Social media is ABLAZE over Cardi B going OFF on Offset on IG Live a day after the Migos rapper celebrated his 32nd birthday at “Club Offset” in Miami.
The big blowup comes just days after Cardi confirmed that she’s single amid months-long rumors of a split between her and Offset.
Cardi B confirms that her and Offset are no longer together, and that she has been single for a while now 👀 pic.twitter.com/JZ4FNrtXxk
While she didn’t provide any further details, she did express optimism about her “new beginning.”
Fast-forward to earlier today where the “WAP” rapper blasted her estranged husband online despite him celebrating a birthday.
In the first of a few viral moments, she tagged Offset directly in a tweet, writing, “you a b***h a** n***** …and trust me imma f***in’ take it there!”
She went on to write in another post, “Muf****s will try you when you at ya lowest and your most vulnerable time.. you out here feeling yourself but trust me the tables turn.”
She also took to Instagram Live where she lashed out at Offset while audibly upset, saying, “you’ve really been doing me dirty after so many f***ing years that I motherf***ing helped your a**.”
Cardi B airs Offset out on live:
“You’ve been f*****g feeling yourself, you b***ch a$$ n***a, because of your b**ch a$$ album.” pic.twitter.com/SQh1beDLM2
Cardi didn’t provide any further context for her tweets or comments on Live so it’s not exactly clear why she’s upset with Offset or why she chose his birthday to drag him.
According to some circles across Twitter X, she went off after seeing a woman named Jade (who Offset allegedly creeped with) at what appeared to be her estranged husband’s party.
Naturally, social media exploded with reactions to Cardi’s blowup with the Barbz claiming she’s only doing this for attention following the release of her arch rival Nicki Minaj‘s new album Pink Friday 2.
Additional footage of Kanye West has surfaced on social media. As The Shade Room previously reported, the rapper went viral after footage, seemingly recorded Thursday evening, showed him calling out Nicki Minaj for refusing to clear her verse on his upcoming album with Ty Dolla $ign.
The rapper apparently had more words for other celebrities and brands as well.
Kanye West Goes OFF While Name-Dropping Other Celebs & Brands
On Thursday, December 14, reports surfaced that Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign would host another rave listening party that evening. As The Shade Room previously reported, the duo hosted a separate rave and played snippets of their upcoming album earlier this week.
However, according to TMZ, Ye and Ty Dolla $ign’s plans would be interrupted when the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department shut things down ahead of the rave’s midnight start time.
Then, on Friday, December 15, footage surfaced of West in what appears to be a house. A crowd surrounded the rapper as he seemingly spoke about the police “sabotaging” his show.
Additionally, West spoke about parting ways with Adidas while name-dropping fellow rappers Drake, Pharrell, Tory Lanez, Jay-Z, and former President Trump. Ye also blasted Louis Vuitton and Balenciaga while speaking about standing firm in his “political opinion.”
Furthermore, the 46-year-old father of four explained that he is a religious “vessel.”
“Me directly after you ask me what’s wrong and I say I don’t want to talk about.”
While Instagram user @ayookevo803 added.
“That n***a ain’t crazy he just don’t know how to dumb it down for yah”
Instagram user @itzbon3z wrote.
“The fact the man wants society to elevate and take back control and people sitting here just calling him crazy is funny af to me I can tell a lot of people don’t think outside the box”
While Instagram user @4itsrox added.
“LOL. Well. In Kanye’s defense he gave us a good little break. 😄😩”
Instagram user @xpensive_fatima wrote.
“Sometimes I feel ye is often misunderstood and he doesn’t even seem like a bad person. 🥹”
While Instagram user @babylianna added.
“He was making some valid points despite y’all thinking he crazy .. you just gotta listen”
Instagram user @daradexplorer wrote.
“who are the folks in the room? Just curious”
A Brief Recap Of The Rapper’s Exchange With Nicki Minaj
As The Shade Room previously reported, Ye also went viral on Friday after an exclusive video obtained by the outlet showed the rapper responding to Nicki Minaj’s refusal to clear her verse on “New Body.”
The song is featured on Ye’s upcoming album, ‘Vultures,’ with Ty Dolla $ign.
OOP! Kanye West responds to Nicki Minaj for not clearing her verse on ‘New Body’ 👀👀
The trio reportedly began working on the single in 2018. However, Ye allegedly refused to release the single in the following years despite Minaj’s interest, per Page Six.
On Thursday evening, Minaj rejected Ye’s request to clear her vocals on the single by simply stating. “that train has left the station.” Additionally, Minaj seemingly explained that her current priority is focusing on the release of her most recent album, ‘Pink Friday 2.’
On Friday, December 8, Nicki Minaj went back to her roots by releasing the second installment of her no-skips debut album, Pink Friday, with Pink Friday 2. The 2010 debut included radio hits like “Super Bass”, “Fly (feat. Rihanna)”, and “Moment 4 Life”, and went triple Platinum. So you could imagine the hype behind The Queen of Hip-Hop’s fifth studio album was surging to an all-time high…
Enter Gag City.
A few days before the album dropped, Minaj invited her army of Barbz to a pink utopia: Gag City. Named after the slang term, which we now use to indicate a loss for words, Gag City was every Barbie lover’s dream…that became an instantaneous meme.
X (or Twitter, whichever you prefer) took their own creative liberties alongside the help of AI to put virtually anything you could think of in Gag City. Most of the Gag City attendees are fan-approved queens who are worthy of Nicki Minaj’s approval, so obviously that includes the Starbucks Lemon Loaf. Unfortunately, others decided that Cardi B was denied entry to Gag City due to their 2018 New York Fashion Week brawl.
But there’s one ultimate Barb who was awarded the Golden Ticket to Gag City…and that’s none other than “Roman’s Revenge” cover rapper, Timothee Chalamet! Spotify made our new Wonka star the cover of their Teen Beats playlist as he enters Gag City, which is just about the highest compliment.
Spotify, who had their own mega-viral moment with the introduction of Sound Towns during the release of 2023 Wrapped last week, also announced on X that they were including Gag City as a new destination. The streaming platform is seemingly teasing a visit from Nicki Minaj herself, making their headquarters on X “#GagCity” and interacting with the Queen Barb.
