Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice Release “Barbie World”

Nicki Minaj posing as the Monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey in a music video is not something I ever expected to see, but in 2023, almost anything seems possible.

On Friday, Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice released their song “Barbie World” with an accompanying music video. The song will be featured in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie, which is set to be released next month. 

Image via Rolling Stone

“Barbie World” is a reinterpretation of Aqua’s “Barbie Girl,” which is heavily sampled throughout the duration of the song. Nicki Minaj, whose song “Barbie Tingz” was released in 2018 and whose fans are known as Barbz, being chosen to perform this song shows that the creators of Barbie have an intimate understanding of their audience. Ice Spice, who is quickly skyrocketing to fame, performing alongside Minaj also demonstrates the media savviness of the Barbie team. 

It is details like this song, and the accompanying music video, which is thoroughly steeped in what we already understand to be direct references to the film, which ensure that Barbie will be a smash success. In a world where every movie tries to be a blockbuster, it is a saturation of multiple facets of media that really drive anticipation and ensure a true, modern era blockbuster. 

Image via People

The song itself is almost nostalgic, with the tune of Aqua’s “Barbie Girl” a constant, upbeat background laced throughout the duration of the track. Ice Spice’s verse brings in her drill influence, whereas the parts rapped by Minaj are the clear Jersey club sounds that we are so familiar with. The blend of all these styles solidifies the song in its own, contemporary societal niche. We can just tell it will be perfect as a part of the Barbie soundtrack.