Nicki Minaj has been the highest selling female rapper (and one of the highest selling period) of the last few years. However, Cardi B is the woman to be right now. Her debut album, Invasion of Privacy, was certified gold by the RIAA on the first day of its release. As expected, there has been a reported beef between the two ladies. So, it comes as no surprise that Nicki Minaj decided to drop two new singles (“Barbie Tinz” and “Chun-Li”), the same week as Cardi B’s album release. Honestly, she has big shoes to fill. Cardi B’s debut is solid and I’ve been keeping it on heavy rotation since Friday. Do Nicki Minaj’s new singles stack up against Cardi B’s new music? Could this be the beginning of a feud between the two hottest female rappers in Hip Hop right now? Let’s get into it.

“Barbie Tingz” is more of the same, lyrically. Nicki Minaj boasts about being part of the biggest three rappers in Hip Hop (her, Lil Wayne and Drake), other women that still try to copy her and exes who can’t get over her. There are no blatant shots at Cardi B, except for the one questionable line when she says, “Still on that show getting no chips, time to dip”. The production is reminiscent of the early days of Hip Hop, with a more fierce delivery similar to Nicki Minaj’s mixtape days. Overall, this is a harmless club track that doesn’t showcase any new songwriting milestones, but is still  enjoyable. She teased a snippet of the music video on Tidal. It’s basically her scantily clad against a white background. There’s also another scene with her showcasing a colorful, plastic outfit. A knock off version is dancing around as her shadow. 

“Chun-Li” is more aggressive, with a darker tone. The song is filled with fading horns and a thumping bass drum line. She boldly claims that she is King Kong and has helped saved rap music (“They need rapper like me/So they can get on their $#%^&#$ keyboards and make me the bad guy). Of the two tracks, I see this one being more of the underground hit. Something about this song gives me Mobb Deep vibes…..featuring Lil Kim. I find it hilarious how Nicki Minaj always talks about other females copying her. Ironically, much of her style is modeled after Lil Kim.

Does Cardi B have anything to worry about? Not necessarily. I don’t see her flame diminishing anytime soon. However, Nicki Minaj will likely be able to add a couple more hits to her resume with these two songs. She played it safe here and stuck to a formula that has proven to work for her in the past. She’ll have to pull out a few tricks for her next album to take down Cardi B.

Hear “Chun-Li” and “Barbie Tingz” for yourself on Tidal or Spotify. What are your thoughts on her new singles?

Oh and if you’ve heard Cardi B’s “Be Careful” or ever gone through a breakup, you’ll love this post from John Patrick Adams. Check it out – Be Careful.