Nicki Minaj rejected Kanye West’s request to include their 2018 song “New Body” on his upcoming album Vultures.
Today (Dec. 15), West shared a text message to the rapper on Twitter. It read, “Hi, it’s Ye. May I call you about clearing ‘New Body’ on the new album?” In an Instagram Live response, Minaj said, “Now, regarding Kanye, that train has left the station, okay? No disrespect in any way. I just put out a brand-new album. Why would I put out a song that’s been out for three years? Come on, guys.”
“New Body” was initially part of West’s unreleased Yandhi project and was later considered for Jesus Is King. In 2019, Minaj told The Shade Room, “I done wrote three different verses, [child], and I don’t know. We ain’t seeing eye to eye on it.”
In a 2022 interview with Hot 106, she further elaborated, “The public adored ‘New Body.’ Like, ‘New Body’ is the biggest hit record that never came out. So, what I thought was interesting was that Kanye made me write my ‘New Body’ verse four times over… Then, I go on the internet a few months later to see him on ‘Drink Champs.’ Had ‘New Body’ been out when he was not in his gospel era, then it would’ve seen the light of day.”
Vultures is a joint project with Ty Dolla Sign. It was set to come out today but has not yet been released. Currently, it’s unclear if the absence of “New Body” is the sole reason for the delay.
When it does debut, the LP will reportedly contain guest appearances from Kodak Black, Chris Brown, Offset, Lil Durk, Freddie Gibbs and more. During a livestream event in Miami, North West also teased a track that could appear on the body of work.
On the other hand, Minaj dropped Pink Friday 2 last Friday (Dec. 8). The 22-song release boasted features from Lil Wayne, J. Cole, Drake, Lil Uzi Vert and more.