Nicki Minaj released two new songs, “Barbie Tingz” and “Chun-Li,” on Zane Lowe’s Beats 1 radio show Thursday. Minaj co-produced both songs, partnering with Chevy Music on “Barbie Tingz” and J. Reid on “Chun-Li.”
“Barbie Tingz” finds Minaj flowing aggressively over sparse, rattling percussion and gooey synths. In the opening verse, the rapper lays out her intent – “It’s time to make hits and it’s time to diss” – and proceeds to land an array of dizzying punches like, “All they do is copy looks, steal music too/ Want to see what bitches do when they lose the blueprint/ I mean the pinkprint, ho, let it sink in.”
“Chun-Li” features an understated beat with percussion snaking around horn bleats. Nicki Minaj continues to confront all challengers, injecting even her most playful lines (“He keep on dialing Nicki, like the Prince song”) with a sinister edge.
In an interview with Lowe, Minaj noted that she recorded the melodies for “Chun-Li” five minutes after hearing the beat and that the track was only finished the day before.
Listen to “Chun-Li” by Nicki Minaj below:
During her interview, Minaj didn’t offer many details about her long-awaited new album, though she said she began working on the record in last December (however some songs, she noted, were written as long as a year-and-a-half ago). Minaj said that she was making a documentary to accompany the album as well.
“Barbie Tingz” and “Chun-Li” mark Minaj’s first solo tracks since her trio of 2017 songs, “Regret in Your Tears,” “Changed it” featuring Lil Wayne and “No Frauds” featuring Drake and Lil Wayne. The rapper also collaborated with numerous artists last year, including Lil Uzi Vert, Katy Perry, Future, Yo Gotti, Migos and Cardi B. Minaj’s last solo album, The Pinkprint, arrived in 2014.
Listen to “Barbie Tingz” by Nicki Minaj below:
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