Lizzo appears to have responded to criticism from Nicki Minaj on a newly released song, shortly after dropping her first studio album in four years.
The singer released BITCH on Friday, marking her first full-length project since 2022’s Special. Not long after the album arrived on streaming platforms, Lizzo shared an alternate version of the title track on social media that many fans interpreted as a direct response to Minaj.
The post featured a screenshot of a February social media message from the rapper, in which Minaj mocked Lizzo’s recent weight loss and questioned the commercial prospects of her new music.
“Fat Lizzo lost 300 lbs just to sell 300 albums,” Minaj wrote in the post, which was accompanied by an image of the horror character Chucky. “So now she has loose skin AND a flop album, AND a weird charge. Sheesh.”
Sharing the screenshot, Lizzo added the caption: “Since I’m blocked.”
The accompanying audio included lyrics that appeared to reference the exchange and her former admiration for Minaj.
“Used to be the biggest fan, then I lost weight,” Lizzo raps on the track. “Paid to keep the peace, I don’t even like beef.”
She also strikes a more conciliatory tone elsewhere in the song, suggesting she would rather see women in the music industry support one another than become divided by public disputes.
“I’m praying for my sisters, I want to see us all in our bag,” she says, before criticizing forces that benefit from conflict between female artists.
As of Saturday, Minaj had not publicly responded to the song or Lizzo’s social media post.
The album represents an important return for Lizzo, whose last studio release, Special, produced the chart-topping hit “About Damn Time” and earned widespread commercial success.
In a statement accompanying the album, Lizzo explained that the title BITCH was intended as an act of empowerment and self-definition.
“Reclaiming the word ‘bitch’ is power,” she said. “It’s taking a label once used to diminish women and turning it into a declaration of confidence and unapologetic self-love.”
She added that artists such as Meredith Brooks and Missy Elliott had previously used the term in empowering ways, making it a fitting title for the project.
Beyond the apparent Minaj references, the album also addresses the legal challenges that have followed Lizzo in recent years.
The singer reflects on the lawsuit filed in August 2023 by three former dancers, who accused her of sexual harassment, fostering a hostile work environment and weight-shaming. Lizzo has denied the allegations.
On the title track, she expresses hope that legal proceedings will eventually clear her name.
“I fantasize about the trial and exposing the lies,” she raps, suggesting she believes the accusations were part of an effort to damage her reputation.
However, she also acknowledges that even a courtroom victory may not fully repair the impact the controversy has had on her public image.
The track has already sparked debate online, with fans dissecting the lyrics and speculating whether a new chapter has opened in the long-running tensions between the two artists.
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