Nicki Minaj Throws Verbal Haymakers at JAY-Z & Shannon Sharpe on Fiery "Banned From NO" Remix With Lil Wayne

In a surprise heard and seen worldwide, Minaj linked up with her Young Money compadre and mentor Lil Wayne for the remix of his "Banned From NO" track. The track was released (on June 11, 2025) a few days after Wayne's Tha Carter VI arrived on streaming platforms. The remix was a moment of both musical reunion and lyrical comeuppance.

The song is rife with witty NBA-inspired wordplay on the hook, but Nicki's unfiltered verse made fans and critics double-take. She had receipts and was not afraid to cash them in.

Directly targeting sports analyst Shannon Sharpe, she raps: "If I send you Shannon pic, you ain't that Sharpe." That lyrical jab was nothing out of nowhere, either. Nicki later clarified on X that it came from Sharpe calling her, "Nicki, who? Comment from February 2024. Her follow-up online was delicious with sarcasm:

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"Yeah n####, you thought I was fuckin forgetting that Nicki who' s### you did? LMFAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO j/k.”

Even NFL great Chad Ochocinco took a stray or nearly took one. Nicki joked: "Ochocinco was almost sterilized just by being in the same building as yo crazy tail self."

Before the beat fades, Nicki takes another swing, this time at the NFL and JAY-Z. In a pointed critique of the league for not including Wayne in the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show in his hometown of New Orleans, she raps: "NFL, hire a few n##### and then call us!!!

That line changed the tone of the song from somewhat diss-y to a demand for justice. For many fans, it reverberated long-simmering frustrations with hip-hop's fraught relationship with major institutions, none more so than the NFL. And when Nicki is the one delivering the message, it falls with extra force.

The remix also signaled the first official collaboration between Minaj and Wayne since her 2023 mixtape, ' Pink Friday 2.' In celebration, she went on Instagram to salute the Young Money legacy and posted a series of throwback photos as she reminisced about the days when artists were all smiles.

In a year where 'Tha Carter VI' has already wreaked havoc upon the rap landscape with its 19 tracks and handful of surprise guest features, "Banned From NO," the remix reads as a bit of a homecoming and a shot across the bow. Nicki's pen is still razor-sharp here. She carved it in stone, one bar at a time for those needing to remember.