The song Red Ruby Da Sleeze, which was released this morning (March 3), is a 3 minute 34 seconds take down of any and all female rappers who dared step to her in the past few years – with Megan Thee Stallion, Latto, and Cardi B being the main girls in the line of fire.
It samples the 2003 hit Never Leave You (Uh Oooh, Uh Oooh) by Lumidee which, in contrast to the aggressive, take-no-prisoner bars, acts like an “Oh no she didn’t” reaction following every attack.
Minaj comes out the gate with “Only on them C’s if it’s breeze (Uh-oh, uh-oh)/ Red Ruby Da Sleeze, Chinese on my sleeve/ These wannabe Chun-Li’s, anyway, nǐ hǎo (uh-oh)/ Who the f**k told bi**hes they was me now? (Uh-oh)”, setting up for the verbal massacre that follows.
Megan Thee Stallion
First in the line of fire is Megan Thee Stallion, whom she collaborated with on the 2019 hit Hot Girl Summer before seemingly falling out with her for reasons unknown.
Minaj starts off by confirming that Megan has fallen out of her favour by using a play on her stage name, “Seven-hundred on them horses, when we fixin’ to leave (Uh-oh, uh-oh)/ But I don’t f**k with horses since Christopher Reeves (Uh-oh, uh-oh).”
This is a double entendre as in 1995, actor Christopher Reeves was left paralyzed after his horse stopped dry and he fell head first over the jumping barrier.
Minaj is saying that she doesn’t trust horses because of the accident, while simultaneously shading Megan who was born the same year meaning that she doesn’t trust or “f**k” with her either.
However, the disses towards Megan don’t stop there. Later in the song, she takes a jab at Megan being a victim of a shooting as in 2020 she was shot in both feet by rapper Tory Lanez, after leaving a Hollywood party. “That .40 cal a make ’em dance like a go-go” is a direct diss at Megan’s claim that Tory shouted “dance b**ch!” prior to firing shots.
Latto
Next up to take a hit is Latto, who recently engaged in a back and forth with Minaj on Twitter referring to her as her “Idol turned Rival”.
During this battle of tweets, Minaj called Latto a “Karen” due to her being mixed race and acting like the Karen stereotype – “a white woman perceived as entitled or demanding beyond the scope of what is normal”.
Another double entendre is used in “We don’t be Karen like Donna/ na-na-na-na-na” as she is directly saying she isn’t a Karen like Latto, while also shouting out famous fashion designer and creator of the DKNY brand, Donna Karan.
Minaj also calls Latto out for being opportunistic and acting like a Barb – a Nicki fan – in an attempt to have her feature on her song and further her career.
She “Caught ’em with they hand out/ tryna catch the sauce (Uh-oh, uh-oh)” meaning that she caught on to the games that were being played and how Latto tried to use her, and she isn’t going to let that slide.
Cardi B
Last up is Cardi B, who has had a longstanding feud with Minaj since 2018.
The feud started after the pair featured on Motorsport alongside rap group Migos, and Cardi took what has been described as “the best compliment [Minaj] has ever given a female rapper” as a diss – ultimately leading to the ‘Nicki hate train’ which saw Minaj receive copious amount of backlash from other celebrities and internet trolls alike.
She wastes no time hitting Cardi where it hurts with, “All them, all them botched face photos/ why would you post those?”
This isn’t the first time Minaj has taken shots at Cardi’s appearance as she famously rapped on her 2022 single We Go Up, “After all of that surgery you are still ugly/ Now that is what gets me.”
This is directly aimed at the fact that Cardi is known for going under the knife so often that it has caused her face and body to appear botched.
Another clear reference to Cardi is in, “When the Queen leave, bitches wanna/ come out like a cockroach (Uh-oh, uh-oh)” which directly calls out the fact that when Minaj is active and ready for battle, Cardi is nowhere to be found.
But, when she goes on hiatus Cardi crawls back out of hiding and fights with Barbz on Twitter as a poor attempt to “come for” Nicki without calling her out directly.
As expected, the song has sent Twitter into a frenzy and is drumming up excitement for Minaj’s highly anticipated fifth album which is expected to drop this year.
Minaj made it clear that the song was going to ruffle some feathers, hopping on social media prior to the release with a message: “Ghostwriters all around the world are scrambling,” she said. “Just watch. Nicki still on hiatus. This b**ch [Red Ruby] right here, though? She outside.”
Red Ruby Da Sleeze adds another rapper to Minaj’s long list of alter egos, which she has been using since way back in 2007 before she became a household name.
Of these alter egos her most famous and beloved is Roman Zolanski, a violent and vulgar part of Minaj who “says the things that [she doesn’t] want to say”.
Roman is most famously featured on his name sake tracks Roman Holiday; Roman Reloaded; Roman’s Revenge; and Roman in Moscow.
However, even after one playthrough of the song, it is clear that Roman has some competition from the cutthroat and savage Red Ruby.
Red Ruby Da Sleeze is her first solo single since the release of the record breaking Super Freaky Girl in 2022, which gave Minaj her first solo No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and simultaneously became the first female hip-hop song to debut at No. 1 on that chart since Lauryn Hill’s Doo Wop (That Thing) in 1998.
Minaj is already breaking records from the jump, as the song went #1 on US iTunes extending her record as the rapper with most No. 1 sounds in US iTunes history to 33 – just under an hour after its release! It is also the first song by a female rapper to top the chart this year.
It is also peaked at No. 3 on UK iTunes.
If the instant success of Red Ruby Da Sleeze is anything to go by, Minaj is sure to be in for a fantastic year.
With her anticipated docuseries and fifth album both predicted to be released this year – or at least myself and other Barbz hope they are – it is clear that she will be an unstoppable powerhouse set to dominate the charts and the media as the Queen of Rap should.
You can listen to the song here.
Featured Image Credit: Alex “Grizz” Loucas
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