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Nicki Minaj – “Barbie Tingz”
Barbie’s break’s over. Ending her hiatus, Nicki Minaj released two new tracks reportedly from her forthcoming fourth album. The first of those is “Barbie Tingz,” which builds upon an ’80s-inspired instrumental.
Nicki juxtaposes that old school flavor with new school flows. She also aims darts at enemies and copycats alike. “Was it worth it, dummy? I ain’t mind a bit,” she raps, presumably at Remy Ma. “Still on that show gettin’ no chips? Time to dip.”
Later, she seems focused on newcomers. “When it comes to stealin’ flows, these birds is fluent,” she raps. “But they stutter when get asked ’bout the queen’s influence / When it’s clear they bite me, I’m flattered they like me.”
That ain’t it for Nicki. Read along for more.
Nicki Minaj – “Chun-Li”
Barbie’s kicks keep coming. Wasting no time, Nicki Minaj bundled “Barbie Tingz” up with another solo single, “Chun-Li.” The “Street Fighter”-inspired fire-starter is yet another war cry against perceived biters who “copy every word.”
“Chun-Li” takes the title, but other fictional characters also inspired this track. Lara Croft and X-Men’s Storm are among those mentioned. Plus, Nicki Minaj employs a Tony Montana impersonation to drive the song’s point home.
“They painting me out to be the bad guy,” she says in her best Scarface impression. Later, she adds: “They need rappers like me, so they can get on their fuckin’ keyboards and make me the bad guy, Chun-Li.”
Keep reading for even more Nicki Minaj.
Tinashe – Joyride
Tinashe finally pulls off the lot with Joyride. Years of delays, false starts, buzz singles, setbacks, and even a canceled tour are in her rearview mirror. Now, the pop and R&B songstress unleashes her long-awaited sophomore follow-up to 2014’s Aquarius.
Several passengers hop on. Offset (“No Drama”), Future (“Faded Love”), Little Dragon (“Stuck With Me”), French Montana and Ty Dolla $ign (“Me So Bad”) all sit by Tinashe’s side on this 13-song journey. Otherwise, she drives alone on a project that took years to craft.
“I feel even more excited and confident in the album now than I was a year ago, even if a year ago I felt like I had the completed album,” she told Cosmopolitan. Later, she added: “Even when everything looks like it’s really falling apart, I just come back so much stronger.”
Go on Tinashe’s Joyride below.
Kid Cudi – “The Rage”
Kid Cudi gets back to raging. As part of the new Dwayne Johnson film Rampage’s soundtrack, Cleveland’s Cudder rolls out a scorching new banger, “The Rage.”
Billy Corgan’s vocals are hard to ignore. The sample hails from “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” off The Smashing Pumpkins’ 1995 album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.
Mr. Rager channels Billy Corgan’s rage with intensity over heart-pumping percussion. He also provides introspective thoughts. “Hell’s got one hell of a grip,” he reflects. “Your boy best not slip, get stuck in the grave / Just to live another day, fightin’ through decay / Call on my angels and I kneel as I pray.”
https://geo.itunes.apple.com/au/album/the-rage/1364694619?i=1364695131&app=music&at=1000lvbZ
Young Thug – Hear No Evil
Surprise! Young Thug vowed not to release new music this year in honor of his brother who is deaf. But today, he unleashed a new three-track EP with an apparent nod to his sibling, Hear No Evil.
For her third track of the week, Nicki Minaj appears on “Anybody” with more arrows for her clones. “You should be cleaning my mansion,” she raps at her “peasants.” “Bitch, go clean my crown,” she adds on the track. Later, Lil Uzi Vert joins the party on the upbeat “Up,” and 21 Savage flexes all over the piano-laden “Now.”
To go along with the new EP, Thugger also released a sign language video for “Anybody.” The clip features signed interpretations of Thug and Nicki’s lyrics.
