Nicki Minaj still has the culture buzzing. Her alignment with Donald Trump has Hip-Hop watchers, fans, and even some of her most loyal Barbz scratching their heads. This isn’t brand new behavior, but the way she’s doubling down has people wondering if something deeper is going on.

Nicki flexed about MAGA and having Trump “on text,” and people were confused. Folks who have championed her for years are starting to wrestle with the uncomfortable possibility that their fave is planting her flag on the wrong side of the battlefield. Oh, the rumors!

One running theory is tied to her brother, Jelani Maraj. He’s currently in prison for the kind of crime you don’t even want to say out loud, and Nicki was publicly supportive throughout his case. She reportedly pushed hard to keep him out of jail, but the system still came down on him. And he’s serving football numbers. Some people believe she may be trying to get into Trump’s good graces for a potential pardon. Just rumors, no facts!

Then there’s her husband, Kenneth Petty, whose legal history has followed him everywhere. A sexual assault conviction. A manslaughter conviction. He’s a registered sex offender. His status creates real limitations, like not being able to do something as basic as pick up their child from school. Observers noticed he wasn’t at the United Nations with Nicki during her appearance.

On top of that, we we’ve stated before, Nicki isn’t a United States citizen. She’s been here for years and clearly does not want to go back to Trinidad. ICE probably isn’t gearing up to make her a target, but you never know. Her husband reportedly can’t be the one to help secure her citizenship due to his convictions. Again, not confirmed, but this is generally the case.

But the part that really stings for a lot of fans, especially Black women, is the shift. Nicki has long been framed as a voice for women who fight the odds. A lot of folks never saw her that way, but the Barbz do. Meanwhile, the Trump movement has been widely criticized for policies and rhetoric that disproportionately harm Black women. Just look at the number of Black women out of work in these 10 or so months! There have been massive women’s marches built on resisting this man.

Everyone’s trying to make sense of it, but the truth is, no one knows for sure why she’s doing any of this. I don’t think anyone saw this, like some of the male figures that have gotten buddy-buddy with Trumpy.

Or maybe she is just a prayer warrior that believes Trump is doing God’s work.