Pink Friday 2 is already a hit album, but we already knew it would be. Minaj hit every mark, including star collaborations like J. Cole, Drake, Lil Uzi Vert, and Future, and she has even promised to release a new track everyday. The gift that keeps on giving, Gag City and Pink Friday 2 will always be famous.
Nicki Minaj has not stopped trending on social media since dropping her highly anticipated album ‘Pink Friday 2‘ on Friday. The 22-track project, which marks the rapper’s first body of work since 2018’s ‘Queen,’ is sure to leave the Barbz well-fed, with Nicki already confirming that four additional tracks will be released in the coming week.
It’s been a long time coming, but judging by the online response so far, Nicki has dominated platforms such as X, where ‘Pink Friday 2’ has been the most talked-about topic since midnight! So, let’s dive into things…
The album hasn’t even been out for a full day yet, and people are already choosing their favorite songs. From the J. Cole-featured track ‘Let Me Calm Down’ to slowing things down with ‘Blessings’ featuring Tasha Cobbs, Nicki is once again showing just how versatile she is as an artist.
Pink Friday 2 Tracklist
1. Are You Gone Already 2. Barbie Dangerous 3. FTCU 4. Beep Beep 5. Fallin 4 U 6. Let Me Calm Down (Feat J. Cole) 7. RNB (Feat. Lil Wayne and Tate Kobang) 8. Pink Birthday 9. Needle (Feat. Drake) 10. Cowgirl (Feat. Lourdiz) 11. Everybody (Feat. Lil Uzi Vert) 12. Big Difference 13. Red Ruby Da Sleeze 14. Forward From Trini (Feat. Skillibeng and Skeng) 15. Pink Friday Girls 16. Super Freaky Girl 17. Bahm Bahm 18. My Life 19. Nicki Hendrix (Feat. Future) 20. Blessings (Feat. Tasha Cobbs Leonard) 21. Last Time I Saw You 22. Just the Memories.
As fans rushed to streaming platforms on Friday morning, the Barbz wasted no time indulging in the 22-track project before dissecting the lyrics to songs such as ‘Fallin 4 U.’
“Picture you not listening when I said you would dread that/I mean locked, h*e, you’s a chop h*e,” Nicki raps, which some people perceived as her blending the terms “locs, h*” with a particular rapper’s name: Latto.
Given that Nicki herself has not yet verified the lyrics, some fans initially thought they heard, “Picture you not listening when I said you would dread that/I mean Latto, you’s a chop h*e.” However, it seems that social media users are convinced that the line — whether directly aimed at Latto or not — was about her.
“I’m sorry Nicki is just sooooooo good at rap. No skips on that album. She’s owns rap at this point,” one person wrote after hearing the song.
“She mad bold calling out latto’s name, she said no indirects, directs only how can you not love her.”
But there’s more. The track ‘FTCU’ is gaining just as much attention for its play on words with the line, “Stay in your Tory lane, b*tch, I’m not Iggy.”
Nicki Minaj seemingly takes a direct shot at Megan thee person for notoriously stealing from Iggy Azalea her entire career. Nicki states that she will not tolerate Megan copying HER own work. pic.twitter.com/5RFvtpNgtB
Social media users have gathered that this line appears to reference Tory Lanez, who was found guilty of shooting Megan Thee Stallion in August.
Rumors circulated that Tory and Iggy allegedly shared a relationship before his incarceration, though she later denied those reports, claiming that they were nothing more than friends. She also wrote a letter to the judge on behalf of Tory’s character, asking for his sentencing to be transformational.
Nicki Minaj’s Lyrics Has Fans Speculating
According to the Daily Mail, Iggy and Megan had reportedly worked on a song together in 2019, which never came to fruition due to an alleged feud between the pair.
One fan theorized that Nicki wasn’t shading Iggy with the line, calling it a play on words towards Megan who was embroiled in a two-year court case with Tory over the shooting incident in August 2020.
The user took a screenshot of an unreviewed annotation on Genius that read, “Nicki uses this phrase to throw shade at Megan after Megan had been throwing unnecessary shade at Iggy, keeping her cool and not responding to anything Megan said.”
This is mad funny b/c that was the song I wrote in 5 mins one day for “Call Of Duty” 🤣😂. Once I kept it for my album, I still didn’t even rlly know if it made sense on PF2. I didn’t wanna send it to Uzi b/c I thought he’d be over it. Instead he was like this hard af! Uzicito 🥹 https://t.co/h9iblFQ9d2
It’s undoubtedly a big day for Nicki, who celebrates her 41st birthday today. And while she hasn’t revealed how she plans to spend her very own Pink Friday, it’s fair to assume that the overjoyed reaction from fans is proving itself to be a birthday present in itself.
Roommates, have you listened to the album yet and what are your thoughts?
Now that I’ve obsessively pored through my Spotify Wrapped 2023 playlist a few times over, unfortunately I need something new. Regardless of the fun Spotify Wrapped features this year, my Blend playlists with friends are the entire Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever) album with a mixture of Elvis. So it’s not even like I can get variety there!
I know I’m not the only one who’s done this: whether you may be an Apple Music or Spotify type of person, you’re a bit tired of the same old-same old right now.
Which is where I have to step in and be my own hero here. You may be familiar with this little segment I run called “Weekend Playlist”, an all-over-the-place roundup of the best music released this week. And as we’re surging into the holiday season, I am spending a lot of time traveling…so I need fresh playlists.
Before we know it, I’ll be preaching about how it’s the new year, which calls for new music…but before I get too ahead of myself, let’s stay in the moment. One of my favorite things to do is create a playlist for every type of mood I’m in, which only further proves my credentials as Playlist Maker Of The Year.
It’s December 8, which means it’s time for a brand new Weekend Playlist! Let’s get listening!
Nicki Minaj- Pink Friday 2
Barbs, assemble. The epitome of Nicki Minaj is the Pink Friday album, with hits like “Super Bass”, “Moment 4 Life”, “Roman’s Revenge”, and “Did It On ‘Em”, it’s a literal no-skips body of work. Now the Queen of Rap is here with the next installment of the iconic album, Pink Friday 2.
