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Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne
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Key Takeaways
- Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj reunite on “Banned From NO (Remix),” reviving their Young Money chemistry.
- Nicki’s verse includes shots at Shannon Sharpe and possibly a subtle dig at JAY-Z.
- The remix drops as part of ‘Tha Carter VI (Bonus),’ adding momentum to Wayne’s 2025 run.
Weezy fans finally got the Young Money reunion they’d been waiting for. At midnight on Wednesday (June 11), Lil Wayne dropped the remix to his Tha Carter VI standout “Banned From NO,” featuring none other than Nicki Minaj.
Built around a “Banned From TV” sample, the record was practically begging for Minaj’s energy, and fortunately, she didn’t disappoint. While Wayne’s original opening verse stayed intact, the “Super Bass” hitmaker stormed in with references to several NBA teams — the Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers, to be specific — before launching into her show-stopping verse.
“O-o-one Barbiana, Vogue Italiana/ T-the best dressed just shut down Met Galiana,” she spat in reference to her recent Vogue cover, which arrived just weeks after she graced fashion’s biggest night. Minaj continued, “Mm, e-every season, Anna Wintour/ Ten-four, G-Gag City for the win tour.”
Elsewhere on the track, the Queen artist took shots at Shannon Sharpe and referenced one of Weezy’s most head-scratching moments: “If I send a pic of Shannon, you ain’t that Sharpe/ ‘Cause you still can’t spell Prague and that’s horrible/ Weezy F. Baby, and the F is for phenomenal.”
Not long after the remix dropped, Minaj tweeted that Sharpe’s “Nightcap” co-host, Ochocinco, almost caught a stray as well. “Yeah, n**ga, you thought I forgot that ‘Nicki who?’ s**t you did?” she wrote, referencing the three-time Super Bowl winner’s dismissive reaction when asked if she would appear on “Club Shay Shay.” Minaj continued, “Ochocinco almost caught a strizzy just by being around yo’ crazy-tail self.”
Closing out the verse, she seemingly took a dig at JAY-Z: “French Vanilla Hazel Nut in my Starbucks/ NFL, fire some n**gas and then call us.” For context, the rap superstar called out Hov for choosing Kendrick Lamar to headline the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show in New Orleans, rather than the more obvious hometown pick, Wayne.
“Banned From NO (Remix)” was introduced by way of Tha Carter VI (Bonus), following the original LP’s release last week. According to Hits Daily Double, the album is expected to debut at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling around 110,000 units in its first week.
