Nicki Minaj Explained What “Beez in the Trap” Means Long Before It Went Viral on TikTok

People have a lot to say about Nicki Minaj, but one thing you can never take away from Queens' hip-hop darling is her ability to make hit songs that have resonated with her Barbz since the mid-to-late 2000s. Nicki's clever wordplay has introduced many music lovers to new words and phrases they likely would've never known if they weren't obsessed with her bars.

Since the surge of TikTok, Nicki, like many artists, have witnessed their tunes being turned into trending sounds, challenges, or both. In 2025, her 2012 track, "Beez in the Trap," featuring 2 Chainz, gained even more fans when it was added to one of the platform's never-ending trends.

The "Beez in the Trap" has left many new and old fans of the song questioning the meaning behind it. So, what does "Beez in the Trap" mean? Let's find out from Nicki herself.

When "Beez in the Trap" debuted in 2012, many were dancing along to the catchy song without knowing its origin. The same year it was released, Nicki added context to what the song means during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show. During the episode, host Graham Norton asked the rapper, who was a guest alongside Mark Ruffalo and John Bishop, to explain "Beez in the Trap" onstage.

"Beez' is the letter B B for boys or is it 'Bees' as in 'Buzzy Bees?'" Graham asked as the audience laughed.

Nicki proceeded to answer in a British accent that "Beez" had nothing to do with boys or pesky insects. The rapper shared that "Beez" is African-American slang or AAVE for someone saying they're always somewhere (Ex: I "Beez" at the mall every payday). Nicki added that the word is to represent how she's "always in the trap" and then further explained what "the trap" means to the audience.

"Now the trap, ladies and gentlemen, relates to anywhere that you get your money," she said, followed by telling Graham, "So you're in the trap right now, playboy."

Graham, his fellow guests, and the audience seemingly had a collective "aha" moment after hearing Nicki's explanation. The conversation then led to more of the rapper's 'isms, including "Strawberry Shortcake," which means, "a broke b---h" that loses sight of her goals. Nicki also broke down other terms such as "Balloon Boy," "Honorary Oracle," and "Waffle House."

Over a decade after "Beez in the Trap" debuted, the song randomly made its rounds on TikTok. In October 2025, the song was added to a mashup with 4 Non Blondes’ 1992 hit “What’s Up?” The trend included TikTokers dancing to "What's Up" as the camera spins to the other person participating in the trend. Once the camera hit their face, the remix turns to Nicki's "Beez in the Trap" line, "B---hes ain't s--t and they ain't said nothing, 100 motherf----rs can't tell me nothing."

The trending sound ends with "Beez in the Trap" and the 4 Non Blondes' famous chorus, "what's going on?" also played.

According to Rolling Stone, the trend started gaining attention months after DJ Auxlord, an Ohio-based college senior, posted the remix on their TikTok account in August 2025. By October, multiple celebrities such as Pink Pantheress, Ice Spice, Khloe Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, and others joined in on the trend. Eventually, 4 Non Blondes founder Linda Perry joined in on the trend with Jennifer Lopez. In a statement to Rolling Stone, Linda described her early '90s track being involved in a TikTok mashup as "ridiculous in all the best ways."

As for Nicki, she didn't immediately respond to the trend. However, she's likely aware of her song going viral. In July 2025, the rap diva joined in on another trend where many recreated a pose where she squatted in heels in her "High School" music video.