"Red Ruby Da Sleeze" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Nicki Minaj | ||||
from the album Pink Friday 2 | ||||
Released | March 3, 2023 | |||
Recorded | 2022 | |||
Genre | pop rap | |||
Length | 3:35 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) |
| |||
Nicki Minaj singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Red Ruby da Sleeze" on YouTube |
"Red Ruby Da Sleeze" is a song by Trinidadian-born rapper Nicki Minaj from her fifth studio album, Pink Friday 2 (2023). Initially released on March 3, 2023 as a promotional single, it was officially released on March 14, 2023 to US rhythmic contemporary radio through Young Money Entertainment and Republic Records, serving as the album's second single. It contains a sample of "Never Leave You (Uh Oooh, Uh Oooh)" (2003) by Lumidee and was produced by Go Grizzly, Cheeze Beatz and Tate Kobang. The song debuted in the top 20 in the United States.
Nicki Minaj first previewed the track on February 23, 2023 on Instagram, also announcing in a post that it would be released on March 3, 2023. [1] She teased the song with a video of her rapping to it at the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival. [2] Minaj referred to the track as a "street record b4 [ sic ] my next official single." [3]
Over a beat of "near-Flamenco handclaps" and trap drums, [4] the song finds Nicki Minaj rapping and singing. [5] The chorus functions as a percussive breakdown, featuring faint vocals of "Uh oooooh's" from the sample in the background. [6]
Minaj performs in her new titular alter-ego, with regard to her botched attempts of rudimentary Chinese greetings and an allusion to the respective Street Fighter character, which also happened to be a song of hers in which the lyrical allusion was named after ("Chinese on my sleeve, these wannabe Chun-Lis / Anyway, nǐ hǎo"). According to music critics and fans, Minaj takes shots at Megan Thee Stallion, beginning with a reference to the incident in which actor Christopher Reeve became paralyzed from falling off of a horse ("700 on 'em horses when we fixin' to leave / But I don't fuck with horses since Christopher Reeves"), [7] [8] [9] [10] before alluding to Megan's promotional song "Flamin' Hottie" for a Hot Cheetos and Doritos Super Bowl commercial ("Dorito bitches mad that they not chose") [8] [9] as well as her shooting in 2020, specifically when her attacker, Canadian rapper Tory Lanez, allegedly yelled "Dance bitch, dance!" while shooting Megan ("Ya fuckin' bozo / That .40 cal a make 'em dance like a go-go"). [8] [10] In addition to Megan Thee Stallion, Minaj also references fashion designer Donna Karan and disses rapper Latto in a reference to when she called Latto a "Karen" during their argument on Twitter in October 2022 ("We don't be Karen like Donna-na, na-na-na-na"). [10]
The track received critical acclaim upon release, with many referencing the lyrics, punch lines, and production. Tom Breihan of Stereogum wrote, "I don't know what Megan Thee Stallion did to piss off Nicki Minaj, or why Nicki can't seem to tolerate the presence of other visible female rappers. But Nicki can really rap, and she can really, really rap when she's mad about something. She goes off on this thing, moving in and out of patois, and the beat — from producers Go Grizzly, Cheeze Beatz, and Tate Kobang — is hard and pop at the same time." [9] Jon Pareles of The New York Times commented "Calm arrogance is Nicki Minaj's gift. There's no need to decipher all her allusions because her delivery and production say it all." and "Her percussive rhymes are competitive in every realm — linguistic, sexual, financial, culinary ('guacamole with the taco') — and their utter confidence is still convincing." [4] In a year-end ranking, the track was ranked at No. 24 out of Harpsichords Zine's 2023's 33 Best Songs, referring to Red Ruby as "one of [Nicki Minaj's] more cruel alter egos," and continuing "who is in fact sleazier than Chun-Li, but also more crafty about her witty attacks than the rambunctious Roman." [11]
An official music video was teased on March 15, 2023, [12] and released on May 13. Directed by Grizz [13] and filmed in Trinidad and Tobago, [14] it sees Nicki Minaj on the deck and in the backyard of her hidden hills mansion. [13] [14] [15] She is shown in different outfits, such as a black monokini, a red Dior bikini (wearing it by a pool) and a red kimono [13] which she wears over a swimsuit and later takes off, [14] as well as various clothing of high fashion brands. [13] [16] Reality star Brooke Bailey appears alongside Minaj in multiple scenes, such as sitting under a cabana, walking down the city streets and shopping for fashion, [13] [14] and posing in front of a white Range Rover, while also wearing luxury clothing. [13] Additionally, Minaj is seen going on joyrides at night, [17] and in a pink Rolls Royce with red interior. [15] Her link-up with Bailey and outfits in the clip were teased in Instagram posts prior to the release of the video. [18]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [36] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [37] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Country | Date | Format | Version | Labels | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Various | March 3, 2023 | Original | [19] | ||
March 7, 2023 | Digital download | Acapella | [20] | ||
United States | March 14, 2023 | Rhythmic contemporary radio | Original | [38] | |
Various | March 30, 2023 |
| Sped up | [21] |
Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty, known professionally as Nicki Minaj, is a Trinidadian-born rapper and singer based in the United States. Often referred to as the "Queen of Rap", she is known for her musical versatility, animated rap flow, and alter egos. She first gained recognition after releasing three mixtapes between 2007 and 2009.
