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The Barbie film finally hit theaters on Friday (July 21) and Nicki Minaj not only has a banger on its soundtrack, but has also encompassed the Mattel doll for years.
At the onset of her career and the release of her 2007 mixtape, Playtime Is Over, the Queen emcee dubbed herself the “Barbie.” On the project’s cover, Nicki appears as a doll trapped inside a box. Since then, the alias has become a part of her image and brand and she’s called her fans “Barbz.”
Many women rappers have admitted to Minaj’s impact on their music career, with some even having “doll” in their name. For years, Minaj has proven herself more than a pretty face, perfect body and animated personality. She’s waxed poetic with bars ranging from gritty and raw, to bubbly and fun — showcasing her versatility that keeps her atop the competition. As her sound and style have evolved over the years, she’s alway stayed true to her Barbie persona through cinematic visuals and charting records.
At the Barbie premiere, Minaj told ET, “I am so excited to be here and be a part of this entire moment. I’m glad that they thought of me because I’m excited just like everybody else is excited to see this movie. “I’ve been saying Barbie my whole career. So it’s a very full circle moment.”
Below is a ranking of Nicki Minaj’s best “Barbie” songs that have not only been inspired by the beloved Mattel doll but also defined her persona.
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"Barbie Dreams"
Image Credit: YouTube Screenshot When Nicki Minaj’s “Barbie Dreams” hit the airwaves, the internet was set ablaze. The song reimagines Notorious B.I.G.’s “Dreams,” but with Minaj’s own perspective. On the remake, she raps about what it would be like to have sex with some of Hip-Hop’s most popular rappers and casually roasts them all.
“I tried to f**k 50 for a powerful hour/ But all that ni**a wanna do is talk ‘Power’ for hours,” she rapped. She also mentioned her ex-boyfriend Meek Mill, and collaborators Drake, Lil Uzi Vert, 6ix9ine, and more. Amid the song’s premiere, Minaj explained to her Twitter followers that the song was made for fun, and if she acknowledged a rapper on the track, it was for a reason.
“I only mentioned people in #BarbieDreams that I f*k with. This isn’t a diss. Yikes,” she tweeted. “This is culture, this is BIGGIE!!!!! New York!!!! Thi is FUN. Light hearted fun FUN.”
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"Barbie Tingz"
Image Credit: YouTube Screenshot 2018’s “Barbie Tingz” gave fans raw lyrics as she rapped about why she’s still on top while inspiring many to want to be like her. Although Minaj is known for making many references to the Mattel doll’s assets, she also mirrors the lifestyle in real life.
She raps, “Barbie dream house, Barbie rings/ There’s Barbie beach house, Barbie Benz/ Barbie white picket, Barbie fence/ All tea, all shade, bi**h, all offense/ If you ever try to confiscate Barbie’s Ken/ I’ma put you in the box where my dollies been.”
The track hailed from her Queen album which debuted at No. 2 on the US Billboard 200 with 185,000 album-equivalent units. The video for Barbie Tingz” currently stands at over 124,000,000 views.
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"Barbie World"
Image Credit: Youtube The leading single from the Barbie film soundtrack is Nicki Minaj‘s “Barbie World” featuring Ice Spice. The track samples Aqua’s original 1997 hit “Barbie Girl” and is accompanied by a true-to-theme Barbie music video.
The song is a fun spin on the original as Minaj brings Ice into the Barbie lifestyle she’s been living for years. In the Hannah Lux Davis-directed video, the pair have a luxurious day in Malibu, the Mattel doll’s signature hometown. The rappers get dolled up in their Barbie dream house before jet skiing on pink clouds, and driving a pink Barbie convertible car.
In true Barbie fashion, Minaj wears a black and white polka dot dress, magenta platform heels, and two curly ponytails in her hair. The Bronx baddie sports pink hair, a yellow off-the-shoulder blouse, and skater skirt.
