music and to also shine light on me as an artist, it’s just the biggest dream. I just love her, I’m so grateful,” gushed the 30-year-old.
The Sisterhood of Hip Hip alum continued to discuss how although she’s been releasing music for quite some time, a lot of people refer to her as a new act.
“I don’t think it makes me feel weird. I think some people are really finding out about me for the first time and I’m still learning that even though I’ve been doing this for so many years, there’s still people that are just finding out who is BIA today. I’m meeting them along the way and educating people by letting them know like, ‘Hey guys, I got other songs you might like too. Some older songs, some newer songs that’s coming out.’ I think it’s all going according to schedule.”
Listen to BIA and Nicki Minaj’s “WHOLE LOTTA MONEY” remix below: