It was clear as day that Nicki Minaj was destined to be on the 2023 Barbie soundtrack. The Barbie doll and the Pink World have been a major part of Minaj's public image from day one. Just look at Harajuku Barbie, one of her personas that flaunts her feminine and fashion-forward side. Even her fans, the "Barbz," are named after Harajuku Barbie. So when Ice Spice asked her to collaborate on a song for the soundtrack, it was a slam dunk.
"Barbie World" samples "Barbie Girl," the 1997 Eurodance smash by the Danish group Aqua, who are credited as performers and co-writers in the song. You'd think "Barbie Girl" would be in the film, but Barbie's maker, Mattel, has longstanding beef with Aqua. They didn't like the way "Barbie Girl" portrayed the famous doll as a "bimbo girl" who was Ken's plaything. Mattel sued Aqua but the case was dismissed on the grounds of freedom of speech. It's probably not a coincidence that soon after "Barbie Girl" became a smash hit, Mattel gave Barbie a new, more realistic body.
The snappy track, clocking in at 1:49, has Minaj and Ice Spice riffing on all things Barbie. They kick the track off with the chorus, name-dropping Barbie's pink Corvette, her handsome beau, and her crew. I'm a doll, but I still wanna party Pink 'Vette like I'm ready to bend I'm a ten, so I pull in a Ken Like Jazzie, Stacie, Nicki Minaj and Spice may be dolls, but they know how to have a good time, live luxuriously (with a pink Ferrari or Corvette), and enjoy a fabulous life with their Ken, the epitome of perfection.
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