Nicki Minaj’s new album Queen has arrived, and fans immediately took note of the project’s third song “Barbie Dreams.” Nicki delivers her own version of The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Just Playing (Dreams),” the legendary rapper’s 1994 song where he rapped about all the R&B singers he wanted to have sex with. Lil' Kim famously rehashed the idea on her 1996 Hardcore track “Dreams,” as did 50 Cent on 1999’s “How to Rob.” This is actually the second time Nicki has remade Biggie’s song. Back in 2007, she tried her hand at the track on Playtime is Over’s “Dreams.”
On “Barbie Dreams,” Nicki raps about fantasy sexual encounters with many rappers, most of whom she’s previously collaborated with or is friendly with. She even clarified that the song is not meant to be a diss track:
The first verse finds her clowning on her longtime Young Money labelmate Drake as well as his rival (and her former boyfriend) Meek Mill:
Drake worth a hundred milli, always buying me shit
But I don’t know if the pussy wet or if he cryin & shit
Meek still be in my DMs, I be having to duck him
“I used to pray for times like this”
Face ass when I fuck him
A few lines later, she raps about Young Thug’s gender-bending fashion sense:
Used to fuck with Young Thug, I ain’t addressing this shit
I caught him in my dressing rooms stealing dresses and shit
She kicks off the second verse with a bar about Desiigner:
I remember when I used to have a crush on Special Ed
Shoutout Desiigner, ‘cause he made it out of special ed
Nicki also takes aim at the physique of DJ Khaled and references his recent viral Breakfast Club interview where he talked about refusing to perform oral sex:
Had to cancel DJ Khaled, boy, we ain’t speaking
Ain’t no fat nigga telling me what he ain’t eating
She even saves some lines for 6ix9ine, whom she recently collaborated with on “FEFE”:
6ix9ine said he wanna menage. I said tre-way
Curved him and went the Kim and Kanye way
Elsewhere on the song, she mentions Fetty Wap, YG, Young M.A, Lil Uzi Vert, Odell Beckham Jr., and more. Although fans will surely have divided opinions about individual shots on the song, the spirit of “Just Playing (Dreams)” is about name-checking fellow artists in a non-serious way. It’s worth noting, however, that Biggie eventually apologized to both Pattie LaBelle and Xcape’s Kandi Buress for his lyrics about them on his song. We’ll see if Nicki’s bars end up rubbing anyone the wrong way.
Listen to the song above and read all the lyrics to Nicki Minaj’s “Barbie Dreams” and The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Just Playing (Dreams)” on Genius now.