You’ve seen the Gag City memes already, and there’s perhaps no bigger buzz for an album this week than the swarm of listeners ready to consume more Nicki. I’m ready to be sent back to middle school with the classic Nicki/Roman we all know and love.
While one might automatically assume that a song called “Cobra,” coming from Megan Thee Stallion, would be inherently innuendo-laden (it was, after all, in “WAP” that Cardi B declared, “I need a king cobra”), in the end, the rapper’s latest single is more spiritual than sexual. Because, lest anyone forget, the cobra is known just as much for being able to shed its skin as it is for its phallic nature.
So it is that the Douglas Bernardt-directed video begins with a circular close-up on Megan Thee Stallion’s mouth (with the entire rest of the screen in black) as she informs us, “Just as a snake sheds its skin, we must shed our past over and over again.” Amen. Soon after, the camera zooms out to show Thee Stallion with snake eyes. Bernardt then cuts to a very birth-like scene (you know, think: emerging from ya ma’s vaginal canal) of Megan, practically in her birthday suit, crawling out of the snake’s mouth. After making her way out into the wilderness-y milieu, another snake awaits as the rock-oriented (by rap standards) beat drops and Thee Stallion commences her tale of woe and overcoming it with the lyrics, “Breakin’ down and I had the whole world watchin’/But the worst part is really who watched me/Every night I cried, I almost died/And nobody close tried to stop it/Long as everybody gettin’ paid, right?/Everything’ll be okay, right?”
Surely, these are lines that Britney Spears can relate to. In addition to, “I’m winnin’, so nobody trippin’/Bet if I ever fall off, everybody go missin’.” Indeed, part of Spears’ big “fuck you” to the many who wronged her, particularly her family, is to shirk the music industry altogether at this point (with rumors still swirling that she’s due to “return” any day now). So if Megan ever wants to take the same approach, she knows who to look to for inspiration. At the same time, Spears has shown her cobra-like strength by shedding the trauma of her own past and still “daring” to interface with the public at all (mostly on Instagram). And, besides, this is the same girl who iconically draped a snake around her shoulders while shimmying to “I’m A Slave 4 U” at the 2001 VMAs. The snake metaphor has long been in her wheelhouse (much to Taylor Swift’s dismay).
As for the moody guitar rhythm of “Cobra,” brought to listeners by Bankroll Got It, Shawn “Source” Jarrett and Derrick Milano, it reminds one of ANTI-era Rihanna—namely the sixth track on the album, “Woo” (co-produced by Hit-Boy, Kuk Harrell and, yes, Travis Scott). But the visuals themselves are pure Nicki Minaj (complete with a similar state of undress) in the video for 2018’s “Ganja Burn,” off the Queen album. And, like “Cobra,” “Ganja Burn” also offers a prologue, this one written (instead of spoken) as follows:
Once upon a time, in a world unknown… there lived a queen. The generous queen. One day, her enemies all came together to hold a secret meeting and concocted a plan to take the generous queen down. They conspired with someone who was once very close to her & struck like a thief in the night. Though the queen could hear & see them in her mind, she decided to allow them an easy victory. She advised her army to do & say nothing. They slaughtered her village. What they perceived as death was a deep sleep. Once the generous queen had enough of her rest, she began to arise as she blew life back into her army. They all assembled, stronger & better than ever. They became more protective of the queen than ever before. She made a command. One command. ‘Kill everything in sight.’ With those words, her enemies were all put to death. The queen’s empire celebrated. They asked her, ‘Why did you allow us to be defeated?’ She responded, ‘So that generations for years & years to come would know, that even in the grave, he is lord.
Megan Thee Stallion wants to convey a similar message to her own enemies, with especial focus on the man who caused so much of her suicide ideation for the past few years, Tory Lanez. It is he that The Stallion refers to when she provides the aforementioned rap, “Breakin’ down and I had the whole world watchin’/But the worst part is really who watched me/Every night I cried, I almost died.” And yet, despite understanding the preciousness of life after her near-death experience, Megan still can’t help feeling “very depressed.” We’re talking wrist-slittingly depressed.
Addressing the conundrum of being rich and successful, yet still feeling empty inside (to bring up Britney again, she already explored that pain with 2000’s “Lucky”), Megan sings, “How can somebody so blessed wanna slit they wrist?/Shit, I’d probably bleed out some Pinot/When they find me, I’m in Valentino, ayy.” Needless to say, the expensive wines and the designer labels aren’t enough to fill an emotional and spiritual void. Which means, like Britney in 2003, maybe it’s time for Megan to seek Kabbalah counsel from Madonna, who once told her dancers that after their tour (2004’s Reinvention Tour, to be exact), she hoped they had become “more compassionate to other human beings and more responsible for your actions and your words, because without those two things your gifts and your talents mean nothing.”
Perhaps Thee Stallion is starting to pick up on that message, even if still allowing herself to wallow in her melancholia just a little bit longer. During the chorus, she speaks to that sadness on a new level, channeling Charlotte York (Kristin Davis) in the vulvodynia episode of Sex and the City (“The Real Me”) when she says, “This pussy deprеssed, hmm/I’m about to stress him, yeah.” This is said while Megan is in a human-sized tank meant to mirror the kind that “pet” cobras and other snakes are usually kept in, all while strangers watch her and take her picture. Thus, she takes Taylor Swift’s “fishbowl” metaphor from the “Lover” video and remakes it with a snake tank. For that’s what it is to be famous: trapped inside a glass prison with everyone on the outside examining and dissecting your every move. Inside the tank, Megan peels off another layer of skin from her face.
Intercut scenes in black and white then start to show up, featuring Megan in her most Nicki-looking aesthetic yet. A smattering of heads contained inside a sea of snakes also serves to highlight Thee Stallion’s overarching message that she will always triumph over her enemies, hitting back when they least expect it with her own set of venomous fangs. Dancing in the middle of a spiral jetty during the mercurial guitar solo (at its most “80s rock” yet), Thee Stallion again gives off major “Ganja Burn” video vibes. Soon, a montage of images that we’ve seen throughout the video play at a rapid-fire pace before the camera finally pauses on Thee Stallion’s face looking back at us, her back arched and her breathing visible. It is in this moment that the viewer can understand the full weight of her focus on the cobra as a spirit animal. For it is she who posted an image relating to the cobra’s symbolic meaning that stated, “Cobras exemplify courage and self-reliance. They stand tall and fierce in the face of challenges, teaching one to tap into their inner strength and rely on oneself to conquer their threats. Emulating the cobra helps one be more confident in the person they are within.”