Surrounded by “Ken dolls,” the New Yorkers trade bars as they rap, “And I’m bad like the Barbie/ I’m a doll, but I still wanna party/ Pink ‘Vette like I’m ready to bend/ I’m a 10, so I’m pulling a Ken/ Like Jazzie, Stacie, Nicki/ All of the Barbies is pretty/ All of the Barbies is bad/ It girls and we ain’t playin’ tag.”
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"Barbie Dangerous"
Image Credit: Apple Music Nicki Minaj has released a new track “Barbie Dangerous,” fitting for her vast catalog of songs surrounding her one of many personas.
“Barbie Dangerous” hears Nicki sticking to her usual formula of letting the other Rap girlies know why they can’t sit with her. With braggadocio, she name drops all of her favorite luxe brands, send shots to those imitating her, and also reminds Hip-Hop why she reigns as the best-selling woman rapper of all time.
The Pink Friday 2 track samples Notorious B.I.G’s “Spit Yo Game” as she raps the chorus, “Spit yo game, pop your sh*t/ Face on pretty, a** stay thick/ Beef with who? She got the right one/ All these rap bi**hes, ain’t got to like none/ Kitty on fleek, I got the tight one.” Originally, Biggie rapped, “Spit yo game, talk yo sh*t/ Grab yo gat, call yo cliques/ Squeeze yo clip, hit the right one/ Pass that weed I got to light one.”
Give it a listen above.
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"Black Barbies (Black Beetles Remix)"
Image Credit: Youtube Screenshot Minaj decided to hop on the remix to Rae Sremmurd’s 2016 hit “Black Beetles” with her “Black Barbies” rendition.
“I’m a f**kin’ black barbie/ Pretty face, perfect body/ Pink seats in the ‘Rari/ Always f**k him like I’m sorry,” she raps. Minaj gets to tap into her braggadocios side as she mentions how she has men at her feet willing to do whatever she wants, while being the No. 1 woman to do it. She proudly claims, “Usually I’m the baddest, usually I’m the cutest/ Usually I’m the flyest, usually you’re the stewardess.”
At the time of the remix’s release, the Queens, N.Y. native shared how proud she was of Rae Sremmurd’s song’s success.
“Why? Cuz 2 Lil black kids got the NUMBER 1 RECORD IN THE COUNTRY & I’m soooooo happy for Mike Will,” she wrote. “Now [check mark emoji] that! *my baby Phaedra voice* #SremmLife #MikeWillMadeIt Guwop on the nmbr one record in the country.”
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"Barbie Goin Bad"
Image Credit: Youtube Screenshot In February 2019, Nicki Minaj took to Instagram to announce the new episode of her Beats 1 radio show Queen Radio. During the anticipated episode, Minaj gave fans two freestyles, including “Barbie Goin Bad” — which samples her ex-boyfriend Meek Mill’s 2018 song “Going Bad,” featuring Drake.
Minaj showed why she is the running with big names in Hip-Hop with her catchy cadences and hard-hitting bars. She raps, “Old boy and my brother tried to end me, dawg/ I heard they looking for the old me/ A couple of you ni**as still owe me/ You asked for the G.O.A.T. so they sent me, sleeze/ Tryna lay low, don’t tempt me, sleeze/ Thirty in the clip will be empty, sleeze/ You b**ches still my sons, learn your As and Bs.”
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"Barbie Drip"
Image Credit: Soundcloud In 2019, Nicki hopped on Young Thug’s “Drip Too Hard” with her own remix titled “Barbie Drip.”
On the track, Minaj flexes unapologetically and issues warnings to her haters. She boasts about turning down million-dollar endorsements, while reflecting on her successes.
“Drip too hard, got his d**k too hard/ I just got 10 million bucks for sh*t that I ain’t even do yet/ You spent your money but I ain’t say I was your boo yet/ You got your feelings hurt, I ain’t really mean to do that/ I’m just a bad b**ch, I’m sorry I put you through that.”