"Chun-Li" is a song by rapper

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accent ...

from her fourth studio album, ''

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

'' (2018), released on April 12, 2018, by

Young Money Entertainment Young Money Entertainment is an American record label founded by rapper Lil Wayne. Young Money's president is Lil Wayne's lifelong friend and fellow rapper Mack Maine. The label was an imprint of Cash Money Records and is distributed by Republi ...

and

Cash Money Records Cash Money Records is an American record label founded in 1991 by brothers Ronald "Slim" Williams and Bryan "Birdman" Williams. Distributed by Republic, formerly known as Universal Republic, the label has been home to a roster of mostly hip h ...

as the lead single from the album. It was solely written by Minaj and produced by Jeremy Reid. According to Minaj, Reid's name was added to the writing credits for adlibs and production. Commercially, the song peaked at number 10 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, reached the top 20 in Canada, and the top 30 in the United Kingdom. The song won the award for Best Hip-Hop Video at the

2018 MTV Video Music Awards The 2018 MTV Video Music Awards was held on August 20, 2018 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The 35th annual award show aired live from the venue for the 12th time, the most of any previous venue in its history. Cardi B led the list of n ...

Background and release

In March 2017, Minaj released a three-single pack that included "

Changed It "Changed It" is a song by Trinidadian-born rapper Nicki Minaj and American rapper Lil Wayne. Produced by Motiv, Detail, and Sidney Swift, the song was released as a single on March 10, 2017 by Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Rep ...

" with

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...

, "

No Frauds "No Frauds" is a song recorded by rappers Nicki Minaj, Drake, and Lil Wayne. The song is a diss track, made in response to Remy Ma's 2017 song "Shether", a nearly seven-minute-long diss track aimed at Minaj. Produced by Murda Beatz and Cube ...

" with

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...

and Wayne, and "

Regret in Your Tears "Regret in Your Tears" is a song by rapper Nicki Minaj. Produced by Boi-1da, Frank Dukes and Allen Ritter, the song was released as a single on March 10, 2017 along with " Changed It" and " No Frauds". It details Minaj's break-up with ex-boyfri ...

", intended as lead singles for ''Queen'' but eventually did not make the final cut. On April 10, 2018, Minaj announced on

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

that she would be releasing two new songs: "

Barbie Tingz "Barbie Tingz" is a song recorded by rapper Nicki Minaj. It is solely written by Minaj and produced by Jeremy Reid, similarly to "Chun-Li". According to Minaj, Reid's name was added to the writing credits for adlibs and production. It was releas ...

" and "Chun-Li" on April 12, and also posted cover artworks of the respective singles. "Chun-Li", which takes its name from the ''

Street Fighter , commonly abbreviated as ''SF'' or スト (''Suto''), is a Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting video and arcade games developed and published by Capcom. The first game in the series was released in 1987, followed by six ...

'' character of the same name, was released alongside the buzz single "Barbie Tingz" as a part of Minaj's upcoming fourth studio album ''Queen'' (2018) and made available for streaming and digital download on April 12 by

and

. The release of songs landed on the 10th anniversary of Minaj's second mixtape, '' Sucka Free'' (2008). On May 30, Minaj posted a video showing the making of the song, in preview of her upcoming documentary about the making of ''Queen'' set to air on

HBO Max HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netw ...

in 2021.

Production

"Chun-Li" was produced by

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

-native producer J. Reid for Chevi Muzic, alongside Minaj who was credited as a coproducer. According to him, Minaj wanted to deliver the type of " boom-bap" flavored beats that are reminiscent of New York City hip-hop. The song is sonically built on slapping,

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

, and sparse soundbeads. Minaj linked with Reid in late December 2017, and later explained to him what kind of beat she wanted for the song. She proceeded to

rap Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

it and give him the vibe. He made about 13 different beats, and Minaj picked out one. The song was done in early April 2018, including writing, production, mixing and mastering. Lyrically, Minaj "rails" (criticizes) online detractors and references negative press in the track. "They need rappers like me! So they can get on their fucking keyboards and make me the bad guy,

Chun-Li is a fictional character in Capcom's ''Street Fighter'' video game series. The first ever female playable character to appear in a fighting game to gain mainstream recognition, she first appeared in ''Street Fighter II: The World Warrior'' in 1 ...

," she declares in the second interlude.

Music videos

A vertical music video for the song was released on April 13, 2018, via Minaj's YouTube channel. It is a video montage of videos filmed by Minaj while holding her phone vertically. In the visual, Minaj recites the lyrics of the song while posing on a couch, but relinquishes control of her phone for a couple of runway-like shots. On April 27, Minaj released a teaser to promote the official

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

. However, she confirmed on her

that the teaser was not related in any way to the music video and is rather a video of her and Aliya Janell, the choreographer of the official video, doing a freestyle dance to the song. The full accompanying video of the song was released on May 4, with the subtitle 春麗, which translates to ''Chun-Li''. Directed by Steven Klein through Good Company Pictures, it features what Klein deemed Asian

futuristic The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ...

