Nicki Minaj Hails Skeng As An Inspiration
‘Queen of Rap’ Nicki Minaj has continued to sing Skeng’s praises, this time hailing the Dancehall star as one of her inspirations during a recent interview with actress and talk show host Jada Pinkett-Smith.
During the conversation between the two for Interview Magazine, Pinkett-Smith, wife of actor Will Smith, asked the Super Bass rapper whether any other entertainer “offers any inspiration creatively or with how they handle their business.”
This opened the window for Minaj to express her admiration for the Jamaican deejay, whom she says she had randomly stumbled upon on TikTok.
“Of course, there are always people out there inspiring me. Let’s see. Do you want to know what’s so funny? This might be very odd, but I just stumbled upon this guy, his name is Skeng. One day I’m on TikTok and I heard this song and I went on YouTube to listen to it more, and I ended up going to song after song from this guy. I already love dancehall, but it’s been a minute since a new male dancehall artist stood out to me,” she said.
While some may raise eyebrows about Skeng’s usual antics and controversial lyrics, the Trinidadian-born rapper added that those elements are what made her so drawn to him.
“What inspired me was he isn’t trying to be like anyone. I loved how freaking raw it was. And his sound was just so different. People may not know him yet but they will.”
Just two weeks ago, the rapper declared that the London deejay “is the future.”
“Skeng is the future. Every thing Skeng touch is special. He’s different. I love him so much – y’all have no idea,” Minaj wrote in an Instagram Story post. “No one is a bigger Skeng fan than me. NO ONE!!!”
Over the last few months, she has shown him much love on social media, before collaborating on a remix of Likkle Miss. They’ve since extended the remix with ‘The Fine Nine’ version, which features Spice, Destra Garcia, Patrice Roberts, Lady Leshurr, Pamputtae, Dovey Magnum, Lisa Mercedez, and London Hill.
Minaj first endorsed Skeng earlier in April when she started following him on social media and later followed up with a post of a 27-second clip of herself lip-syncing to his track, Street Cred.
That same month, she had also hailed Skeng and Tommy Lee Sparta’s Protocol as the “baddest” song to be released in years” in a comment under the song’s YouTube video. “Dem nah run dem blokk, When we pull up them affi run lef dat,” she had written, quoting Tommy Lee Sparta’s lines from the track.
On Friday, Skeng and Sparta released a follow-up to Protocol and Minaj was there to cheer them on.
“LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 intro to dat verse wicked. Pop a 💊 transform fully insane 😜♥️,” she said of Skeng’s new verses on Instagram and similarly on YouTube.
Skeng, whose real name Kevaun Douglas, is among the most streamed artists in Jamaica. He is signed with Geejam Music.
Minaj’s previous Dancehall collaborations include the Crocodile Teeth (Remix) with Skillibeng, Hold Yuh (Remix) with Gyptian, the Touch Down (Remix) with Vybz Kartel and Stylo G, Give It All To Me with Mavado, and Gun Shot with Beenie Man off her Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded album.
She had also interpolated the Filthy Riddim (Mr. Vegas‘ Heads High) in 2019’s big hit MEGATRON.