American rapper Nicki Minaj thrilled her Nigerian fans by tweeting in Pidgin English on Monday.
The star took to the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to respond angrily to a false post about her, showcasing her newfound Pidgin skills.
Minaj tweeted, “I must be the only person you can make money off mentioning. Go 1 day. Abeg. GO ONE FUCKING DAY WITHOUT FKNG LYING ABEG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Her use of Pidgin English immediately caught the attention of her Nigerian followers, who were both surprised and amused.
A Nigerian fan with the username @tyxhndrxx asked, “Who Dey teach Nicki Minaj pidgin language?” Minaj quickly replied, showing off her Pidgin prowess: “Wetin be the confusion? I Dey have eyes o? I can read all the pidgin weh una pikin de put on my timeline every day. *SUCKS TEETH LOUDLY*”
Nigerian fans reacted with excitement and humor. Carbon Targaryen commented, “Una frustrate this woman, she start dey shout for pidgin 😂😂😂😂”
Obioha Ogbonna added, “There are some frustrations than can only be expressed in pidgin 😂😂😂” while Ms.O exclaimed, “Not you using Nigerian slang.. onikaaaa! 😭😭🤣🤣”
Fans speculated on how Minaj might have picked up the language. One fan, Kelly Bonito, joked, “E sure me say na Davido teach you your first pidgin class. Na so he turn Chris brown to OluwaCB.”
Others even suggested Nicki might have Nigerian roots, with comments like “Nikky you better open up. You be Nigerian.
Your name is Nike or Adenike 😂” and “Nicki Minaj aka Nkiru Muonago😍😍😂😂 She’s definitely Igbo cause her beauty is charming. 😍”
This isn’t the first time Minaj has shown her love for Nigerian culture. Last year, she responded to a fan, Ramat Victory, who was disappointed that Nigeria was not included in her 2024 tour.
Minaj replied in Pidgin, “Naija no de carry last,” which means “Nigeria never comes last,” and encouraged fans to sign up on her tour website to bring her to their city.
Minaj has also expressed her admiration for Nigerian Afrobeats star Wizkid, calling him “very chill and smart” during a recent livestream. Though fans are eager for a collaboration, no official project has been confirmed.
Nigerians have embraced Minaj’s use of their language, with one fan commenting, “There are somethings you just need to say in pidgin so it can make sense and be understood properly 😂😂.”
Another said, “Even people wey get English don dey speak pidgin??😂.. After one efulefu go come dey form Oxford dictionary untop another person language.”
As Nicki Minaj continues to connect with her Nigerian fans through Pidgin English, many are hopeful that she’ll bring her world tour to Nigeria soon, proving once again that “Naija no de carry last.”
