Nicki Minaj Roasts SZA's Singing Skills -- And Receives Aggressive Clap Back

7/16 -- 7:42 AM PT -- SZA's manager, Terrence "Punch" Henderson, told The Breakfast Club on Thursday that Nicki Minaj and SZA failed to connect on a song in 2020 ... but doesn't know how things went so nuclear yesterday.

Nicki Minaj was conducting her daily Roc Nation roast -- and somehow SZA got looped up in the social media posts, and 🆘 ... a new beef has been born!!!

SZA rattled off her first post of the day on X Tuesday, posting, "Mercury retrograde .. don’t take the bait lol silly goose" -- which Nicki interpreted as a direct shot at her amid her blasting Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez.

The thing is ... SZA's in a COMPLETELY different time zone, currently on her joint "GNX" tour with Kendrick Lamar, and had just finished her show at Paris La Défense Arena shortly before midnight European time.

Nicki didn't wait for any clarity or a green light -- she took off on SZA in a similar fashion she recently did against Jay-Z ... lampooning SZA's singing skills, comparing them to everything from a dead dog to a victim wailing over a bee sting.

An unfazed SZA clapped back at Nicki and the Barbz, explaining she had just gotten off stage and was unloading thoughts completely unrelated to Nicki, let alone in America!!!

SZA's manager, Terrence "Punch" Henderson, had also posted about "Broken Barbies" earlier ... which also had nada to do with Nicki ... it's the name of his "Room Full Of Mirrors" groupmate, Lyric Michelle's new song!!!