Nicki Minaj Slams Jessie J's Claim She Asked to Join 'Bang Bang': 'Am I the Damn Song Monitor?' (2024)

When it comes to the origins of their hit song, Nicki Minaj and Jessie J have different versions of events.

After Jessie J claimed that Minaj asked to lend her vocals to her hit 2014 track "Bang Bang" in a recent Glamour interview, the rapper disputed the assertion and offered her own recollection of how the collaboration came to be on Twitter.

"Bang Bang," also includes vocals from Ariana Grande, was a single from Jessie J's album Sweet Talker.

" 'Bang Bang' was a song that already existed. I didn't write 'Bang Bang.' Max Martin wrote 'Bang Bang,' and Ariana had been played it, I'd been played it, and we both loved it," Jessie J told the magazine. "We just said, 'Why don't we both do it?' So Ariana stayed on the second verse, I recorded the first verse, and then Nicki was played it in the studio and was like, 'I've got to jump on this.' We didn't go to her and ask; she wanted to do it."

But Minaj claimed she was actually approached by the label and was "paid" to be featured on the song.

"Babe @JessieJ I didn't hear the song & ask 2get on it. The label asked me2get on it & paid me," the rapper, 38, tweeted Thursday. "How would I have heard the song? chiiille what am I the damn song monitor? Snoopin around for songs chile? This was said by another artist recently as well. Yallgotta stop LoveU."

After posting her response, Minaj received criticism from fans who pointed out that Jessie J spoke kindly of the rapper and didn't have any ill intent.

"You know she didn't mean it like that," wrote one fan, urging Minaj to "delete" her original tweet.

"She was clearly complimenting you and expressing how something for a smaller artist like her than you is so excited," wrote another. "You just ruined that for her."

Later responding to another fan who supported her amid the backlash, Minaj said if there was one song of Jessie J's that she would have happily volunteered for, it would have been the 2011 tune "Do It Like a Dude."

"Chi but the worst part about this is no1EVER asked me2get on 'like a dude' & I have been obsessed w|that song since the min I heard it," Nicki wrote. "I was doing promo in the UK & heard it on the radio. My artist Parker co wrote it. I would've gotten on that 1 for some pickle juice."

https://twitter.com/NICKIMINAJ/status/1423505614500630535

Closing out the situation, Minaj tweeted that she was "stepping bak [sic] in the booth."

While Jessie J has yet to respond publicly to Nicki's remarks about the song, the English singer had nothing but praise for her former collaborator while speaking to Glamour.

Jessie J recalled the first time she heard "Bang Bang" with the rapper's completed verse, saying she was blown away.

"I'll never forget: I was in my bedroom in my flat in London, and I got sent the version with Nicki on it," she said. "I just sat at the end of my bed holding my phone, staring at the floor, going, 'How the f--- did I land this?' I literally felt like I'd won a competition."

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Jessie J also said "Bang Bang" would have "never done what it did" without Minaj and Grande. She said, "I love working with them both," and that they are "so incredible, and they've both gone on to be two of the biggest artists in the world."

"The gratitude I have and, honestly, the experience of girl power. ... Me and Ari just spoke the other day, and I was like, 'We should definitely do something together.' And she was like, 'If we do, it has to be better than "Bang Bang." ' And I was like, 'Well...' She was like, 'I don't know,' and I was like, 'I don't know.' Because it's just one of those songs that just caught and went," she explained.

Remembering their shoot for the music video, Jessie J said, "Nicki was only there for an hour and a half, and we were just so giddy, all of us. I remember all of us being on set, and I remember us taking a selfie. I remember going, 'I literally feel like I'm a fan in the back of the picture.' I just remember laughing."

"All of us were just giggling and enjoying being around each other. It was great," she added.