How fitting, then, that “Cobra” should serve as the first single from Megan’s Hot Girl label. Part of a larger company called Hot Girl Productions LLC—and secured after years of legal battles with 1501 Certified Entertainment—it’s no coincidence that her first release since 2022’s Traumazine is a marked departure from the sound of previous music. Not just the melding of rap and rock (of the variety perhaps not seen since Run DMC and Aerosmith joined forces), but with the amplification of her deeply personal lyrics. The kind of lyrics that are generally not associated with being “rap topics” (because that can only extend to repetitive mentions of bands and booties, n’est-ce pas?).
This includes exposing further vulnerability by alluding to her breakup with Pardison Fontaine, as she refers to his infidelity via the lines, “Pulled up, caught him cheatin’/Gettin’ his dick sucked in the same spot I’m sleepin’.” Here, again, it’s worth remarking that Minaj was the mainstream’s progenitor of these kinds of deeply personal lyrics in her rap music, with notable examples including The Pinkprint’s “I Lied,” “The Crying Game” and “Pills n Potions.” With “Cobra,” Megan Thee Stallion is amplifying the “vulnerability in rap” trend that Minaj started a decade ago and making it all her own.
For the publication’s December cover story, Minaj, 40, did a wide-ranging interview on several topics including the process of writing, recording, mixing, and re-mixing Pink Friday ahead of its December 8 release.
Not only that, she also opened up about motherhood, marriage, and false narratives about her attitude.
Source: Norman Jean Roy / Vogue
According to Onika, she is not “mean” as some people have alleged her to be, because that’s not who she is at her core. Instead, the rapper admits that she can have passing “b***” moments.
“When I hear the word mean, I think about the core of who the person is,” said Minaj. “I always tell people that the difference between being mean and being a b*** is that b*** passes. B**** comes and goes. Mean is who you are. I could be the biggest b***, at the height of my b***-ness, but if the person I may be cussing out at that time needs something from me, I’m going to give it to them. I have to be able to look in the mirror and be okay with myself.”
She also went on to emphasize that further while filming the famed “73 Questions with Vogue.”
“What is the biggest misconception about you?” she was asked.
“That I’m mean,” Minaj answered.
See more Nicki Minaj for Vogue below.
Source: Norman Jean Roy / Vogue
On marriage:
“Because I’ve known my husband for so long, there’s an ease we have with each other,” she explains. “We make each other laugh. We’re silly. And we’re always reminiscing about some old story. If it was a guy that I met as Nicki Minaj, I think I’d feel like they liked me because I’m Nicki Minaj, and what if I don’t look like Nicki Minaj every day? And that, combined with pregnancy, would probably have made me crazy.”
Marriage and motherhood promised to be escapes, after all, from Nicki Minaj the brand.
“I think that deep down inside, I believed that once I had a family, I would just lose the desire to make music,” she says. “I would always tell people, ‘Watch, when I have a child I’m going to cook every meal for him and bake cookies every day.’ Maybe subconsciously I hoped my focus would just be on being a mother, and I looked forward to that idea. It felt like a relief. But what happens is that you find out you have to work.”
On motherhood and the stress it put on her marriage:
Minaj has not publicly revealed the name of her son, whom she prefers to call Papa Bear. She and Petty navigated his infancy with no help whatsoever save for an occasional brief visit from a grandparent. She never felt so exhausted in her life, even on her three world tours. She remembers the atmosphere of commiseration that pervaded her marriage at the time.
“I’m not going to lie, things got testy between us,” she recalls. “Because of our history, I think we knew we’d get past it. But there’s no such thing as confidence in parenthood. I kind of wish that someone had told me—although I’m sure I wouldn’t have been able to understand it—that there’s a level of anxiety, and you think it’s going to go away, but in fact it gets scarier. So often you think: I don’t know how to do this!”
On mom guilt:
“Well, if I’m going to have mom guilt regardless, I might as well continue doing the only thing I know how to freaking do, which is make music.”
Source: Norman Jean Roy / Vogue
On body positivity:
“I just looked at a video that I posted on Instagram when I was 25, and I would f****g pay to look like that right now,” she says. “But today I can say that I’m at peace with who I am and how I look. I have to say this as a Black woman, though. I’ve made certain choices for my son, to not give him sweets and candy and juices, because of illnesses like diabetes that run in our community. I’m not in favor of body positivity if it means unhealthy bodies. That’s bull. It’s not believable, so let’s stop pretending.
Recently I had to get a breast reduction, and actually I love it. I used to want a bigger butt, and now I look back and realize how silly that was. So—love your curves, and love your non-curves. There’s nothing wrong with any of it.”
Writer: Rob Haskell
Photographer: Norman Jean Roy
Fashion Editor: Max Ortega
Hair: Lacy Redway and Dionte Gray
Makeup: Raoúl Alejandre
Vogue’s December 2023 issue is available on newsstands nationwide on November 21.
Call of Duty’s collaborations this year have cast a wide net, ranging from putting rapper Nicki Minaj in as a playable character to adding cosmetics that are based on the Diablo series. Next month, the series is leaning into all things spooky and hellish, and that includes a tribute to Doom, the landmark 1993 first-person shooter. The Doom bundle, available on October 9 for Warzone and Modern Warfare II, includes a shotgun and chainsaw stylized to look like they did in the original game, and the visual effect is pretty cool.
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If you equip the gun or melee weapon, your character wields it like the space marine hero of the original game did, complete with a lower framerate that looks pretty distinct compared to the rest of Warzone. It’s nostalgic for fans of the original Doom, but it doesn’t seem to actually get in the way of the functionality of the shotgun or chainsaw, even when the game runs at 60FPS. Your character’s animations stutter a little bit when using either weapon, but it’s a pretty faithful recreation of how Doom looked 30 years ago. It rules.
