Nicki Minaj Hails Skeng, Tommy Lee’s ‘Protocol’ As The “Baddest” Song In Years
Super Bass rapper Nicki Minaj has hailed Skeng and Tommy Lee Sparta’s Protocol as the “baddest” song to be released in years. The Trinidad-born ‘Queen of Rap’ made the comment under the Trap-infused Dancehall song’s video on YouTube, which has over 23 million views since its release in November 2021.
“Dem nah run dem blokk, When we pull up them affi run lef dat,” she wrote on Saturday, quoting Tommy Lee Sparta’s lines from the track.
The Diamond-selling rapper added several fire emojis and concluded: “Baddest song to come out in years 🎀.”
The Trueyez Films–directed music video, which only featured Skeng (Sparta is currently incarcerated), took viewers to an NYPD-patrolled street in New York City, where Skeng parred with his crew and switched up his lyrical flow at will. Protocol, produced by 1STClassMusic, has surpassed the Dancehall deejay’s other big hit, Gvnman Shift, in terms of views on YouTube. The latter, which gave him his big break in Summer 2021, is playing catch up with just over 22 million views.
This is Minaj’s second endorsement of Skeng’s music in recent weeks and it tracks with her previous statements about how she explores new music.
During a Twitter Space last September, when she declared an interest in Dancehall artist Intence, Minaj shared that when she likes a new artist, she becomes interested in who they are as a person and aims to satisfy her interest by watching their interviews and exploring more of their music. According to her, this may result in her following them on social media or maybe not.
“With some people, I’ll hear their songs and then I’ll look them up a little more and then I’ll be like ‘I really like this person, as a human’. And obviously I’ve followed a lot of Jamaican people cause they’re funny, they’re dope and I f-cking love what they’re doing,” the Barbz Queen said at the time.
Minaj has previously collaborated with Dancehall artists Mavado, Stylo G, Vybz Kartel, and most recently Skillibeng on the Crocodile Teeth (remix), which peaked at No. 100 on the Billboard Hot 100 last year.
According to YouTube’s Music Charts & Insights, Skeng is the second most viewed artist in Jamaica over the last 12 months, behind Chronic Law, who is No. 1. Besides Protocol and Gvnman Shift, Skeng’s top songs on the platform are Heaven Passport with Intence, Street Cred, Life Changes, and Brrrp.
He has been keeping himself busy in the UK by doing live shows and with the release of the single London, which has over 1.5 million YouTube views.
Meanwhile, Tommy Lee Sparta is one year into a three-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to possession of an illegal gun and ammunition. After he was sentenced in March 2021, a police source reportedly said that the gun was linked to two murders and three cases of shooting with intent.
Sparta’s lawyer Donahue Martin has strongly denied his client’s involvement in any “murders or acts of violence” and there have been no additional charges.