Nicki Minaj welcomed Vogue Italia into “Barbie World” during a recent interview.
Minaj’s fanbase, known as ‘Barbz,’ ranks among the most devoted in pop culture, so much so that some have even doxxed people who aren’t supporters of the multiplatinum rapper. While Minaj has instructed Barbz not to make threats on her behalf, she supports them and shared with Vogue Italia about the private jokes she shares with her fans.
“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to do enough to thank them,” she shared with the publication, translated from Italian to English.
She added, “We have our own sense of humor. If you get it, great. If you don’t, so be it.”
Sometimes, the Barbz poke fun at their queen, like Minaj’s legendary “Did I lie?” meme, which was captured during her Tidal interview with rap journalist Elliott Wilson in 2020.
“I hate how I look in that video. When they started using it I was like, ‘I’m going to block you!'” Minaj laughed. “Then I gave in, it’s actually really funny.”
Last year, Minaj spoke to Vogue U.S. about her fans being among the first named fanbases in hip-hop, during the era when Justin Bieber called his fans ‘Beliebers’ and Lady Gaga named her fans ‘Little Monsters.’
“Now, every single artist gives their fans a name. But it doesn’t matter, because the Barbz are still superior,” Minaj said. “They are different because what they do, they do it with passion and love. Sometimes people do things, and it’s rooted in revenge or vengeance, and that doesn’t really go anywhere. It doesn’t take off. But the Barbz and I really love each other.”