Nicki Minaj Slams Jessie J's Claim She Asked to Join 'Bang Bang': 'Am I the Damn Song Monitor?' (2024)

FAQs

Nicki Minaj Slams Jessie J's Claim She Asked to Join 'Bang Bang': 'Am I the Damn Song Monitor?'? ›

' We didn't go to her and ask; she wanted to do it." But Minaj claimed she was actually approached by the label and was "paid" to be featured on the song. "Babe @JessieJ I didn't hear the song & ask 2get on it. The label asked me2get on it & paid me," the rapper, 38, tweeted Thursday.

Why did Jessie J leave her record label? ›

The “Price Tag” singer then went on to reveal how motherhood has changed her perspective and she wants to create new music on her “terms.” “I am now in the process of doing all the legalities and sorting out the music so I can put out new music and do it my way. On my time and my terms,” she said.

What is happening to Jessie J? ›

The “Domino” singer revealed that she was diagnosed with the vertigo-inducing disorder Ménière's disease in 2021 and opened up about suffering a miscarriage later that year.

Did Jessie J sing Bang Bang? ›

"Bang Bang" is a song by English singer and songwriter Jessie J, American singer and songwriter Ariana Grande and rapper Nicki Minaj. It was released by Lava and Republic Records on 28 July 2014 as the lead single from Jessie J's third studio album, Sweet Talker (2014).

Where did the song Bang Bang come from? ›

"Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" is the second single by American singer-actress Cher from her second album, The Sonny Side of Chér (1966). It was written by her husband Sonny Bono and released in 1966. The song reached No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart and No.

Is Jessie J expecting a baby? ›

Jessie J revealed that she's expecting her first child in January with an Instagram post. “I am so happy and terrified to finally share this… Please be gentle with me,” the “Bang Bang” singer wrote in the caption.

Does Jessie J have a baby? ›

Jessie and her basketball player boyfriend welcomed baby Sky into the world in early May, after one year of dating. Announcing the happy news on Instagram, Jessie wrote: 'A week ago my whole life changed. My son entered this world and my heart grew twice the size.

How rich is Jessie J? ›

English singer-songwriter Jessie J who hails from London is regarded as one of the all-time great singers. Jessie J has an estimated net worth of $30 million as of January 2024. The main source of Jessie J's net worth is her popularity as an English singer.

What happened between Nicki Minaj and Jessie J? ›

Jessie J has faced the wrath of social media's Barbz (Nicki Minaj stans) after the artists shared conflicting accounts of how their collab "Bang Bang" came to be. The "Price Tag" singer, 33, apologized to Minaj, 38, on Instagram Friday after claiming she asked to be on the song.

Are Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj still friends? ›

Fans of the two singers know that they share a longtime friendship and have collaborated in the past, and while they have been busy with their tight schedules and music and film projects, they seem to be as close as ever.

What does he shot me down mean? ›

to say no to, or disagree with, someone's ideas or suggestions, especially in a forceful or unkind way: He asked her for her number but she shot him down. I'm going to pose a hypothesis, and then you can either accept it or shoot me down.

What happened to Jessie J's bodyguard? ›

The 33-year-old singer's friend and bodyguard Dave passed away on December 28, 2018, and Jessie took to Instagram to share a sweet video of them joking around together as she remembered him on his anniversary. She wrote: "3 years ago today would of been your last day here with us on earth.

What has Jessie J done? ›

Jessie J exploded onto the music scene in 2010 with her hit single Do It Like A Dude. The openly bisexual Londoner soon become a national star with a number one album. She had a mentoring role on The X Factor,and The Voice. In 2011, she broke America (and her leg) and continued her rise to international stardom.

What label is Jessie J signed to? ›

Musical career

After signing with Republic Records, Jessie J came to prominence with the release of her debut single, "Do It Like a Dude", which peaked at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. Her following single, "Price Tag", was an international success, topping the charts in nineteen countries including the UK.

Did Jessie J go to school with Adele? ›

Before earning globetrotting diva cred and scoring her first Grammy nod, Jessie J was just a student with some killer pipes at the U.K.'s famed BRIT School alongside Adele.

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