Nicki Minaj Wrote & Recorded "Chun-Li" A Few Days Before Releasing It

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Nicki Minaj performs onstage during the Meadows Music and Arts Festival - Day 2 at Citi Field on September 16, 2017 in New York City
J. Reid breaks down how his collaborations with Nicki Minaj came about.

Nicki Minaj made a triumphant return last week after months of silence. The Pinkprint rapper dropped two new singles which were received with much praise. Even Funk Flex, who has a history of shitting on Nicki, commended the Queens rapper for what she did on both tracks. Nicki recruited up-and-coming producer J. Reid to handle the beats on both track. J. Reid recently broke down how the songs came about and revealed some exclusive details about "Chun-Li."

Nicki Minaj apparently wrote and recorded "Chun-Li" a few days before its release, J. Reid says. In an interview with XXL, the producer revealed that Nicki "went in [the recording booth], started rapping, came out, arranged it, went back in, finished it." However, the interesting part is that it was done only a few days before she ended up releasing it.

"I ain't really say everything but I'm gonna give you the drop: You'll be very surprised to know that “Chun-Li” was done this weekend. The whole song, mixed, mastered, production, writing, finishing the record, everything done this past weekend." He said.

In addition, he also revealed that Nicki Minaj also "went crazy" when recording "Barbie Tingz."

"I played one beat, [then] I played the second beat and she was like, “Stop, pull it up, I'm about to go in.” I'm like, “This is crazy. Is she really finna go rap on my beat, like, freestyle?!” And went crazy." He said.

J. Reid's interview gave some insight information on Nicki's current creative mind state. He explained that she's hungry as ever and right now, she's clearly coming for everyone's jugular. 


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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