The weapons are definitely the standout, but the Doom bundle comes with a few other homages to the series, as well. The full bundle includes the following:
DOOM Weapon Charm
Cacodemon & Slayer Stickers
DOOM Loading Screen
Super Shotgun Weapon Blueprint
Chainsaw Melee Blueprint
Doomguy Gunscreen
Call of Duty isn’t the only game paying tribute to the original Doom these days. Cyberpunk 2077added a mini-game in the Phantom Liberty expansion based on shooters of the time starring Keanu Reeves’ Johnny Silverhand. Even with so many games paying tribute to the 1993 classic, it’s always a good idea to revisit the OG whenever you can, as it’s pretty foundational to the first-person shooter genre. If you do decide to play it, though, maybe play it on something simple like a PC or console, rather than one of the weirder devices people have ported the game to over the years. Like a tractor or potato-powered calculator.
The next batch of cross-over operators was just announced for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and Warzone, and it includes none other than Diablo IV’s Succubi queen Lilith and fallen archangel Inarius. Plus a bunch of other horror stars like Spawn and Evil Dead’s Ash Williams. No doubt it will be another bloodbath.
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Activision revealed the season 6 operators on Thursday alongside teases for other horror-themed content, including the return of The Haunting event in October. The seasonal update goes live on Septmebr 27 and will even include a Doom-themed bundle complete with a chainsaw. Al Simmons will be one of the new operators alongside a host of Spawn-related skins, including a couple for the superhero himself as well as Creepy Clown and Violator.
Lilith, Diablo IV’s main antagonist, and Inarius, the hooded asshole, will be separate purchases added to the shop, joined by Skeletor (He-Man), Ash Williams (Evil Dead 2), and Alucard (Hellsing). I can’t wait to see how they play in the Call of Duty sandbox alongside rapper Nicki Minaj, NBA star Kevin Durant, and the Burger King guy. The upcoming event should make the time go a little faster until Modern Warfare 3drops on November 10.
For those who might not be aware, Call of Duty has been going fullblown Fortnite for quite a while now, mixing things up with wild cross-overs from across the pop culture landscape. In July it was characters from Amazon Prime superhero dramedy, The Boys, with Temp V abilities like Homelander’s red eye lasers torching every player in sight.
Some have bemoaned the silliness of it all for undermining the “very-serious” war shooter. Others enjoy the changing party costumes, if not always the seasonal grinds and prices that come with them. The weapons at least, like the Doom bundle, will carry over into Modern Warfare 3.
Although most of Nicki Minaj’s recent hit singles, including “Blick Blick,” “We Go Up,” “Super Freaky Girl” and “Red Ruby da Sleeze,” have favored showcasing the rapper’s patented “hard edge,” it seems that with “Last Time I Saw You,” Minaj is reminding listeners of the softer side she presented, most notably, on 2014’s The Pinkprint. Perhaps because it was only on her sophomore album that she finally felt comfortable enough to let her…wig down (and no, “Super Bass,” her biggest hit from Pink Friday, hardly counts as one of Minaj’s “soft offerings”). With the upcoming release of her fifth album, Pink Friday 2, the selection of “Last Time I Saw You” as the establishing single to set the tone for it feels like a pointed choice at a time in rap’s history when women appear to be competing for who can offer the raunchiest lyrics and aesthetics (though Minaj often still wins on that count, too). Minaj’s decision to show her range with this particular “reflective slow jam” (or rather, mid-tempo jam) is undoubtedly a deliberate maneuver in terms of nudging listeners who might have forgotten (as if they could) that her “rap supremacy” stems from her vocal diversity as much as the bars she spits.
Although the song can be interpreted as a lament about a lost love (just as Kylie Minogue’s “Tension” can be interpreted as a song about a man, but reads more like a vibrator instructional), many have speculated that the track is a nod to her late father, Robert Maraj, who was killed in a hit and run in 2021. To be sure, the lyrics of the chorus, “I wish I’da hugged you tighter the last time that I saw you/I wish l didn’t waste precious time the night when I called you (ooh)/I wish I remembered to say I’d do anything for you/Maybe I pushed you away because I thought that I’d bore you,” are easily viewed through the lens of a daughter who had a strained relationship with her father. And yet, Minaj also makes the track accessible to those who can apply it to their botched romance as she recalls, “Them nights we wish never ended/Those rules that we wish we bended/Heartbreak that we never mended/Those messages we unsended/Best friends we somehow unfriended/Ain’t care ’bout who we offended/Parties they wish we attended/Got drunk and laughed, it was splendid.”
Reflecting, in this sense, on something of a Bonnie and Clyde dynamic (which could apply to a platonic friendship as well, therefore adding to the universality of this song), Minaj’s wistfulness for a time when she was still gallivanting with this “wild and crazy” person also speaks to her wistfulness for a time when she herself was wild(er) and crazy(er) (clearly, there must be something in the air right now, if we’re to also go on Miley “Miley, What’s Good?” Cyrus’ release of “Used to Be Young”). Such an admission of vulnerability and nostalgia on her part has become rarer and rarer since the days of The Pinkprint, with tracks like “I Lied,” “The Crying Game,” “Pills N Potions,” “Bed of Lies” and “Grand Piano” serving as launchpads into the softer side of Minaj. And, in contrast to her on-again, off-again rival, Cardi B, Minaj is less obliged, in these scenarios, to populate her songs with “harsh bars” to counteract the emotionalism (as is the case with Cardi B’s “Thru Your Phone”) she dares to showcase in a genre as dependent on “severity” as rap.
This applies especially to rap as delivered by women, who still seem determined to “measure up” to their male counterparts when it comes to being as risqué as possible. After all, at least eighty percent of “good” rap is contingent upon its shock value (hear also: 2 Live Crew’s “Me So Horny,” Lil’ Kim’s “How Many Licks?,” Ludacris featuring Shawnna’s “What’s Your Fantasy?,” etc.). Yet, because audiences have been so desensitized to phrases like, “My neck, my back/Lick my pussy and my crack,” it takes a one-upping song like “WAP” to scandalize people again (and yes, Nicki appeared to want to at least vaguely compete with that single later on via the much tamer “Super Freaky Girl”).
