With guest verses from Rick Ross, JAY-Z and Nicki Minaj, Kanye West’s “Monster” lived up to its name.

But according to Nicki Minaj, it took a little persuasion to get a hesitant ‘Ye to keep the track on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. In an Instagram post uploaded on Tuesday (October 24) to celebrate the seventh anniversary of the single dropping, Minaj shared the story of how “Monster” almost didn’t make it onto the 2010 album.

The Queens MC explained that in an hour-long phone call, West expressed concern about his verse being overshadowed on the record.

7 year anniversary of #Monster Kanye called me to tell me Jay put a verse on this song & that he was still deciding if he would put it on his album. Haha. It was like an hour long call where I tried to convince him to let the song stay on his album. He felt this verse would end up being the talk of the album. I said: YOU’RE KANYE WEST!!!! ? I became the first female rapper to perform @ Yankee Stadium on the JAY/Eminem stadium tour. When I saw him, Jay said: “when u got so nice”? I said: “I been nice”! Ha! Kanye, thank you for being the genius you are. You always put others first. I fought u every step of the way but it worked out. (He wanted me to add more of that growling monster voice and I felt it was over kill.) He wouldn’t give in. In the end, maybe he was right. Ha! – this song featured Barbie and Roman. Chyna was my stunt double in the video. (Due to her ASSets). Amber had spoken highly of me to Ye n pushed for him to meet with me. The rest is history. Ye, Jay, Em…All 3 of them helped me in some way. Love

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“7 year anniversary of #Monster Kanye called me to tell me Jay put a verse on this song & that he was still deciding if he would put it on his album,” Nicki Minaj wrote. “Haha. It was like an hour long call where I tried to convince him to let the song stay on his album. He felt this verse would end up being the talk of the album. I said: YOU’RE KANYE WEST!!!!

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“I became the first female rapper to perform @ Yankee Stadium on the JAY/Eminem stadium tour,” she added. “When I saw him, Jay said: “when u got so nice”? I said: “I been nice”! Ha! Kanye, thank you for being the genius you are. You always put others first. I fought u every step of the way but it worked out. (He wanted me to add more of that growling monster voice and I felt it was over kill.) He wouldn’t give in.”

Nicki also revealed that Kanye’s ex, Amber Rose, is the one who encouraged him to meet her, writing “Amber had spoken highly of me to Ye n pushed for him to meet with me. The rest is history.”