Nicki Minaj has claimed that the pervasiveness of stan culture in modern Hip Hop is thanks to her and her fiercely loyal followers, the Barbz.
The Young Money rapper spoke about her role in the rise of fervent fanbases in rap at Vogue magazine’s Forces of Fashion event in New York City on Wednesday (October 16).
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“Before I had a record deal, my fans were making a moment for themselves on Twitter. I had already given them a name,” she said. “When I started calling my fans the Barbz, there were no rappers naming their fans.
“There were only two people at that time, and I don’t know which came first — Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga, they had Beliebers and Monsters. That was it!”
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She added: “Now, every single human being that becomes an artist gives their fans a name. Even artists in other countries. Some of the African artists that I love, when I would look into them, they would have names for their fanbase!
“And I was like, ‘Woah.’ I didn’t think it was something that would spread to the Hip Hop community at all. But it doesn’t matter because the Barbz are still superior.”
Nicki Minaj speaks at Vogue’s ‘Forces of Fashion’ event about Stan Culture, and states that Justin Bieber’s ‘Beliebers’, Lady Gaga’s ‘Little Monsters’ and Minaj’s own Barbz helped spearhead modern stan culture. pic.twitter.com/iLkC0g8jJo
— Pop Flop (@PopFlopHQ) October 16, 2024
Elsewhere in the conversation, Nicki Minaj spoke about her recent Pink Friday 2 Tour becoming the highest grossing trek of any female rapper.
“I feel very grateful. I have a very close knit relationship with my fans, and they went very hard for me. Their emotion and passion always does something to me,” she told moderator Eva Chen, the vice president of fashion at Meta.
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“I wasn’t expecting to have the highest anything, to be honest — I didn’t even know that I was in the running. But even if I didn’t have that, I would still be so grateful, because the time that I’ve spent with the Barbz at these shows has been healing for me.
“They said it was healing for them and their inner child, but it was healing for something within me as well.”
Nicki Minaj has always shared a strong bond with the Barbz, and revealed earlier this year what she’s learned about them since they formed in the late 2000s.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the “Super Freaky Girl” star laughed as she acknowledged how far her fans will go to defend her.
“I be tryna tell y’all nobody is exempt. #ACGI ANYBODY CAN GET IT,” she began. “It don’t matter WHO start it, the barbz ALWAYS finish it. I been doin this shit for a long time now & every-time I ever tried to warn ppl that the barbz are different, they had to learn the hard way.
“Things I’ve learned about the #Barbz since 2009 on this app: 1. They NEVER Forget 2. They don’t care how long it take to get a OPP bakk 3. They NEVER stop once they start. They’ll be in that ass #ForLife (moment 4 Life voice) 4. They beat everyone @ their OWN game while laughing & supporting Onika.
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“5. They make a fun sport out of giving ppl a taste of their own medicine. So if you do something, they will patiently wait for their turn & chiiiiiiii. WooWEE 6. It’s never business with the barbz. Once they feel that line is crossed, it’s personal.”
She concluded: “Read #6 again. It wasn’t a typo. I’m not their fave, I’m their family. Know the difference & then… Play @ your own risk #PinkFriday2 #GagCity WORLD TOUR begins in 10 days.”
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