“The Barbz are nonetheless superior”

Nicki Minaj has claimed she and her followers ‘the Barbz’ pioneered stan tradition in hip-hop, saying that “there have been no rappers naming their followers” earlier than her.

The Queens rapper attended Vogue‘s Forces of Vogue occasion in her hometown of New York Metropolis earlier this month, the place she was requested in regards to the energy and affect of her notorious fandom – the Barbz – on popular culture.

“Earlier than I had a report deal, my followers have been making a second for themselves on Twitter. I had already given them a reputation,” she advised the viewers. “Once I began calling my followers the Barbz, there have been no rappers naming their followers. There have been solely two individuals at the moment, and I don’t know which got here first — Justin Bieber and Woman Gaga, they’d Beliebers and Monsters. That was it.”

Nicki Minaj speaks at Vogue’s ‘Forces of Vogue’ occasion about Stan Tradition, and states that Justin Bieber’s ‘Beliebers’, Woman Gaga’s ‘Little Monsters’ and Minaj’s personal Barbz helped spearhead fashionable stan tradition. pic.twitter.com/iLkC0g8jJo

— Pop Flop (@PopFlopHQ) October 16, 2024

She added: “Now, each single human being that turns into an artist offers their followers a reputation. Even artists in different international locations. A number of the African artists that I really like, after I would look into them, they might have names for his or her fanbase and I used to be like, ‘Woah.’

“I didn’t assume it was one thing that might unfold to the hip-hop group in any respect. Nevertheless it doesn’t matter as a result of the Barbz are nonetheless superior.”

Again in February, Minaj reminisced on her fanbase’s loyalty, warning others to not problem her because the Barbz are relentless and all the time retaliate.

She wrote: “It don’t matter WHO begin it, the Barbz ALWAYS end it. I been doin’ this shit for a very long time now & each time I ever tried to warn [people] that the Barbz are completely different, they needed to study the laborious manner.

“I’m not their fave, I’m their household. Know the distinction & then play [at] your individual danger,” she concluded.

😂🤣 I be tryna inform y’all no person is exempt. #ACGI ANYBODY CAN GET IT. It don’t matter WHO begin it, the barbz ALWAYS end it.
I been doin this shit for a very long time now & every-time I ever tried to warn ppl that the barbz are completely different, they needed to study the laborious manner.

Issues…

— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) February 20, 2024

The Barbz have gone after rappers who’ve publicly feuded Minaj. Again in August, followers took to X/Twitter to take aim at Latto for calling Lil Kim the GOAT female rapper in an interview. The group additionally accused Cardi B of copying Minaj in her ‘Enough (Miami)’ music video, saying the Bronx star was impressed by their beloved idol’s winter look from final winter.

Typically Minaj would argue and proper together with her personal followers. Earlier this month, one in every of her fan pages falsely reported that she was planning to go on a hiatus – which the rapper shut down. She advised her followers she “ain’t going no-mthfkn-where.”

Minaj additionally commented on her ‘Pink Friday 2 World Tour’ – which ended earlier this month – and the very fact it’s now the highest-grossing tour by a feminine rapper and the fourth highest-grossing rap tour of all time.

“I really feel very grateful. I’ve a really close-knit relationship with my followers, and so they went very laborious for me,” she acknowledged. “I wasn’t anticipating to have the best something, to be trustworthy — I didn’t even know that I used to be within the operating.”

She continued: “However even when I didn’t have that, I might nonetheless be so grateful as a result of the time that I’ve spent with the Barbz at these exhibits has been therapeutic for me. They mentioned it was therapeutic for them and their inside youngster, nevertheless it was therapeutic for one thing inside me as nicely.”

Final month, Minaj introduced she is engaged on the third instalment of her ‘Pink Friday’ album sequence. There isn’t a launch date for ‘Pink Friday 3’ as of but. Initially, Minaj deliberate to launch one other deluxe version of ‘Pink Friday 2’, which was meant to be launched on September 13, however was later axed in favour of ‘Pink Friday 3’.

In different information, Nicki Minaj gained Hip-Hop Album Of The 12 months at this yr’s BET Hip-Hop Awards – beating Travis Scott‘s ‘Utopia‘, Drake‘s ‘For All of the Canines Scary Hours Version’, Megan Thee Stallion‘s ‘Megan’ and extra. Take a look at all the opposite winners right here.