Chun-Li (song)
Lead single from Nicki Minaj's album Queen.
Nicki Minaj's track "Chun-Li" served as the first single from her 2018 album Queen. Released on April 12, 2018, through Young Money and Cash Money, it reached number ten on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song, written solely by Minaj and produced by Jeremy Reid, also won Best Hip-Hop Video at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Nicki Minaj
- Album
- Queen
- Released
- 12 April 2018
- Recorded
- April 2018
- Studio
- Glenwood Place Studios (Burbank, California); Chris Athen Masters (Austin, Texas)
- Genre
- Hip hop
- Label
- Young Money; Cash Money
- Writer
- Onika Maraj, Jeremy Reid
Facts from the source article.
Background and release
In March 2017, Minaj released a three-single pack intended as lead singles for Queen, but those tracks did not make the final cut. On April 10, 2018, she announced via Instagram that two new songs, "Barbie Tingz" and "Chun-Li", would be released on April 12, and posted their cover artworks. The song, named after the Street Fighter character, was made available for streaming and digital download that day by Young Money Entertainment and Cash Money Records. The release coincided with the 10th anniversary of Minaj's second mixtape, Sucka Free (2008). On May 30, Minaj posted a making-of video previewing a documentary about Queen set to air on HBO Max in 2021.
Production
The track was produced by Atlanta-based record producer J. Reid for Chevi Muzic, with Minaj credited as a coproducer. Reid stated that Minaj wanted a "boom-bap" beat reminiscent of 1980s and 1990s New York hip hop. The song's structure features slapping techniques, percussive instruments, a minimalist arrangement of soundbeads, and layered keyboard synths. Minaj and Reid connected in late December 2017, and she explained the desired beat; Reid created about 13 beats, from which Minaj selected one. The song was completed in early April 2018, including writing, production, mixing, and mastering. Lyrically, Minaj criticizes online detractors and references negative press surrounding the track.
Music videos
A vertical music video was released on April 13, 2018, via Minaj's YouTube channel, consisting of phone-filmed footage of her reciting lyrics on a couch with some runway-like shots. On April 27, Minaj released a teaser for the official video, but clarified it was a freestyle dance with choreographer Aliya Janell, not related to the actual video. The full music video, subtitled 春麗, was released on May 4, directed by Steven Klein through Good Company Pictures, featuring East Asian-esque futuristic and superhero-inspired outfits. It won Best Hip-Hop Video at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards and was nominated for Best Hip-Hop at the MTV Europe Music Awards, amassing over 160 million YouTube views. Some outlets, including Cosmopolitan and Teen Vogue, accused the video of perpetuating East Asian stereotypes and cultural appropriation.
Commercial performance
"Chun-Li" debuted at number 92 on the US Billboard Hot 100 after one day of tracking, with 20,000 downloads and 3.5 million streams. The next week it rose to number 10, selling 38,000 copies and earning 22.1 million streams, becoming Minaj's sixth top 10 entry as a lead artist and her first solo single in that region since "Anaconda" (2014). It also achieved the greatest jump on the Hot 100 (82 positions) since Katy Perry's "Roar" (2013). The song fell to number 48 in its third week, then re-entered the top 20 at number 19 in its fifth week. It was certified platinum by the RIAA on July 30, 2018, for 1 million equivalent units. Internationally, it reached the top 20 in Canada, the top 30 in Scotland, France and the United Kingdom, and the top 60 in Australia, earning a double platinum certification there.
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