Nicki Minaj fans are using artificial intelligence to build out a fantasy world called "Gag City." The social media phenomena arose ahead of her upcoming album Pink Friday 2, which will be released on Dec. 8.
Barbz, as the singer's fandom is known, came up with the idea after Minaj posted an innocuous album update on Dec. 4.
Nicki Minaj fans have used AI to create a fantasy world called 'Gag City'
"Omg. This is not a drill. I repeat. This is not a phkng drill!" the singer wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. "Guess who’s vocals just came in for #PinkFriday2 y’all?!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Y’all r going to GAG CITY."
Although this mysterious featured vocalist hasn't been revealed yet, that's not the part of the message that captured the fanbase's imagination.
One X user posted a stunning image of a cotton candy-colored theme park while others shared pictures of glowing pink skylines and sparkling waters populated by dolphins and jellyfish. Brands like KFC, Urban Decay and Chanel all apparently have retail outlets in this fantasy land.
But the imagined land is apparently not free of worldly inconveniences. One user posted an image of a highway traffic jam with hundreds of nearly identical pink cars. Many of the pictures also feature airplanes.
"As we begin to prepare for landing, please make sure your tray tables are put back up & your seat belts are tightly fastened," Minaj wrote in a Dec. 6 tweet. "The captain has activated the 'no bathroom' sign. If you look out the window, you’ll begin to see the beauty."
Minaj also tweeted out a mysterious message from the "Barb Alert System" shortly thereafter. "Attention: Prepare for impact," the brief video says. "Pink Friday 2 is coming."
The social trend arose ahead of the release of the singer's upcoming album 'Pink Friday 2' on Dec. 8
The upcoming LP will be Minaj's first studio album since her 2018 release Queen. It's a sequel to her debut studio effort Pink Friday, which made it to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200. The earlier album's big single "Super Bass" helped launch Minaj into the national spotlight. Since then, she's had several chart-topping tracks including "Say So," "Anaconda" and "Super Freaky Girl."
The images created show glowing pink skylines and sparkling waters populated by dolphins and jellyfish
Last month, the star announced that she will visit 40 US cities as part of a tour to support the upcoming album. The list of destinations includes locales like Brooklyn, Los Angeles and Chicago, but no dates have been announced yet.
There are only two US Minaj shows fans can buy tickets for at the moment. She will play Power 96.1's Jingle Ball event in Atlanta on Dec. 14 and at Rolling Loud California in Los Angeles on March 17.
The singer has provided more details about a brief European tour next year in a message to her fans scribbled on a white board. Tickets will be available "in a few days," the star said.
Check out a list of those dates below:
May 25 – Manchester – Co-op Live
May 26 – Birmingham – Resorts World Arena
May 28 – London – O2 Arena
June 1 – Paris, France – Accor Arena
June 2 – Amsterdam – Ziggo Dome
June 5 – Cologne – Lanxess Arena
June 7 – Berlin – Mercedes Benz Arena
Minaj was born in Trinidad and Tobago and immigrated to New York City as a child.
