Nicki Minaj believes she brought stan culture to hip-hop: “The Barbz are still superior”

Nicki Minaj has claimed she and her fans ‘the Barbz’ pioneered stan culture in hip-hop, saying that “there were no rappers naming their fans” before her. The Queens rapper attended Vogue‘s Forces of Fashion event in her hometown of New York City earlier this month, where she was asked about the power and influence of her infamous fandom – the Barbz – on pop culture. “Before I had a record deal, my fans were making a moment for themselves on Twitter. I had already given them a name,” she told the audience. “When I started calling my fans the Barbz, there were no rappers naming their fans. There were only two people at that time, and I don’t know which came first — Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga, they had Beliebers and Monsters. That was it.” Nicki Minaj speaks at Vogue’s ‘Forces of Fashion’ event about Stan Culture, and states that Justin Bieber’s ‘Beliebers’, Lady Gaga’s ‘Little Monsters’ and Minaj’s own Barbz helped spearhead modern stan culture. pic.twitter.com/iLkC0g8jJo — Pop Flop (@PopFlopHQ) October 16, 2024 Advertisement She added: “Now, every single human being that becomes an artist gives their fans a name. Even artists in other countries. Some of the...