If any two rappers have secured the bag, it’s Ty Dolla $ign (whose name is literally money) and the queen of the rap game, Nicki Minaj. So, it makes perfect sense that these two would reunite for a new song and call it “Expensive.” This track dropped on Aug. 28, and came with a music video that poked fun at Ty Dolla $ign’s girlfriend’s affinity for the finer things in life (yes, that was the rapper’s real girlfriend, Zalia). Nicki makes a grand appearance later in the video, showing just her face while rocking a sequined top after revealing her pregnancy in July. Barbs were thrilled over the cameo!
“Nicki serving a baby glow look!,” one fan tweeted, while another Barb quoted Nicki’s line on BTS‘ “Idol (Remix),” writing, “BABY THIS FACE TOP TIER.” Nicki also tried out the new trend of dying just the front-framing pieces of your hair, a look that she paired with a gold statement necklace. Needless to say, the Barbz were impressed!
Third time’s the charm for Nicki and Ty. The two previously worked on Jason Derulo’s “Swalla” in 2017, and Megan Thee Stallion’s breakout hit, “Hot Girl Summer.” Meg has gone on to top the charts twice in 2020 – first with a Beyoncé-boosted “Savage” remix and then with Cardi B on “WAP.” Though Meg earned this second No. 1 with Nicki’s rap nemesis, Ms. Minaj had nothing but love for her friend in a recent Variety profile on Ms. Thee Stallion. “One of my favorite things about Meg is her desire to further her education,” Nicki told Variety. “It’s so important for women to feel inspired to achieve goals outside of social media, where the focus is usually placed on their bodies or who they’re dating at the time. Women are more than just baby mamas, and we can continue to prove that by being goal-oriented, bettering ourselves, and being independent. Megan is the perfect example that we can have fun and be smart at the same time.”
As Meg continues to succeed and reach the top of the charts, will “Expensive” give Ty his own No. 1? Or, will it chart higher than “Move Ya Hips” by A$AP Ferg? Ferg — who previously worked with Nicki on 2017’s “Plain Jane — recruited Ms. Petty and MadeInTYO for his new song. Nicki’s fans, the Barbz, had been hyped for “Move Ya Hips” since her longtime collaborator DJ Clue shared a snippet of it during a May 2020 live stream. Nicki even told the Barbz to “light up Ferg comments every day if you want MYH,” per HipHoxDX. They clearly did, because Ferg released it on Thursday, July 30. The Barbz were hyped at another chance for Nicki to nab the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100, but when it came time for the song’s placement, it…debuted at No. 19.
May of the Barbz accused Ferg of failing to report the units of “Move Ya Hips” he sold on his website, per HipHopDX. Though a Top 20 hit is nothing to scoff at, and this was Ferg’s highest charting song of his career. But, it wasn’t a No. 1. Nicki had already found her way to the top of the chart twice with her collabs with Doja Cat (“Say So”) and 6ix9ine (“Trollz”), and her legion of fans wanted to see her pick up another No. 1 debut. Their fury went nuclear when he released the official video, and she wasn’t even in it, and their anger was no more visible than on the Billboard charts. “Move Ya Hips” plummeted in its second week, falling 80 positions down to No. 99, right before “Be Kind,” the Marshmello x Halsey collab they released back in May. It was out of the Top 100 by week 3.
“Expensive” won’t likely be the last major release from Nicki Minaj this year (and we’re not talking about the growing baby in her belly.) NBA Youngboy teased a collaboration on Aug. 7, tweeting-and-deleting pictures of him on a futuristic-looking music video set, per Rap-Up. Mike WiLL Made-It, who also appears in the video, produced the song, and he previewed the track during an Instagram Live session. Mike didn’t share any of Nicki’s verses, but it was enough to get some fans hyped.