It’s Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj’s world – we’re just living in it.
Ice Spice And Nicki Minaj Reinvent Aqua’s “Barbie Girl”
“Barbie World,” sampling Aqua’s “Barbie Girl,” reunites the fresh rap girl duo Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice for a second collaboration. Last week, Spice and Minaj’s first April 2023 collaborative effort, “Princess Diana,” surpassed 80 million streams on Spotify. When constructing Barbie: The Album – the soundtrack for the forthcoming Barbie film – it was only right to include the head Barbie Nicki Minaj.
Spice and Minaj take a bona fide approach from the dance-pop “Barbie Girl.” They trade erotic and confident bars over a drill and Jersey Club beat produced by Spice’s longtime business partner, Riot. The duo glides over thumping 808s with mellow deliveries as the sample from the chorus of “Barbie Girl” blends into the background.
The Authenticity Of “Barbie World”
Prior, Minaj spoke about the creation of “Barbie World” on her Queen radio show:
“This is the first time that someone had did this sample in a way that didn’t make me feel uncomfortable… or choosy or gimmicky you know…and I figured out that it needed to be a beat where I was still able to still give Barbie but still give Nicki… it needed to feel rooted in to me…”
The short and sweet one minute and 49 second track sees Spice and Minaj bounce off one another on the chorus. Minaj shouts out Barbie characters Stacie, Jazzie and Nikki.
“And I’m bad like the Barbie (Barbie) / I’m a doll, but I still wanna party (Party) / Pink ‘Vette like I’m ready to bend (Bend) / I’m a ten, so I pull in a Ken / Like Jazzie, Stacie, Nicki (Grrah) / All of the Barbies is pretty (Damn).”
Nicki, whose infamous alter ego is Barbie, refuses to censor herself or deviate from her authentic and animated rap persona. “I’m a Barbie girl (Girl), Pink Barbie Dreamhouse / The way Ken be killin’ s**t got me yellin’ out like the Scream house (Woo).” As the Jersey Club beat kicks in, she shifts to an aggressive tone.
Next, Ice hops on the second verse in typical fashion citing her sexual prowess and calling out “the fake barbies” with her whisper-like vocal tone. “Barbie ain’t nothin’ to play ’bout / He wanna play in the Playhouse (Playhouse) / The fuck they gon’ say now? (Grrah) / I’m washin’ these bitches, I’m rubbin’ the stain out.”
Music Video Directed By Hannah Davis
Additionally, the music video recreates scenes from Barbie, directed by Hannah Lux Davis. In fact, custom Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice barbies were created for the visual. The rappers play in their own pink Barbie palace, drive jet skis in the pink cloud-coated sky, and Spice cruises in her own pink convertible. The video racked up 1 million views in less than ten hours.