Although Cardi appears to be the current Queen of Rap Raunch (until Ice Spice takes over that too), Minaj has had no shortage of offending lyrics from which to choose from over the course of her discography, including the ones from her mixtape days, when she would say things like, “Got that Super Soaker/Pussy pop like Cola Coca/Plus it’s tighter than a choka/Got ‘em smilin’ like the Joker.”
However, perhaps there’s something to be said for motherhood bringing out a woman’s gentler facets (now and again, anyway) if one is to base it on the release of “Last Time I Saw You,” easily one of the greatest additions to Minaj’s canon. One that so often gets shrouded behind her, let’s say, “rough-hewn” persona. As though to further emphasize her state of tenderness on this track, she even dares to sample lyrics from the same nursery rhyme once reserved solely for Madonna on “Lucky Star” by singing, “Starlight, star bright, first star I see tonight/Wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight.”
Alas, the one wish she truly wants to come true—to be with or at least see this person who she had an unsatisfying final interaction with once again—can never be a reality. And it’s an ache listeners can truly feel emanating from her vocals in this sweeping ode to loss. Thus, if the rest of Pink Friday 2 is anything like this, Minaj needn’t worry about her precious crown being taken from current rap it girls like Megan Thee Stallion and Ice Spice (both of whom Minaj has collaborated with…as though to keep her friends close and her competition closer). Because the best of the rap girls know how to exhibit a wide range of emotions far beyond mere “Gobble me, swallow me, drip down the side of me” territory.
Nicki Minaj is giving fans a taste of her new music off her forthcoming album, Pink Friday 2.
The rapper shared a snippet of one of the project’s songs during an Instagram Live early Monday, which she later posted to Twitter.
In the 45-second clip, Minaj vibes to the upbeat track in what appears to be a music studio, before posting the lyrics in a follow-up tweet.
“Begging me to stay/ And then you walk away/ There’s something that you wanted to say/ I was in a rush and you said you were crushed/ But I said I’d be back, it’s ok…,” the lyrics read.
“I wish I’da hugged you tighter the last time that I saw you/ I wish l didn’t waste precious time that night when I called you/ I wish I remembered to say I’d do anything for you,” Minaj, 40, continued to sing the vulnerable track. “Maybe I pushed you away because I thought that I’d bore you/ LISTEN, so close but we were so distant.”
The song teaser left several of Minaj’s Barbz “already so in love” with the track that both “Nicki” and “#PinkFriday2″ were trending in spots no. 2 and no. 3 on U.S. Twitter after the rapper released the snippet.
Minaj then replied to several fans’ comments and questions on the platform, revealing that the song is titled “Last Time That I Saw You”.
Elsewhere, Minaj tweeted a video from what appears to be a photoshoot for her new album. In the clip — set to the track — the rapper poses in a sheer crop top and matching skirt embellished with crystals.
It’s that time of the year again. The MTV VMA 2023 nominations are out, and it’s time to see if your favorites have made the cut. This year it is evidently all about girl power, as women sweep the nominations for the main categories. But we knew that, after all, it was the year of Taylor Swift, Doja Cat, SZA, and so many more talented artists. So without future wait, here are the nominations.
MTV Video Music Awards 2023 Nominations
VIDEO OF THE YEAR, Presented by Burger King®
Doja Cat – “Attention”
Miley Cyrus – “Flowers”
Nicki Minaj – “Super Freaky Girl”
Olivia Rodrigo – “vampire”
Sam Smith, Kim Petras – “Unholy”
SZA – “Kill Bill”
Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero”
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Beyoncé
Doja Cat
KAROL G
Nicki Minaj
Shakira
Taylor Swift
SONG OF THE YEAR
Miley Cyrus – “Flowers”
Olivia Rodrigo – “vampire”
Rema & Selena Gomez – “Calm Down”
Sam Smith, Kim Petras – “Unholy”
Steve Lacy – “Bad Habit”
SZA – “Kill Bill”
Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero”
BEST NEW ARTIST
GloRilla
Ice Spice
Kaliii
Peso Pluma
PinkPantheress
Reneé Rapp
PUSH PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
August 2022: Saucy Santana – “Booty”
September 2022: Stephen Sanchez – “Until I Found You”
October 2022: JVKE – “golden hour”
November 2022: Flo Milli – “Conceited”
December 2022: Reneé Rapp – “Colorado”
January 2023: Sam Ryder – “All The Way Over”
February 2023: Armani White – “GOATED”
March 2023: FLETCHER – “Becky’s So Hot”
April 2023: TOMORROW X TOGETHER – “Sugar Rush Ride”
May 2023: Ice Spice – “Princess Diana”
June 2023: FLO – “Losing You”
July 2023: Lauren Spencer Smith – “That Part”
BEST COLLABORATION
David Guetta & Bebe Rexha – “I’m Good (Blue)”
Post Malone, Doja Cat – “I Like You (A Happier Song)”
Play it on: Nintendo DS (but there are similar games on many platforms) Current goal: See if it can stump me
In the final days of the Neo Geo Pocket Color’s brief, beautiful life I imported several of the final English-translated games from the UK, and among them was an unassuming cart called Picture Puzzle. Little did I know it would be my gateway into the world of nonograms, a type of logic puzzle in which you deduce the layouts of dots on a grid based on numerical clues, eventually forming a picture. It was love at first furrow.
Though I got my fill of these games over the next few years, I still enjoy the way they scratch my brain, and there’s a near-limitless number of them available for Nintendo handhelds. So it was that I loaded Nintendo’s Picross DS onto my DSi XL this week and once again started deciphering the dots.
I don’t even remember if I’ve played this one before, but as long as the UI is good, and it is in the Nintendo ones, most any nonogram game will do. (Picross DS has some nice music, but stick with the basic blue-on-white color scheme, as many of the alt ones are eye-rending.) One thing I wonder, and I usually drift away before finding out, is if a given nonogram game, in its later stages, will depart from purely logic-based puzzles and start to require—I shudder just typing this—guessing.
I remember feeling some of the late-game Picture Puzzle grids did, but I was young and inexperienced. Even now it’s possible there exist some advanced, logic-based solving techniques that yet elude me. Perhaps this time I’ll stick with Picross DS, which I understand maxes out at monstrous 25×20 grids, long enough to see just how difficult it can really get. — Alexandra Hall
Season 5 of the Call of Duty video game will feature rap queen Nicki Minaj as the first-ever female celebrity Operator playable character, publisher Activision announced on Wednesday.
