BIA Praises Nicki Minaj: 'You Got to Speak on Her Like How You Speak on Jay-Z and the Greats'

BIA says Nicki Minaj is among the hip-hop “greats,” and deserves to be treated as such.

During a recent interview with Billboard, the Boston-born artist spoke about her rise to fame as well as the co-signs that helped her along the way. BIA specifically showed love to her rap idol Nicki, who appeared on her 2021 remix of “Whole Lotta Money.”

”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,” BIA told the publication, before touching on “Whole Lotta Money’s” top 20 placement. “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.”

BIA also spoke about the support she’s received from Rihanna, who promoted her “Best on Earth” track with Russ via Instagram this year and later tapped BIA to perform at the 2021 Savage X Fenty Show.

“This is like one of my favorite moments of my whole career and my whole life,” BIA said. “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.”