20 of the Best Nicki Minaj Verses

When they play that new Nicki, all the Barbz gon’ go crazy, and rightfully so. Throughout her 15-year career, Onika Maraj has proven that not only is she one of the best female spitters in hip-hop history, but also one of the greats regardless of gender when it comes to bars. Since bursting onto the scene with Playtime Is Over in 2007, the Queens, N.Y. rapper has shown a knack for delivering top-notch verses. She’s also been very vocal and taken pride in penning her own rhymes.

“All the real rappers in the game know & give me my props,” Nicki tweeted in 2018. “Y’all try to take away everything from women. But just know: even when it’s no longer ‘trendy’ to write ur raps I will always write my own!!! Even if it means not being able to drop as frequent as I want to, I will never go out like that!!! I’m proud of my brain. I hold my own with all the men in this game. It’s sad y’all always try to take away my accomplishments.”

Nicki Minaj’s verse on Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy track “Monster” in 2010 is considered by most supporters to be her tour de force. Many fans say Nicki had better bars than Kanye, Jay-Z and Rick Ross, who also appear on the track.

“Pull up in the monster, automobile gangsta/With a bad b***h that came from Sri Lanka/Yeah, I’m in that Tonka, color of Willy Wonka/You could be the king, but watch the queen conquer,” Nicki snaps on the track.

But this is just one of the many verses Nicki Minaj has bodied over the years. She’s had some of the most elite 16s that come from her own songs—no guest features. Check out 20 of the best Nicki Minaj verses—from her own catalog—below.