Several real-life celebrities have appeared in the franchise’s games over the years, including soccer great Lionel Messi and basketball legend Kevin Durant. But the only women to appear as Operators have been fictional ― until Nicki the Ninja united with the brand.
She’ll appear as an Operator in the games Warzone and Modern Warfare II in honor of CoD’s “50 Years of Hip Hop Celebration,” along with hitmakers Snoop Dogg, who has partnered with the brand before, and 21 Savage.
CoD has already warned players in a press release that the “Barbie World” rapper won’t be showing up as “Chill Nicki,” but rather as “Red Ruby Da Sleeze,” a nod to Minaj’s ready-for-war hit track from earlier this year where she promises enemies she’ll “boom your face off.”
Call of Duty’s official Twitter page showed off a teaser image of Minaj’s appearance in the game, sporting pink hair and toting a large neon pink gun.
The game’s developer said in the press release that Minaj will have her own storefront full of goodies in Season 5 of Warzone and Modern Warfare 2, which will likely include the aforementioned Barbie-pink assault rifle.
After word of Minaj’s involvement hit Twitter, fans trickled in to hilariously gush about their excitement.
Minaj’s appearance was teased last year in a promotional video for the game’s preorder, which featured a star-studded mix of artists, athletes and actors, including rapper Lil Baby, comedian Pete Davidson and country singer Kane Brown.
In the promo, Minaj is seen standing in front of a helicopter, in a camo-print skirt and surrounded by women, as she raps: “Pull up with the Barbz/ Superheroes, no capes.”
The trailer sparked debate on Twitter after many fans speculated that Minaj may have only snagged the endorsement deal due to fellow rapper Cardi B dropping the ball on the opportunity, after the former reality star hinted about it in a tweet.
Last September, the “WAP” artist tweeted about having missed out on “a multi-million dollar” deal with the franchise because of legal troubles stemming from an assault case.
The cost of the celebrity skins hasn’t been announced yet, but they’re set to release when the Season 5 update launches on August 2.
Robbie was joined by her Ken, Ryan Gosling, who wore a pink suit for the star-studded occasion, while their co-star America Ferrera also opted for a blush-coloured ensemble.
Ryan Gosling, Margot Robbie and America Ferrera at the premiere of “Barbie”
— Photo: Christopher Polk/WWD via Getty Images
Fellow Barbie Nicki Minaj was among the A-listers who joined the cast at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall.
Growing up as a girl, I played with all sorts of dolls: American Girl, Bratz, Polly Pocket, and of course, Barbies. I had the Dream House, the Dream Car, the color changing mermaid, and don’t forget about Ken. But as I aged, Barbie became a bit more problematic.
Suddenly, we grew up and realized that Barbie wasn’t representing diversity (by any means) very well. She was dimensionally impossible, but she grew up as our role model! How could we spend our lives aspiring for blonde-haired, cinched-waisted, pink-loving Barbie if the girl selling the dream was unattainable?
And then there were the controversial Barbies…1965 Slumber Party Barbie had a scale set to 110 pounds and a dieting book titled “How To Lose Weight” with the advice “Don’t Eat!” Not our role model promoting eating disorder culture!
1965 Slumber Party Barbie
Daily Mail
Mattel was failing to realize that by making Barbie a doctor, lawyer, homeowner, extraordinaire, she truly was our role model as little girls. We were looking at these dolls potentially seeing what our future could look like. And if it meant being 110 pounds to have the Dream Car, that sends the opposite message.
But there is no one I have more faith in than Greta Gerwig to do the injustices of Barbie justice. We have just under one month until Gerwig’s Barbie movie releases into theaters…on the same day as Christopher Nolan’s polar opposite Oppenheimer, which has started its own collection of memes for a double-header day.
Barbie has already stolen the hearts of social media with perhaps the best marketing we’ve seen for a movie in a long time (barring the accidental chaos marketing of Don’t Worry Darling). We’ve gotten picturesque stills of BarbieLand, the Architectural Digest tour of the Dream House, hilarious trailers, and of course the iconic movie posters. The main message of the posters? Barbie (Margot Robbie) is everything, and he’s just Ken (Ryan Gosling).
From the trailer we can tell that Barbie lives in her pink world with other Barbies and Kens, like Dua Lipa being Mermaid Barbie. But one day when Barbie throws her party (complete with synchronized dance and bespoke song), she lets a thought out: “Do you guys ever think about dying?” Party halts.
Now that she’s contempating her mortality, things for Barbie become less than perfect: her heels touch the ground (gag) and she falls off her roof (gasp)..So she’s given a choice: return to her world (presented as a high heel) or go to the Real World and figure out what life’s really about (presented as a worn out Birkenstock). Unfortunately for Barbie, she has to choose the latter.
In BarbieLand, she explains, “ Basically everything men do in your world, women do in ours.” As for the Kens? “I honestly don’t know.” If you can tell the theme of this film so far, it’s that women are running the show.
But what Greta Gerwig gets right with Barbie so far is that BarbieLand is impractical. In the Architectural Digest tour, Margot Robbie shows us how the pool is fake because there are no elements in Barbie’s world. She showers without water, has a fridge filled with decal food, and a lot, she admits with a laugh, is “not super practical, but nothing is for Barbie.”
The success of the movie already is proving to be major. With Ryan Gosling’s fierce dedication to being Ken, you find it hard not to root for this movie in the box office. He’s given us quotes like “If you really cared about Ken, you would know that nobody cared about Ken” and coined the term “Ken-ergy.”
On Jimmy Fallon, Gosling likened Ken to an un-cool accessory, saying that nobody really ever played with a Ken doll. “ I was surprised how…some people were clutching their pearls about my Ken, as though they ever thought about Ken for a second. They never played with Ken! Nobody ever plays with Ken.”
And we’ve already seen the blazing hot pink merchandise that has scattered stores. You can buy Barbie-inspired satin pillowcases, Barbie glassware, Barbie cookware. Our lives are suddenly immersed in our picturesque Barbie DreamWorld, but this time with a grown-up twist.
