Nicki Minaj wants everyone to know that defending Lil Wayne doesn’t mean she’s dismissing Kendrick Lamar, especially after her fiery comments about the Super Bowl LIX’s halftime show headliner decision.

“You can love and respect Kendrick and still love and respect Wayne. Even Kendrick loves and respects Wayne. Every real rapper loves and respects Wayne,” she clarified on Monday (Sept. 9) evening.

In Minaj’s initial rant, she accused JAY-Z and Roc Nation of “punishing” Lil Wayne out of disdain for herself, Drake and Birdman, who also had some words of his own. Many fans felt the “Lollipop” hitmaker would’ve been the best pick for the upcoming Super Bowl’s location, with others saying Lamar was chosen off the strength of May’s “Not Like Us.”

Shortly after, a Twitter user accused Minaj of backtracking after getting pushback from her label, Republic Records. The Pink Friday creator explained that she always speaks her mind: “If they did call me, I [definitely] didn’t get the call, [child]. Maybe they left a [voicemail]. You must [really] not know Oniqua hungry pie.”

She continued, “This [really] just shows that you’re caged and have never been able to simply do and say as you please [without] any fear — other than the fear of God — stopping you.”

Minaj also didn’t miss the opportunity to promote her “Pink Friday 2 World Tour.” The trek landed in Washington, D.C., on Monday night and will resume with stops in Cleveland, Birmingham, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Diego and Las Vegas before the month is up. Tyga, Skillibeng and BIA are expected to join her on select stops.

Friday (Sept. 13) will also mark the release of Pink Friday 2: Gag City Reloaded. In a recent TikTok Live, Minaj teased that the project could contain fan-favorite leaks and a few “surprise features.” Unfortunately, she hasn’t shared the official tracklist just yet.