Kanye West’s ex-girlfriend Amber Rose has claimed Yeezy once confessed he thought Nicki Minaj washed him on his song “Monster,” which appeared on his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
Nicki’s verse has served as a talking point for years, both for her career and Hip Hop as a whole, with many claiming it to be one of the greatest rap verses in history.
During a sit-down with The Ringer’s Higher Learning, Rose said she continuously A&R’ed for all of her boyfriends and was the one who demanded Ye put the Queens rapper on the track.
“I put Nicki on ‘Monster,’” Rose said. “He didn’t know who Nicki was back then. I had Nicki pull up to the studio and I put her on ‘Monster.’ She was still coming up and I saw her in the studio and I was like, ‘Oh my god this bitch is fucking talented as hell,’ and then I went back to Kanye and I was like, ‘You need to get this girl Nicki on ‘Monster,’ and he was like, ‘Who? What? No.’”
She went on to say Kanye actually wanted the verse to be taken off the song for a moment because it was too good.
“He said, ‘How the fuck did you bring in a bitch that killed me on my own song?’” Rose said.
Rose had previously told a similar story while a guest on Complex’s Open Late in 2018, where she said Kanye was blown away by Nicki’s contribution.
“I believed in Nicki from the beginning,” Rose said at the time. “I was with Kanye at the time and I was like, ‘Kanye, you gotta give her a shot like she’s amazing. He tried it out and he put her on ‘Monster.’ He was like, ‘Damn, she fuckin’ killed that shit.’”
The 38-year-old model had stopped by Higher Learning partly to discuss a new album she has in the works, though she opted not to divulge too much information.
“Just know that this was not an overnight thing,” she said. “I’ve been quiet, on purpose. I sat in the studio day and night. I have a good ear.”
Check out the full interview with Higher Learning above. Revisit “Monster” below.