We’re no longer emulating the Barbie look, per-se…but the Barbie Dream. It’s about female empowerment and uplifting others, becoming successful in your own way, and loving the color pink always. It’s more of the Barbie mindset than the Barbie body.
With a star-studded cast consisting of Will Ferrell, Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Simu Liu, Emma Mackey, Kate McKinnon, and more…and an equally studded soundtrack with features from Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice, Dua Lipa, Ava Max, Charli XCX, Khalid, Lizzo, etc. This movie radiates power.
As a lover of all things pink, I’m here for the Barbie collabs. Here are my faves to get you ready for the movie of the summer:
Nicki Minaj is extending financial support to a 14-year-old boy who protected his mother in a tragic incident.
Minaj, 40, took to her Instagram Story on Tuesday to deliver a heartfelt message to Carlishia Hood’s teenage son, who killed her attacker following an incident at a restaurant in Chicago last week.
After news of his defence against his mother’s attacker, Jeremy Brown, went viral, the “Chun-Li” rapper expressed her unwavering encouragement and pledged a donation towards his college tuition.
“That 14 year old boy that backed that hammer out when that grown a** man was punching his mother in the face as if she were a MAN; is a true hero,” Minaj emphasized on her Story.
Nicki Minaj’s Instagram Story
— @nickiminaj/Instagram Story
“If he wants to go to college, I’d love to help. It’s what ANY son should’ve done for their MOTHER.”
“She raised a dope kid & should be so proud,” continued Minaj, before adding that “God knew” she’d be attacked that day and “made sure they had protection on DECK. God is GOOD.”
According to Complex, police reports confirmed that Brown was dead at the scene, and both Hood and her son were charged with first-degree murder.
Following a wave of online backlash against the legal charges, Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office removed all charges, revealing in a statement the facts and evidence led them to their decision.
I moved to the New York City area last August, and one of the first venues I heard of was the elusive Brooklyn Mirage. It’s a live music venue located in the heart of Brooklyn, New York where any DJ whose anybody plays night after night in the summer. It draws huge crowds, fans of EDM and people who just like dance music come together in this courtyard-esque venue.
So when I finally got the chance to go see the legendary David Guetta, who has won two Grammy awards and been gracing us with our favorite radio hits for decades now, I couldn’t pass it up. Whether I knew it or not, I had been listening to David Guetta’s music for years. Hits like “Who’s That Chick (feat. Rihanna)”, “Titanium (feat. Sia)”, and “I’m Good (Blue) (feat. Bebe Rexha)” are chart-dominating tracks that Guetta has released.
There’s nothing like watching someone who has made such an impact on the music industry and world of EDM. I’ve frequented a few EDM shows in my time, so I knew the energy would be high. But I was curious to experience a show by such a legend and witness how the crowd would respond to songs they grew up listening to versus new remixes and original beats.
What I find unique about EDM shows is the range in which the show can possess. You can switch up vibes from upbeat to slow in less than one minute, you can control the crowd’s energy through beats alone. You can do cover after cover, remix after remix, and it can be different each time.
Which is exactly how David Guetta’s show was. He opened strong, with his classic, “Titanium” and most recent hit “I’m Good (Blue)”, which has topped charts and was nominated for a Grammy this year. It’s probably the most-played song at clubs and bars near you. And it’s a great way to get the crowd moving early on. Especially when it’s your song.
It can be hard to capture the audience’s attention when you’re not out there fully able to talk to the crowd and stop the sound whenever you want. However, David Guetta had no problem. With a laser light show spanning across the Mirage and enough graphics to sync up with every beat, there wasn’t a shortage of things to look at and enrapture you.
From my view over the crowd, I was able to see that the place was filled to the brim. Sure, that made getting drinks a bit of a hassle. (It’s a cashless and cardless event, anyway. You sync your card to your wristband before entering the event itself — and I wouldn’t expect anything less from one of NYC’s hottest venues.) But no one seemed to mind once the music started.
He played a crazy range of his catalog. He had old hits like “Where Them Girls At (feat. Flo Rida)” and “Hey Mama (feat. Nicki Minaj, Bebe Rexha, and Afrojack)” that everyone could sing along to. But that wasn’t all, original mixes, remixes of classic songs and trending club hits, and mixes of older hits like Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams.”
It’s a show that you don’t want to miss if you have the opportunity. David Guetta has made a plethora of our favorite tracks, and his impact on the music industry isn’t underrated. He’s an icon for a reason, and his live shows prove just that.
Despite the large number of people dancing along in the GA section, it didn’t matter if there were 100,000 people. They just cared about the music.
Does anyone remember Disney Channel’s Disneymania albums?
During the golden era of Disney Channel Original content, the channel would release a compilation of their hottest stars singing their hottest songs. The Disneymania series ran for 8 years, between 2002 to 2010, and put out seven albums.
This was the heyday of Miley Cyrus, The Jonas Brothers, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, and many more. With covers and originals alike, these compilation albums go down in history for their pure bizarreness — and also for putting out some certified bangers.
That same feeling — a mix of wonder, whimsy, and pure joy — is what I’m expecting from the Barbie movie soundtrack, which announced its features today.
If you thought the live-action Barbie movie couldn’t get any more iconic after revealing its cast of Barbies and Kens, its musician line-up rivals that of some festivals this summer.
Compiled by legendary producer Mark Ronson, there are some expected guests and a few surprises. The lineup includes Charli XCX, Dua Lipa, Ice Spice, Lizzo, PinkPantheress, Tame Impala, Haim, Nicki Minaj (of course the queen of the Barbz would be on the Barbie soundtrack), Khalid, and more.
The biggest surprise? Ryan Gosling. That’s right. Our starring Ken Doll apparently has his own song on the soundtrack. And you better believe that’s the song I’m tuning into FIRST.
The movie of the summer is almost upon us folks. And it’s bringing with it, the songs of the summer.
Barbie, starring Margot Robbie and written/directed by Greta Gerwig, will go down in camp history — right alongside films like the live-action Scooby-Doo series and the Disneymania albums.
The newest trailer promises fun, laughs, and a dose of existentialism. Every peek we get of Barbie makes us more and more eager for July 21st to hurry up and get here.
