Do you see Nicki Minaj up there, peeking devilishly over her own couture? That's because she spotted pop-star beef unfolding, and the opportunity to insert herself into it was tantalizing. The photo was actually taken at this year's Met Gala, but yeah. There's a discourse going on, and Minaj has decided to partake.
Thursday, Lana Del Rey took to Instagram to preview a new song she identified as "Track 13," which appears to be a diss track aimed at gothic slowcore provocateur Ethel Cain (real name Hayden Anhedönia). In the song, Del Rey begins by singing, "Ethel Cain hated my Instagram post." She takes Cain to task for re-creating a famous photo with Del Rey's ex-boyfriend, Salem’s Jack Donoghue, outside Chicago's Cook County Jail. She recites the phrase "the most famous girl at the Waffle House," apparently quoting the headline from a 2022 New York Times feature about Cain. In an Instagram comment, Del Rey explained that she had learned about Cain posting "disturbing and graphic" images commenting on her weight and appearance. "Then when I heard what she was saying behind closed doors from mutual friends and started inserting herself into my personal life I was definitely disturbed," she wrote.
Cain responded by posting, in an Instagram story, "update: lana del rey has blocked ethel cain on instagram." Since then, interview footage from 2021 has surfaced in which Cain says she disagrees when her music is compared to Del Rey's because LDR sings about "the glamor and the glitz and the opulence of America," whereas Cain sings about the "broke bitches and trailer parks, but, like, for real," saying the Ethel Cain project is about communities of poor people who take care of each other.
📹 Ethel Cain interview on the Lana Del Rey comparisons, resurfaces online (2021) pic.twitter.com/0HAdnpiEAm
— Lana Core (@Ianacore) August 14, 2025
Meanwhile, Cain's sister, who releases music under the name Delilah Dolly, responded to Del Rey with an IG story of her own: "i can't wait to watch your hologram perform this 'diss track' while you hit your vape backstage diva @honeymoon what inspired you to suddenly make a country album??" — a reference to the constantly morphing Americana-leaning LP that Del Rey has been teasing for more than a year now. Coming from a Florida native, I assume that's supposed to be a dig at Del Rey, who is from Lake Placid, cosplaying as a Southerner and/or jumping on the fast-curdling trend of pop stars going country.
THIS IS CRAZYYYYY pic.twitter.com/uLs2yPjrQc
— spanᴴ (@leadyoutobed) August 14, 2025
As for Minaj, she's delighted by the whole ordeal. In a series of tweets today, she sang LDR's praises, saying she can't stop singing the line "Ethel Cain hated my Instagram post" and referencing the 2020 "Question for the culture" scandal in which Del Rey cited Minaj by name. If you'll recall, in response to critics who say that she glamorizes abuse in her music, Del Rey posted a lengthy message that began like so:
Question for the culture:
Now that Doja Cat, Ariana, Camila, Cardi B, Kehlani and Nicki Minaj and Beyoncé have had number ones with songs about being sexy, wearing no clothes, fucking, cheating, etc — can I please go back to singing about being embodied, feeling beautiful by being in love even if the relationship is not perfect, or dancing for money — or whatever i want ––without being crucified or saying that I’m glamorising abuse???????
LDR took flack for the statement at the time, with some calling her a "Karen." But as Minaj points out, none of the artists she named actually responded to her diss: "Remember that time Lana dissed all the girlies but we had no idea why but none of us said anything back?Lmaooooo not we let Lana walk in the lunchroom & run EVERYBODY pockets wit no weapon & no gang & said not one thing about it." Quote-tweeting footage of "Track 13," Minaj continued praising the track and implied that she was going back through Lana's catalog and becoming a late-breaking fan. She then quote-tweeted an image of Cain hoisting an American flag with Minaj drawn on it, writing, "Wtf? Is this real? Thank you, Ethel." She concluded with more affirmation for the "DOPE melody, vocal & instrumentation" on "Track 13."
Here's the full text of Minaj's LDR praise:
I’ve been singing “Ethel cain hated my instagram post” all morning. Help!!!!!
And something about the Waffle House & a picture w/some boy? But how can a melody & instruments & background vocals & the mixing be so good that I’m walking around all day talking about a person named Ethel who I do not know hating an instagram post I never even posted? HELP MEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!! I’m sure Ethel is a nice person. *hums the melody again & drifts off into this somber state whilst looking off into the horizon”.
Remember that time Lana dissed all the girlies but we had no idea why but none of us said anything back?Lmaooooo not we let Lana walk in the lunchroom & run EVERYBODY pockets wit no weapon & no gang & said not one thing about it. Lmfaooooo. AYO🤣
I fkng love this shit yo. 😩😂Like. 😩 Now I see how ppl can discover an artist years & years into their career then go back & listen to their entire discography & become a die hard fan. I always hear my label & new fans of all diff artists talking about that but now I RLLY get it.
And there ya have it. Lana has me singing about a person named Ethel Cain due to this DOPE melody, vocal & instrumentation. It just made me think how many times ppl were probably PROUDLY rapping someone’s name in one of my songs & had no clue who or what I was talking about 😩
I feel like I've just witnessed the "messy bitch who lives for drama" archetype materializing before my eyes.
I’ve been singing “Ethel cain hated my instagram post” all morning. Help!!!!!
And something about the Waffle House & a picture w/some boy? But how can a melody & instruments & background vocals & the mixing be so good that I’m walking around all day talking about a person named… pic.twitter.com/a9PtvK9WfW
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) August 15, 2025
Remember that time Lana dissed all the girlies but we had no idea why but none of us said anything back? Lmaooooo not we let Lana walk in the lunchroom & run EVERYBODY pockets wit no weapon & no gang & said not one thing about it. Lmfaooooo. AYO🤣
I fkng love this shit yo. 😩😂— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) August 15, 2025
Wtf? Is this real? Thank you, Ethel. https://t.co/wu5ZMOK8FA
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) August 15, 2025
And there ya have it. Lana has me singing about a person named Ethel Cain due to this DOPE melody, vocal & instrumentation. It just made me think how many times ppl were probably PROUDLY rapping someone’s name in one of my songs & had no clue who or what I was talking about 😩 pic.twitter.com/jyfwI2FXF8
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) August 15, 2025
