As someone who’s made a career of writing about music for the internet, allow me to offer some sage advice: Don’t piss off a Barb. Nicki Minaj’s online fanbase is ruthless, and they don’t discriminate. Not even towards Minaj herself.
TMZ reports that a man named Tameer Peak is suing Minaj for $5 million in damages for reputational harm, emotional distress and financial loss. In court documents viewed by TMZ, Peak claims that he’s been one of the rapper’s most fervent fans for 15 years, and that he boosted her career by helping to promote her 2023 album Pink Friday 2.
Peak supported Minaj’s career even through what he calls the “Nicki Hate Train,” a circa-2017 incident in which Minaj accused some fans of being moles sent to sabotage her. Peak also claims that Minaj “berated” him on an Instagram Livestream that had over 100,000 viewers, and that during an event for the 2020 Super Bowl, he was hit by Minaj’s husband Kenneth Petty (who’s had a lot of legal issues of his own).
Peak went on to allege that, more recently, Minaj would continue to make unflattering comments towards him publicly on social media, calling him a “stalker” and insinuating that he was mentally unstable. In a statement to TMZ, Minaj’s attorney writes:
Mr. Peak has been harassing Nicki on social media for years on end to no avail.
He has now graduated to seeking to shake her down financially with manifestly false allegations and legally frivolous claims. He will regret having gone down this disreputable road when he is forced to pay her legal fees as required by California law.