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

-inspired outfits. The video won the Best Hip-Hop Video at the

, and was nominated for Best Hip-Hop at the

MTV Europe Music Awards The MTV Europe Music Awards (originally named MTV European Music Awards, commonly abbreviated as MTV EMA) are awards presented by Paramount International Networks to honour artists and music in pop culture. It was originally conceived as an al ...

and has over 160 million views on YouTube. Despite this, the video was accused of perpetuating

Asian stereotypes Stereotypes of Asians may refer to: *Stereotypes of East Asians in the United States, ethnic stereotypes of East Asians found in American society as well as other Western societies *Stereotypes of South Asians Stereotypes of South Asians are br ...

and appropriating

Asian culture The culture of Asia encompasses the collective and diverse customs and traditions of art, architecture, music, literature, lifestyle, philosophy, politics and religion that have been practiced and maintained by the numerous ethnic groups ...

by outlets such as ''

Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Food and drink * Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo" History * Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953 Hotels and resorts * Cosmopoli ...

'' and ''

Teen Vogue ''Teen Vogue'' is an American online publication, formerly in print, launched in January 2003, as a sister publication to ''Vogue (magazine), Vogue'', targeted at teenagers. Like ''Vogue'', it included stories about fashion and celebrities. Since ...

.''

Critical reception

Bianca Gracie of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' said "Minaj sounds cocky in the best way ��she resurrects her Nicki the Ninja alter-ego by assassinating the horn-driven beat with her lyrical wordplay, switching accents with ease."

Jon Caramanica Jon Caramanica (born 1975) is an American journalist and pop music critic who writes for ''The New York Times''. He is also known for writing about hip hop music. Biography Born in Brooklyn, New York (state), New York, Caramanica received his ba ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' said, "these are sparring records–loose, pugnacious, a little uncentered ��'Chun-Li' swaggers with the authority of the mid-

90s The 90s ran from 90 AD to 99 AD. Significant people * Titus Flavius Domitianus, Roman Emperor (AD 81– 96) * Nerva, Roman Emperor (AD 96 AD 96 ( XCVI) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Jul ...

. As is the norm, Ms. Minaj aims shots at unnamed antagonists, but in the past, that bluster felt truly targetless. But now, for the first time since the beginning of her career, there's someone who might plausibly shoot back, and win." John Kennedy from '' XXL'' said the song is "open enough for Nicki inajto get her bars off ''à la'' her

mixtape A mixtape (alternatively mix-tape, mix tape or mixed tape) is a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium. With origins in the 1980s, the term normally describes a homemade compilation of music onto a cassette ...

days." Maeve McDermott of ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'' said, "''Chun-Li'' sees Nicki out for blood, with the track named after a Street Fighter character who seeks revenge after her father's murder."

Commercial performance

"Chun-Li" debuted at number 92 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 after a day of tracking, with 20,000 downloads sold and 3.5 million streams, and four days of radio airplay. It ascended to number 10 the following week, selling 38,000 copies and earning 22.1 million streams. The song became Minaj's sixth top 10 entry as a lead artist–and her first solo single to enter that region since "

Anaconda Anacondas or water boas are a group of large snakes of the genus '' Eunectes''. They are found in tropical South America. Four species are currently recognized. Description Although the name applies to a group of snakes, it is often used ...

" in 2014–and 16th overall, extending her record for most top 10 singles among female rappers. "Chun-Li" also logged the greatest jump on the Hot 100, 82 positions, since

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...

's " Roar" (2013) jumped 83 spots following a full tracking week. It fell 38 positions to number 48 in its third week. On its fifth week, the song re-entered the top 20 of the chart jumping to number 19. It was certified

platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platinu ...

by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA) on July 30, 2018 for 1 million equivalent units moved. Outside the United States, "Chun-Li" reached the top 20 in Canada, the top 30 in France and the United Kingdom.

Live performances

Minaj first performed "Chun-Li" live during

Future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ...

’s set at

Rolling Loud Rolling Loud is an international hip hop music festival held in the United States, Europe, Australia and Canada. Established in 2015, it is "one of the biggest rap-only festivals in the world" according to ''Complex'', while ''Billboard'' called ...

Festival in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

on May 13, 2018. She also performed the song during her ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

'' season finale appearance on May 19. She performed a medley of "Chun-Li" and "

Rich Sex "Rich Sex" is a song by Trinidadian-born rapper Nicki Minaj featuring American rapper Lil Wayne. It was released as the first promotional single from Minaj's fourth studio album ''Queen'' (2018) on June 11, 2018, by Young Money Entertainment an ...

" on the

BET Awards 2018 The 18th BET Awards were held at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California, on June 24, 2018. The ceremony celebrated achievements in entertainment and honors music, sports, television, and movies released between April 1, 2017 and March 31, 20 ...

held on June 23.

Other versions

American rappers

Juelz Santana LaRon Louis James (born February 18, 1982), better known by his stage name Juelz Santana, is an American rapper and member of East Coast hip hop group The Diplomats, also known as Dipset. He is best known for his appearances on Cam'ron's 2002 si ...

, BlocBoy JB, and Baby Soulja recorded their own freestyles over the song's beat.

Credits and personnel

Credits and personnel adapted from ''Queen'' album

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desce ...

. Recording * Recorded at Glenwood Place Studios,

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, w ...

* Mastered at Chris Athen Masters,

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

Personnel *

– vocals, co-production * J. Reid – production * Aubry "Big Juice" Delaine – record engineering * Laura Bates – record engineering assistance * Lucas Lyle – record engineering assistance * Iván Jiménez – record engineering assistance * Chris Athens – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{authority control 2018 singles 2018 songs Cash Money Records singles Music videos directed by Steven Klein (artist) Nicki Minaj songs Republic Records singles Songs about comics Songs about fictional female characters Songs written by Nicki Minaj Vertically-oriented music videos Young Money Entertainment singles 2018 YouTube videos