Nicki Minaj Drops New ‘Chun-Li’ and ‘Barbie Tingz’
Nicki Minaj is treating fans to a bit of a buzzer-beater production — one of her two brand new singles was finished within the last 24 hours.
Minaj, whose most recent LP The Pinkprint dropped in 2014, unveiled two new singles from her forthcoming fourth studio album Thursday (April 12), and "Chun-Li" and "Barbie Tingz" are already putting her next era into clear focus.
Minaj confirmed to Zane Lowe in a subsequent Beats 1 interview on Apple Music that she does, indeed, have a new "layered" LP coming, and a documentary is in the works, too (it'll eventually be released by Apple). She added that the project includes music that "I think women really need right now."
And one bit of inspiration you can bet will inform her next era is her breakup with Meek Mill, which she confirmed in January 2017, and which she said amounted to many tears.
"To be completely honest, I would say I've been...working on this album since December," she said, but clarified that "some songs were written a year and a half ago. And that's important to know."
And while Nicki said fans can expect features on the album, she insisted they should know "damn well" she has no intention of leaking any secrets ahead of time.
She added that she didn't originally plan to release any new tracks before the album's official release, but that conceded "I'm just putting out two songs for my babies, because they miss me and I miss them." Industry insiders had told the rapper that fans had been "starving" for her new music, she said.
Minaj first teased both singles on Tuesday (April 10) with an image that's very reminiscent of an eponymous Street Fighter character.
Minaj told T Magazine in October that her forthcoming fourth album represents huge changes in her artistic life.
"This album is everything in my life coming full circle and me being truly, genuinely happy," she said. "It feels almost like a celebration. The last album, The Pinkprint, was almost like my diary, closing the chapter on certain things and not knowing if I was happy or sad about beginning new chapters. I was really writing about feeling unsure. Now, I can tell you guys what happened for the last two years of my life. I know who I am. I am getting Nicki Minaj figured out with this album and I’m loving her.”
Minaj also shared a teaser for the "Barbie Tingz" video — check it out:
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