“Barbie World” by Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice (ft. Aqua)
“Barbie World” samples a 1997 track called “Barbie Girl” by a European band known as Aqua. “Barbie Girl” was a major international hit, so much so that Mattel, the company behind the long-running “Barbie” toy franchise, proceeded to sue Aqua (and lost).
So many people were expecting the song to be featured on “Barbie: The Album”, i.e. the soundtrack to the 2023 Barbie live-action, full-length, A-lister powered film. And it has in a way, in the form of Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice sampling it, and “Barbie World” making an appearance on said soundtrack, furthermore serving as its fourth single.
The writers of “Barbie Girl” are Aqua members René Dif, Lene Nystrøm, Søren Rasted and Claus Norreen alongside Johnny Jam and Delgado. As such, those six individuals are also giving writing credit for “Barbie World”, as are Nicki Minaj and DJ Enuff.
And the producer of this track – which Atlantic Records, Capitol Records and 10K Projects made public on 23 June 2023 – is RiotUSA, while its music video director is Hannah Lux Davis.
NICKI MINAJ, “THE HARUJUKU BARBIE”
As you may already know, “Barbie” is a well-known doll franchise that has been around for over 60 years now and is considered, as far as toys go, as being about as Americana as it gets. And as you may also be aware that Nicki herself has long been associated with that franchise, as the most popular amongst her many nicknames is “(Harujuku) Barbie”.
In fact, her devoted fandom is also known as “Barbiez” or “Barbz”. Furthermore, there’s actually an official Nicki Minaj Barbie doll that was created by Mattel. But it isn’t one you’re going to come across in stores, as it’s a one-of-a-kind creation and as of this writing valued at nearly $5,000.
Ice Spice, who is almost 20 years younger than Minaj, is a more recent phenomenon and, concurrent with the release of this track, can be considered the fastest-rising female rapper in the game.
Spice’s discography just commenced in 2021, but earlier this year she began a partnership with Nicki’s newly-minted label, Heavy On It Records. And to mark that occasion the two rappers dropped their first collaboration, Princess Diana, back in April.
THE LYRICS OF “BARBIE WORLD”
Based on the couple of songs we have thus far looked at from “Barbie: The Album”, the film may not necessarily be a children’s fare, as some may assume given that Barbie is generally considered to be a children’s toy. For example, this particular song, though not being the raunchiest that the likes of Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice has to offer, does feature some NSFW references and terminology.
It can be argued that this is especially true as far as Minaj’s verse, which has a sexual undertone, is concerned. Meanwhile, Spice puts more of a premium on presenting herself as a boss chick, which is basically what the term “Barbie” refers to within the context of these lyrics, i.e. the vocalists being physically attractive, well-paid and wild for the night.
So basically, what we’re met with here is the usual type of braggadocio that these artists tend to engage in. But the difference is that, to some degree, the lyrics adhere to a Barbie-related motif.