"B.I.T.C.H." is a song by American rapper Megan Thee Stallion. It was released as the lead single from her third EP Suga, on January 24, 2020. The song was met with positive reviews and it charted at number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100. Megan performed the song on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to promote it.
Belcalis Marlenis Cephus, known professionally as Cardi B, is an American rapper. She is one of the most commercially successful female rappers of her generation. Born and raised in New York City, she first gained popularity through videos shared on Vine and Instagram. From 2015 to early 2017, she appeared as a regular cast member on the VH1 reality television series Love & Hip Hop: New York, which depicted her pursuit of her music aspirations, and earned further recognition with the release of her two mixtapes: Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 1 (2016) and Vol. 2 (2017).
Megan Jovon Ruth Pete, known professionally as Megan Thee Stallion, is an American rapper. Originally from Houston, Texas, she first garnered attention when videos of her freestyling became popular on social media platforms such as Instagram. She signed with 1501 Certified Entertainment in 2018, and saw her mainstream breakthrough the following year with the release of her singles "Hot Girl Summer" and "Cash Shit" ; the former peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 while the latter received quadruple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). "Cash Shit" was also included on her commercial mixtape Fever (2019), which was followed by her extended play Suga (2020)—both of which peaked within the top ten of the Billboard 200.
"Act Up" is a song by American hip hop duo City Girls from their debut studio album Girl Code (2018). It reached the top 40 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song was released to US rhythmic and urban contemporary radio in as the album's second single March 27, 2019, eventually reaching number one on Billboard's Rhythmic Songs chart in its July 6, 2019 issue. It has peaked at number 26 on the Hot 100, making it their highest charting entry.
American rapper Megan Thee Stallion has released two studio albums, one compilation album, three mixtapes, three extended plays, thirty-nine singles, and two promotional singles. In her early career, Megan Thee Stallion released the non-commercial, SoundCloud-exclusive mixtapes Rich Ratchet (2016) and Megan Mix (2017). She made her official solo debut by commercially releasing her first professional EP, Make It Hot, on September 18, 2017, which was followed by her second EP Tina Snow on December 21, 2018.
"Big Ole Freak" is a song by American rapper Megan Thee Stallion. It was released to US rhythmic contemporary radio on January 22, 2019, as a single from her 2018 EP Tina Snow. It debuted at number 99 on the US Billboard Hot 100, before ascending to number 65, becoming Megan Thee Stallion's first charting song. The single was certified Platinum by the RIAA for selling over 1 million units. "Big Ole Freak" has been noted by critics as one of Megan’s breakout songs that jumpstarted her career.
Fever is the third and debut commercial mixtape by American rapper Megan Thee Stallion, released on May 17, 2019, via 300 Entertainment and 1501 Certified. Primarily produced by LilJuMadeDaBeat and written by the rapper herself, it also features guest appearances from rappers DaBaby and Juicy J. Fever is a hip hop record driven by minimal bass-heavy trap production. It is widely considered by music critics as Megan Thee Stallion's mainstream breakthrough.
"Cash Shit" is a song by American rapper Megan Thee Stallion, featuring vocals from American rapper DaBaby. It was released on May 17, 2019, as the third single off of Megan Thee Stallion's first commercial mixtape, Fever. The track would later peak at number one on Urban radio in the United States, as well as number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100. This song was later featured in the fictional iFruit Radio in Grand Theft Auto V.
