Ding-dong: Must be that beef that I ordered

Marcus Falcão / THE GATEPOST

By Antonio Machado Copy Editor Conflict is an innate part of human nature. Conflict is how humanity grows and learns to better understand one another. Conflict is the seed of innovation. But when does an argument cross the line between enrichment and growth and teeter into the realm of unadulterated, pointless negativity? When do we as people draw the line between conflict with purpose and conflict for conflict’s sake? This is what we must interrogate when we look at how arguments are perceived in the modern day. When two queens maximize and unleash their joint hatred for each other, it results in a no-holds-barred, week-long dispute on X (formerly known as Twitter, and much better titled) for the entire world to see and weigh in on. Rap giants Nicki Minaj and Cardi B went back and forth in a series of posts throughout the week of Sept. 21, a seven-year in-the-coming altercation following the infamous “MotorSport” incident, wherein Minaj felt disrespected by Cardi’s treatment of her on their collaboration and planted the seeds of one of the most iconic rap beefs in “herstory.” In her feature on Katy Perry’s “Swish Swish,” Minaj said, “Silly rap beefs just give me more checks,” but as the women grew tired of exchanging digs at each other, each one seemingly searching for the most vulgar, outrageous, and unsubstantiated claim they could make about the other, they eventually diverged into instead attacking each other’s children, and we were brought to wonder if more checks are worth the bad press (press, press, press, press). Exchanges like this are integral to Hip-Hop - Kendrick vs. Drake, Nicki vs. Megan, Nicki vs. Latto, Nicki vs. Remy Ma, and Nicki vs. Lil Kim (notice a pattern?) - but those exchanges mostly stayed within the music and were expressed through each party’s individual art. However, Minaj and Cardi’s argument extended beyond their art. In an X post, Cardi claimed to have information pertaining to Minaj’s medical history, saying she was “going to different fertility doctors [because] you couldn’t reproduce from all them percs scrambling your eggs,” and Minaj, in response, called for her fans to boycott any companies associated with Cardi. The conflict between these women, while hilarious to any external party, begs the question - how low is too low? It is virtually impossible to make anyone set their differences aside amicably. The purpose of an argument is to work out said differences, but an argument of this nature is neither beneficial nor healthy for either party nor their legacies or careers. The conversation regarding the “beef” between these women becomes further nuanced when we begin to consider our roles in enabling their behavior. Since these were public posts, fanbases from both parties were present and contributing to the dispute. As an audience, we are active participants and, in a way, partially responsible for allowing innocent children to be victims of incredibly hateful rhetoric that will follow their names forever as children of public people. We live in a time of conflict. The entire world is aflame, and Hollywood serves only as a mirror to the turmoil we face in our everyday lives. The world will not be healed with kindness, and taking the high road only makes the fall hurt more, but sinking to the depths of depravity for the sake of winning an argument is never the right pathway to engage in a discussion. When we observe foolishness such as this, the first thought should not be getting front-row tickets to the most TikTok likes by posting screenshots of Minaj calling Cardi’s children racial slurs or Cardi telling Minaj’s son he “can’t speak and [bangs] spoons because [his] mother couldn’t put the drugs down” in various X posts as though we were recording a performance at the circus. When we allow conflict to be reduced to a form of entertainment, where the person who says the most low vibrational thing about the other “wins,” we begin to lose sight of why we argue in the first place. Conflict is inevitable because it is a catalyst for growth, a necessary step in humanity that raises us up and allows us to more deeply perceive every aspect of each other, and recently, we have repeatedly tripped over that step. In a time so lacking in empathy, it is imperative that we take action in ensuring we are understood. Nobody has ever been killed with kindness, but millions have died from misunderstandings. The bridge between Cardi and Nicki has long since been burned, but the echoes of their ruin are not the songs we should sing in our daily lives. If conflict is what makes us human, then it is our responsibility to decide what kind of humans we want to be.