Zayn Malik Is Feuding With Naughty Boy On Twitter

Carl Williott | July 13, 2015 8:47 am
Zayn Malik Remixes Rae Sremmurd's "No Type"
Zayn Malik remixed Rae Sremmurd's "No Type" with UK rapper MIC Righteous.

It looks like the promising partnership between former One Direction member Zayn Malik and producer Naughty Boy just went up in Twitter flames. Just a few hours ago, Malik referred to the fellow Brit as a “fat joke,” telling him to “stop pretending we’re friends.”

He then quoted classic diss track “Hit ‘Em Up,” telling Naughty Boy he “ain’t shit but a faker” regarding uploading a video.

The video in question could be that first solo Zayn demo that Naughty Boy posted back in March, or it could be a snippet of the “No Type” video which briefly materialized online over the weekend.

Zayn and Naughty Boy seemed to be working extensively on Malik’s new solo material, so what sparked this rapid falling out? There’s speculation that it stems from the recent leaks. A quick refresher: Back in March, the British producer posted an acoustic demo he’d worked on with Zayn, touting it as Zaughty. This led to a Twitter spat between Naughty Boy and 1D member Louis Tomlinson, which was reignited in May when Naughty Boy posted a photo with Zayn saying “replace this,” at which point Zayn got involved and fired shots at his former bandmate online. This led Zayn to defend himself against an angry online horde of Directioners. Then in June, Malik’s seemingly unfinished remix of Rae Sremmurd‘s “No Type” leaked — Naughty Boy says it was due to a stolen hard drive, according to Billboard, and soon after he spoke about the upcoming “soulful” material the two had been working on.

So! Maybe Zayn suspects Naughty Boy is behind the leaks? Or maybe he’s sick of Naughty Boy talking up their collabs and would rather keep a lower profile with his solo venture until the material is actually done. Or maybe it’s some behind-the-scenes drama we’re not yet aware of. But it just proves even when you’re going solo, it’s still a balancing act of egos, motives and ideas.