Nicki Minaj is going to need that blow up unicorn [that a screenshot gone viral on Wednesday, March 29, shows her riding] to work it's magic, if her "No Frauds" response to Remy Ma's "ShETHER" diss is going to prove that commercial appeal still has a leg up on lyrical prowess in mainstream rap battles. Unless there's been some kind of statistical error, it looks like the Young Money assisted record has been quickly falling off of the charts.
In its second week on the Billboard Hot 100, "No Frauds" comes in at number 84 among the most popular songs in pop music today. That's a 70 spot slide from its debut at number 14 only one week prior. Such a drastic dip is odd considering that besides it being a brand new Nicki Minaj single, with a rare cameo from Lil Wayne, the track features Drake, who arguably remains the hottest rapper, if not artist, in music today. It has been a long time since Nicki's commercial viability showed itself to be suspect, but then again, the Black Barbie rapper has always kept a steady balance of pop features in her repertoire. Still, "No Frauds" was her highest debut on the chart since Truffle Butter [also featuring Drake and Lil Wayne] entered the chart in the same spot exactly two years before the trio's new collaboration did.
Considering Nicki's expansive/ transcendent cultural reach, and industry economics, "ShETHER" will ultimately be inconsequential to "No Frauds" success, and the more Nicki refuses to acknowledge Remy, the more she is doing to minimize the impact of any future shots coming her way from the Terror Squad queen. But many listeners who listened bar for bar when Remy released the nearly seven minute long assault are yet to have had closure on how the battle ended, despite Nicki eventually putting out a clear response; and many of those who happened to side with "No Frauds" over "ShETHER" did so on account of its prospects of doing well on the radio. With Remy's ability to do much but sing her song's lyrics a capella, since Universal ordered her to stop using the Nas - "Ether" sample, fans at least have some what of an answer as to why "ShETHER," a song that shot to #2 on iTunes, doesn't have a chart presence.
Source: hotnewhiphop.com