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Welcome to Gag City, the pink metropolis inhabited by stans and types alike.
In the times main as much as the discharge of “Pink Friday 2,” Nicki Minaj’s fifth studio album and sequel to her debut report “Pink Friday” that dropped on Friday, Twitter was flooded with AI-generated photos of pink-toned cityscapes. Gag City, the dreamy false utopia dominated by Minaj and her Barbz, broke by way of stan Twitter and have become a viral meme that model accounts instantly used for their very own advertising — selling Minaj’s album free of charge.
Is it an genuine stan-led marketing campaign to construct hype for Minaj? Is it a plant to sport engagement for each the album and types? What’s clear is that the viral second is a win for Minaj, manufactured or not.
It began in September, when Minaj teased the album’s cowl artwork on-line. The picture options Minaj on a pink subway automobile, drifting by way of pink clouds with a futuristic (and clearly, pink) metropolis skyline within the background.
She and her Barbz began referring to the album’s launch as “Gag City,” NBC News stories, referencing homosexual slang for being so amazed that you simply’re perplexed. One is likely to be gagged by witnessing a shocking outfit change, or by listening to an ideal report, like “Pink Friday 2.” Leading as much as the discharge, stans began posted AI-generated photos of a pink concrete jungle, joking that fictional characters and celebrities had been arriving to Gag City in anticipation of Minaj’s album. In one of many first, posted on Dec. 1 in line with Know Your Meme, a fan account shared an picture of a pink airplane labeled “Gagg City” flying over a equally pink skyline.
In the times earlier than the discharge, Minaj advised followers to “prepare for landing” and teased an outline of her pink utopia. Barbz replied with AI-generated renditions of the descent into Gag City.
X (previously Twitter) customers started crafting elaborate narratives about Gag City’s inhabitants and authorities. One posted a picture of Barbz storming the Pink House, which one other person described because the fandom’s personal January sixth. Another posted a picture of pink-clad residents protesting within the streets of Gag City, calling for Minaj to launch the album’s monitor record. Though some might imagine that Gag City is a utopia, one account posted a picture of a matronly Minaj handing out CDs of her album to impoverished kids “on the outskirts of Gag City,” implying that the pink society additionally has a category divide drawback.
Gag City can be riddled with stan wars, as followers of rival pop stars posted photos of their faves vying for Minaj’s seat on the head of her metropolis’s authorities. In a nod to Greek mythology, one account posted a picture of a Trojan horse adorned in Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” disco motif.
Never one to overlook out on a straightforward pattern, model accounts began becoming a member of in on the Gag City hype. Chili’s posted a picture of rosy smoke billowing from its restaurant, which makes me surprise if air air pollution exists in Gag City. Wheat Thins, Baskin-Robbins, Dunkin’ Donuts, Pizza Hut, Red Lobster, Oreo, Bing (??), the Empire State Building and numerous others posted their variations of Gag City.
On one hand, memes are likely to die the minute model accounts begin co-opting them — nothing is extra tiresome than seeing a enjoyable joke flip right into a corporate-friendly advertising ploy. AI-generated photos are already ethically fraught, and critics have raised issues over AI mills skilled on art work with out the consent of the work’s artists. Artists have additionally criticized manufacturers for utilizing AI-generated artwork as a substitute of commissioning work from an actual, human artist. Though utilizing AI-generated artwork for business use is authorized, as copyright legal guidelines pertaining to AI are nearly non-existent, it’s usually seen as a shitty transfer by many within the artwork world.
On the opposite, it’s free promotion for Minaj, and as a lifelong Barb who spent her adolescence operating a stan account for “Pink Friday,” I contemplate it a win.
Nicki Minaj is an artist who’s been embroiled in controversy all through her profession, from posting dangerous takes about Covid vaccines to defending her husband Kenneth Petty, a convicted intercourse offender. She could also be a superb artist, however her problematic historical past makes her removed from the family-friendly public determine that manufacturers usually tend to endorse.
But with Gag City, Minaj has manufacturers doing all of her advertising for her. “Pink Friday 2” is a creative marvel in itself (although I’m in all probability biased), however the free promotion that it’s been getting as a viral meme is especially astounding. Artists have spent the previous few years making an attempt to drum up engagement for his or her work by making their songs pattern on TikTok, which audiences have began to withstand. Gag City doesn’t financial institution on being the viral tune of the summer time to drive streaming numbers — the bit is eliminated sufficient for non-stans to take pleasure in it, whereas nonetheless revolving across the album it’s selling.
Brand Twitter tends to show enjoyable traits into promoting alternatives, taking natural neighborhood interactions and spitting out contrived variations clearly made to go viral. It could also be grating, however on this case, it’s working in Minaj’s favor. This week, everybody needs to go to Gag City.