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Jenna Fain

Professor Gonzalez

ENC 1102

31 January 2024

Research Proposal

I.Project Title: Megan v. Nicki: The Influence of Beef in Music on Fans

II. Research Questions:

What ways have Nicki Minaj and Megan the Stallion called each other out in songs?

What ways can shade between artists influence fans opinions?

How can drama between artists resonate with fans personal lives, positively and negatively?

III. Statement of Significance:

Nicki Minaj was known as the Queen of rap for many years. Most people in society have

heard of her name. Megan the Stallion is a more recent female rapper yet is also extremely

famous. These women butting heads so intensely, with such a huge fanbase each, is greatly

influential on the public. Diss tracks in general are extremely influential on the public. A diss

track is when one artist creates a song with lyrics that either implicitly or explicitly target a

person in a negative light. Diss tracks usually gain more attraction as humans love to hear about

drama and see it unfold. Researchers should look into the way fans react to each move Nicki and
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Megan have made, including their diss tracks about each other, because this can have great

effects on public opinion as well as the individual opinion and mental health. Many of Nicki

Minaj’s fans (the Barbz) are extremely attached and some people would even say that they

“worship her”. Many of the messages that the artists send to each other effect their fans based on

their own morals and personal experiences. Fans who are immersed in this drama can be hugely

affected and act in a new manner. This can include the way fans view themselves, how they act,

how they think, and how they might treat others and their issues. By looking into this, I believe

that I can help to uncover the way that the artists, Nicki and Megan, influence fans through their

interactions with each other.

IV. Research Design/Description of Study:

If allowed, I will conduct my research through my own personal resources in my dorm

culture. My roommates and I have a whiteboard on our door that people write on and we have

already put Nicki v. Megan and people have tallied who they support and shared some pictures

or messages. I will also investigate the statistics of their diss tracks as well as follower numbers.

I will investigate comments underneath their posts. I will also investigate academic articles that

relate to the topic of music and artists influencing fans. I will lastly, investigate the livestreams

from both artists of them addressing each other that include a live chat of fans reactions.
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V. Citations

 Brown, K. (2018, April 6). How does music connect the artist and fans? -
scholarworks.bgsu.edu. Ray Browne Conference on Cultural and Critical Studies.
https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1187&context=rbc
 Megan Thee Stallion, “Hiss.” YouTube Music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=p17PQgMrrUM
 Minaj, Nicki, “Big Foot.” YouTube Music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=vKkoBUPav3s
 Megan Thee Stallion. Minaj, Nicki, “Hot Girl Summer.” YouTube Music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKkoBUPav3s

PowerPoint Research Proposal ENC 1102.pptx