Nicki Minaj Tells Fans They’re ‘Beautiful’ —and James Blunt Enters the Chat: ‘You’re a Little Slow to the Party’

Nicki Minaj and James Blunt had a playful exchange over an uplifting message that the rapper shared with her fans.

On Wednesday, Oct. 22, the 42-year-old Queen rapper took to X to spread some positivity online.

“Idk who needs to hear this, but you’re beautiful,” she wrote.

Blunt, 51, quoted her post and added a jokingly sarcastic response: “You’re a little slow to the party.”

His reaction referenced his 2004 smash “You’re Beautiful,” which became an indomitable hit and topped the Billboard Hot 100 that year. To date, it’s amassed more than 1 billion streams on Spotify alone.

Minaj took Blunt’s message as it was intended, playfully replying, “Touché.”

Though the rapper laughed off the message, some of her fans — known as Barbz — rushed to her defense on the social media platform. It prompted one user to point out Blunt’s connection to the phrase.

“Y’all how are you mad at this,” they asked. “It’s a joke cuz he had a very popular song called ‘You’re Beautiful.’ ”

Of course, some Barbz were already clocking the connection and saying as much on X.

“Lmaoooo wait because why was I about to swing?” one user asked, adding, “I just realized who this was.” Another agreed, writing, “lmao we was bout to jump that man until we went on his profile.”

Another fan resurfaced an equally silly exchange that Minaj had with John Mayer back in 2017.

The “Gravity” singer posted at the time, “I spend an inordinate amount of time per day wondering if Nicki Minaj would like me or not.”

Minaj replied: “Would my body be your wonderland?”

The reference to Mayer’s hit song made his day. “Please hold, losing my s—,” he wrote.

Although “You’re Beautiful” turned Blunt into a household name, the song has been polarizing over the years. Since its release, the musician is yet to reclaim the same level of attention in the United States.

In June 2025, he told PEOPLE that being deemed a “one-hit wonder” in the U.S. doesn’t bother him at all.

“You have to understand — I am so happy with that because, as I put on my social media profiles, one hit is all you need,” he explained. “I’ve been called a one-hit wonder by people who are none-hit wonders. And so I’m thrilled with that.”

He added, “The moment I think I might be a big shot in any way, you, as an American, can tell me, ‘No. You’re just a little one-hit wonder, James. Get back in your box.’ And that’s healthy.”

Blunt also continues to have fond feelings for his career-defining hit.

“I love that song. I’m so glad to have written that song,” he confessed. “I’m in a beautiful house right now as a result of that. You and I are talking as a result of that. For me, it’s the song that I will always be known [for]. I will never beat that song.”