Photographer Dredges Up Decade-Old Alleged Anecdote As Proof Nicki Minaj Is ‘Piece Of S***’

A photographer is being dragged heavily online after allegedly digging deep into the past to demonstrate his hatred for rapper Nicki Minaj.

Erik Madigan Heck aired his grievances on Instagram, claiming he photographed Minaj for the cover of The New York Times Magazine approximately 11 years ago. The photographer lashed out by seemingly whining that the star’s security guards were armed with Glocks. He also complained about how Minaj allegedly had a reputation for being late and destroying technology.

His bizarre rant included the admission that he intentionally portrayed Minaj as a dictator, opening the floodgates for Reddit users to mock him mercilessly.

WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 28: Musician Nicki Minaj (L) joins U.S. President Donald Trump on stage as he delivers remarks during the Treasury Department’s Trump Accounts Summit at Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium on January 28, 2026 in Washington, DC. “Trump Accounts” are a portion of recently passed tax and spending legislation where the federal government will deposit $1,000 into investment accounts for every child born between 2025 and 2028 once parents sign their children up while filing their income taxes.  (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

The photographer said he left his pregnant wife behind to travel for the photo shoot and included an image of Minaj before launching his attack.

“I had been warned the week before that Nicki showed up 8 hours late to a Terry Richardson shoot,” he complained. “I had also been warned that she deleted hard drives when she didn’t like images.”

He told readers he had everything backed up just in case.

“But then after 8 frames, meaning specifically frames of clicking the shutter— she walked off set and said ‘you got it,’” he wrote.

He continued, “Her contract with The New York Times was for 4 images to accompany her interview. After 3 pictures, and her posting them on IG in real time from her phone, she wanted to leave. It was a shit-show, to be kind.”

WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 28: Musician Nicki Minaj attends the Treasury Department’s Trump Accounts Summit at Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium on January 28, 2026 in Washington, DC. “Trump Accounts” are a portion of recently passed tax and spending legislation where the federal government will deposit $1,000 into investment accounts for every child born between 2025 and 2028 once parents sign their children up while filing their income taxes.  (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

The photographer said he was “appalled at the fact that the magazine wanted to continue with her as a cover subject- not just because of the shoot, but because of her interview, where she also walked off set during her sit-down conversation.”

He then went for the jugular by attacking Minaj both personally and professionally.

“You don’t need to be a music nerd to realize that even at her height, she was never a Lil Kim or Foxy Brown. She was simply an agitator,” he said.

Just when it seemed the whining had come to an end, the photographer took things to a new, pathetic level. Seemingly unaware of the purpose of security details and how the celebrity world functions, he laced in with a “fun anecdote” from the photoshoot.

“Her bodyguards all were strapped with Glock 9’s on their waists,” he said, stating the obvious for reasons unknown.

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY – SEPTEMBER 12: Nicki Minaj performs onstage during the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards at Prudential Center on September 12, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for MTV)

“I asked one of her bodyguards why they tolerated how awfully she spoke to them, like peasants. And they just smiled, as if speaking non-verbally to me.”

The photographer spiced things up by throwing in some apparently deep-rooted hate for President Donald Trump.

“Now, reading her pro-Trump admiration, I can only feel even more dignified in knowing at the time that she was a total piece of shit. Not just as a human, but also with her music,” he wrote.

He closed off by saying he “constructed this portrait as an illustration of a dictator.”

“Perhaps the subtly went unnoticed at the time. But it was purposeful. It was a protest poster, as a cover,” he continued. “A protest against bad music, bad people, and magazines putting bad music and bad people on their covers.”

pic.twitter.com/Aak2Mi9dlN

— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) January 28, 2026

The post was immediately greeted with mockery, with many social media users noting how he said he left his pregnant wife to shoot Minaj. Others called him out for saying he portrayed Minaj as a dictator on purpose.

“‘I might’ve totally missed the birth of my firstborn son for the opportunity to photograph this woman I wanted to make look like a dictator,’” one person wrote with more than just a tinge of sarcasm.

“The author lost all credibility when they said, ‘she was simply an agitator,’” another internet user wrote.(RELATED: Nicki Minaj Declares Herself Trump’s ‘Number One Fan’ As She Shares Stage With President)

Other comments included, “Yeah I kind of hate this. ‘I asked her bodyguards why they let her treat them like this?’ Probably because she pays them? ‘They had guns.’ Yeah cause they’re bodyguards?” and “imagine bragging about shit talking a client to their security before you even finished the job.”