Lil Wayne is offering an explanation for his controversial decision to pull Young Money label mate Nicki Minaj from Hot 97’s Summer Jam earlier his month.

The rapper says it’s simple – Nicki was being disrespected. Lil Wayne tells MTV he believes Nicki as a female “deserves the ultimate respect at all times no matter, when or where or how.” Minaj backed out her performance at the June 3rd concert on Lil Wayne’s prompt after DJ Peter Rosenberg called her song “Starships” “wack” in front of the crowd.

Wayne took to Twitter after the insult to say that Young Money artists would not perform at Summer Jam. Minaj also tweeted that while she always goes above and beyond for her fans, she would never go against Wayne’s word, adding, “What he says goes.”

Nicki Minaj is linking up with rapper 2 Chainz for the U.S. leg of her Pink Friday tour. Two Chainz will warm up the crowds for Nicki on the first date of the U.S. outing beginning July 16th in Chicago.

The timing works out well for 2 Chainz whose new album “Based on a T.R.U. Story” will be released just two days after the end of the Pink Friday tour run. Billboard.com says the rapper will perform on all of the Pink Friday stops except Los Angeles and Oakland.

Two Chainz collaborates with Nicki on the track “Beez in the Trap,” featured on Minaj’s “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded.” The single is currently sitting at number seven on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

Here are the U.S. dates for Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday tour and Video:

July 16: Chicago, Ill. (The Chicago Theatre)
July 17: Detroit, Mich. (Fox Theatre Detroit)
July 19: Cleveland, Ohio (State Theatre at Playhouse Square)
July 22: Atlanta, Ga. (Fox Theatre Atlanta)
July 24: Miami, Fla. (James L. Knight Center)
July 26: Birmingham, Ala. (Boutwell Auditorium)
July 28: Houston, Tex. (Bayou Music Center)
July 29: Dallas, Tex. (Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie)
July 31: St. Louis, Mo. (Peabody Opera House)
Aug. 2: Denver, Colo. (Wells Fargo Theatre)
Aug. 4: Las Vegas, Nev. (Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino)
Aug. 7: Phoenix, Ariz. (Comerica Theatre)
Aug. 11: Seattle, Wash. (Paramount Theatre)
Aug. 12: Vancouver, B.C. (Queen Elizabeth Theatre)