"Hot Girl Summer" is a song by American rapper Megan Thee Stallion featuring Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj and American singer Ty Dolla Sign, released on August 9, 2019 by 300 Entertainment. It was written by all three artists alongside Syed Hossain, Derrick Milano, and producers Crazy Mike, Juicy J, & Bone Collector, with additional writing credits going to Earl On The Beat, JT, and Lil Yachty for the sampling of City Girls' 2019 song "Act Up"; the song was produced by Bone Collector, Juicy J, and Crazy Mike and engineered by Irving Gadoury. Commercially, the song debuted and peaked at number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100. On Billboard's Rhythmic Songs airplay chart, it became Megan Thee Stallion's first number one, Nicki Minaj's eighth, and Ty Dolla Sign's third.
Suga is the third extended play by American rapper Megan Thee Stallion. It was released on March 6, 2020, by 1501 Certified Entertainment and 300 Entertainment. It features guest appearances from Kehlani and Gunna. The project's release was preceded by legal troubles between the rapper and the label, following a contract renegotiation attempt, which led to the filing of a temporary restraining order towards the label. Megan had initially intended for it to be her debut studio album, but instead released it as an EP as a result.
"Savage" is a song by American rapper Megan Thee Stallion. It was released on March 6, 2020, as part of her EP Suga and later sent to US contemporary hit radio on April 7, 2020, by 1501 Certified Entertainment and 300 Entertainment as the third single from the EP. The song was written by the artist with Bobby Sessions, Akeasha Boodie, and producer J. White Did It. It went viral on video-sharing app TikTok, with people performing the "Savage" dance challenge during the song's chorus.
Derrick Carrington Gray, known professionally as Derrick Milano, is an American songwriter, rapper, and singer. He grew up in Philadelphia and in Delaware before moving to Florida for college. He began his musical career as a rapper in 2013 before shifting to songwriting in 2019. He has since written songs for artists including Justin Bieber, Pop Smoke, Nicki Minaj, and Megan Thee Stallion. In 2021, he won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Song at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards for co-writing the rap song "Savage Remix" by Megan Thee Stallion and featuring Beyoncé.
"Wheelie" is a song by American rapper Latto featuring British-American rapper 21 Savage. It was released on March 11, 2022, through RCA Records, as the third single from Latto's second studio album, 777 (2022).
"Super Freaky Girl" is a song by Trinidadian-born rapper Nicki Minaj from her fifth studio album, Pink Friday 2 (2023). It was released on August 12, 2022, by Young Money Entertainment and Republic Records as the lead single from the album. It is an upbeat, raunchy song that samples Rick James' 1981 single "Super Freak," as Minaj raps about a girl having sexual fantasies and endeavors, while also boasting about her career. It received comparisons to Minaj's 2014 single "Anaconda," as both tracks include classic samples and sexual lyrics.
"WTF" is a song by American rapper YoungBoy Never Broke Again and Trinidadian-born rapper Nicki Minaj, released on April 7, 2023, as the third single from YoungBoy's sixth studio album Don't Try This at Home. It was produced by Dom Wise, D-Roc, Kenoe, Wayv, Yetty, and Yo Benji. The song debuted at number 99 on the US Billboard Hot 100 marking YoungBoy's 99th entry on the chart alongside Nicki's 127th.
Pink Friday 2 is the fifth studio album by rapper Nicki Minaj. It was released on December 8, 2023, by Young Money Entertainment and Republic Records. A sequel to Minaj's debut album Pink Friday (2010), it is her first studio album in five years following the release of Queen (2018). The album is a hip-hop and pop-rap record that borrows influences from other genres as well. Collaborations on the album include J. Cole, Drake, Lil Wayne, Future, Lil Uzi Vert, 50 Cent, Monica, Keyshia Cole, and various other collaborators.
"FTCU" is a song by rapper Nicki Minaj from her fifth studio album Pink Friday 2 (2023). The song impacted rhythmic radio as the album's fifth single on January 30, 2024, through Young Money Entertainment and Republic Records. Produced by ATL Jacob, it contains a sample of "Fuck the Club Up" by Waka Flocka Flame featuring Pastor Troy and Slim Dunkin.
"Hiss" is a song by American rapper Megan Thee Stallion from her upcoming third studio album. It was released independently through Hot Girl Productions on January 26, 2024, as the second single from the album.
"Big Foot" is a diss track by Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj. It was released on January 29, 2024, through Republic Records. The song is in response to Megan Thee Stallion's single "Hiss" released three days prior, which contained a lyric that Minaj had interpreted to be directed at her husband Kenneth Petty. The title is a mockery of the 2020 shooting in which Megan Thee Stallion was shot in the foot by Canadian rapper Tory Lanez.