Nicki Minaj is coming back in a major way. After a brief hiatus, the reigning queen of rap returned to the public eye with a new single, “Red Ruby Da Sleeze;” it’s the no. 2 song on US iTunes, but that’s not all the Barbz are talking about. Minaj had a major announcement on the latest episode of her Queen Radio show on Apple Music: “I have a record label now,” the rapper revealed.
Although she didn’t share the label’s name, Minaj did say her long-time friend Patty “Patty Duke” Lauren has signed on as the label’s A&R. Minaj also unveiled her starting roster: Nana Fofie, Tate Kobang, Rico Danna, and London Hill.
Speaking of her new label, Minaj spoke about the importance of having a veteran artist in your corner as an emerging talent, similar to how Lil Wayne helped Minaj early in her career. “I understand the importance of having somebody else doing the heavy lifting for you,” she said. “I understand why people are coming out, and they’re so, you know, microwaveable, and they’re here today and gone tomorrow because there’s no structure.”
There are not a lot of details we don’t know about Nicki’s new label, but in the meantime, get to know a little more about her first four signees.
Nana Fofie
View this video on YouTube
Genre: Afro-soul
Hometown: Ghana
Song(s) to Listen to: “Selling Dreams”
Nana Fofie is a Ghanaian singer-songwriter who is recognized by her sweet-sounding, velvety vocals and soulful instrumentation. She gained local attention for her YouTube cover songs in 2017. Then two years later, Fofie was the opening act for Nicki Minaj and Juice WRLD on the 2019 Nicki Minaj World Tour. Since then, the Rotterdam-based artist has attracted a fanbase of more than 200,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. In January, Fofie also released the soulful single and music video for “Selling Dreams,” which is expected to appear on her forthcoming EP, EMDR.
Tate Kobang
View this video on YouTube
Genre: Rap
Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland
Songs to Listen to: “Bank Rolls (Remix),” “Oh My”
Hailing from northeast Baltimore, Tate Kobang found early success in 2013 with the release of “Bank Rolls (Remix),” a tribute to his late mother. By 2016, Kobang had released his debut mixtape Since We’re Here, which showed his skill for freestyling and remixing old tracks. The same year, he dropped the catchy and hypnotic banger “Oh My.” Since then, Kobang has released several mixtapes and EPs, including Silent Waves and 28 EP. His most recent releases came in 2022, and the rambunctious track “Turkey” and the R&B soul record “My Baby.”
Rico Danna
View this video on YouTube
Genre: Rap
Hometown: Queens, NY
Song(s) to Listen to: “Gun Squad,” “Trench Talk”
Rico Danna is a gritty rapper from the same South Jamaica, Queens streets as Nicki. Rico has been rapping since he was 12, but his music career started to take off last year with the release of a string of electric singles like “Yeah Yeah,” “In the House,” and “Nba.” In January, he dropped “Trench Talk,” which finds the artist dropping his signature bullish bars over a sinister beat.
London Hill
View this video on YouTube
Genre: Rap
Hometown: Bronx, NY
Songs to Listen to: “Kitty,” “Flexer”
London Hill has a raw hip-hop sound that often incorporates Caribbean influences. Since releasing her breakout single “Kitty” in 2018, London Hill has dropped a handful of singles, including 2020’s “Box’ and 2021’s “Pressure.” Her most recent singles are 2022’s “Who” and “Gassed Up.” Hill is also known as Ms. 30 Minutes, a name that stems from a music session in which she finished the entire hook for a song in half an hour.
