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"Trollz"
Single by 6ix9ine and Nicki Minaj
Released	June 12, 2020 (2020-06-12)
Recorded	April–May 2020
Length	3:22
Label	Scumgang Create 10k Projects
Songwriter(s)	Daniel Hernandez Onika Maraj Jeremiah Raisen Aaron Clarke
Producer(s)	Sadpony Jahnei Clarke
6ix9ine singles chronology
"Gooba" (2020) "Trollz" (2020)
Nicki Minaj singles chronology
"Say So (Remix)" (2020) "Trollz" (2020)
Alternative cover
File:6ix9ine and Nicki Minaj - Trollz (Alternative cover).png
Music video
"Trollz" on YouTube

"Trollz" (stylized in all caps) is a song by American rapper 6ix9ine and Trinidadian-American rapper Nicki Minaj. It was postponed twice before being released on June 12, 2020, as the follow-up to "Gooba", released four weeks earlier. The song marks the third collaboration between the artists, following "Fefe" and "Mama", both released in 2018. Lyrically, it takes aim at internet trolls, hence the song's title. On June 16, 2020, a new version of the song was released, in the form of the track's first-take, with one different verse from Minaj and an altered beat.

For the chart dated June 27, 2020, the song debuted atop the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming 6ix9ine's first and Minaj's second US number-one single.

Background and release

After having been released from prison early, in April 2020, Hernandez released his first single after his prison sentence on May 8, 2020, titled "Gooba". Following his controversial accusations towards Billboard of rigging and chart manipulation, and towards pop singers Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber's management of buying "30,000 copies with six credit cards" for their song "Stuck with U", 6ix9ine posted a photo of himself holding up six credit cards, writing in the caption, "Don't worry we going #1 next time @billboard." On May 17, 2020, he announced that he would take a short hiatus from social media and release a video the following Friday. He also promised a new song set to be released on May 22 if "Gooba" got 10,000 downloads. However, the scheduled release was subsequently postponed to May 29. On May 23, he asked his fans to come up with the song title of his upcoming single, which turned out to be "Trollz". Shortly thereafter, Hernandez posted a video of himself confirming the title. The rapper further revealed that the song features another artist. On June 3, 6ix9ine announced the song was again delayed to June 12, stating it is "out of respect for what we are going through right now".

Nicki Minaj reportedly visited 6ix9ine to film the music video in May 2020. On June 10, 2020, it was confirmed that Minaj is the previously announced guest artist via the official merchandise bundled with the song on her website.

Following its release, Forbes.com's Bryan Rolli criticized 6ix9ine's "desperate attempts to inflate debut", noticing "there are currently four different versions of the song available for download on iTunes (the original, an alternate edition, and clean versions of both), all discounted to 69 cents. 6ix9ine and Minaj are both selling a slew of music and merchandise bundles, including signed "TROLLZ" CDs, vinyl and hoodies. The song also has three music videos: the official video and lyric videos for both the original and alternate editions." He concluded " exemplifies willingness to forgive abusers because they're marketable."

Composition and lyrics

The song is driven by an electronic drum backing track and contains a laconic beat. On the song, 6ix9ine employs his "usual" braggadocios delivery, with Minaj's lyrics containing sex euphemisms.
Minaj said that she recorded 11 different versions before the song was released in its final form.

Alex Zidel of HotNewHipHop noted that Minaj's verse contains a possible dig at singer Usher, when she raps: "Somebody usher this nigga into a clinic/My flow's still sick, I ain't talkin' a pandemic". Usher previously said Minaj "got her 'blueprint' from Lil Kim", and has previously faced herpes accusations.

An alternate version of the song was also released, which opens with Minaj's original verse, as she raps in English with Spanish words ("He tryna put it in my culo, real fat gato / When he eat it, I tell him to squeeze it like a taco"). Prior to the song's release, Minaj tweeted the taco emoji, hinting that "Trollz" was originally titled "Taco".

Critical reception

Jason Lipshutz of Billboard included the song among the most essential releases of the week, noting that 6ix9ine "punctuates his verse with a throat-clearing assault", while Minaj "radiates slick confidence through sex euphemisms and nods to her longevity".

Commercial performance

"Trollz" debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming 6ix9ine's first and Minaj's second number-one single. Propelled by over a dozen physical/digital combination offerings priced from 69 cents to $10 during the tracking week including an alternate version, it topped the Digital Songs chart selling 116,000 downloads, becoming 6ix9ine's first and Minaj's second number-one on the mentioned chart. It also marks the highest weekly sales sum since Taylor Swift's "Me!" (2019) which opened with 193,000 downloads in its first week.

Music video

The accompanying music video was released alongside the official single release on June 12, 2020. It was shot in May 2020 and Minaj revealed that the video was shot in 6ix9ine's guest bedroom while the latter was still under home confinement. After both artists claimed that the video broke the record for most views for a hip hop song in the first 24 hours, YouTube denied this, stating that the video only received 32.5 million views, 6.4 million less than "Gooba". A representative for the company said "paid advertising views on YouTube will no longer be considered when looking at a 24-hour record debut".

Synopsis

Similar to the "Gooba" video, "Trollz" has a colorful, rainbow-themed visual. The video starts off with the rappers eating cotton candy. This is followed by a transition where Minaj is seen with multi-colored hair, twerking in a red jacuzzi. She is seen topless with star pasties covering her breasts, wearing blonde and pastel-colored hair, and dressed in a fur bikini and a red, sheer bodysuit. 6ix9ine performs his verse and the hook in red, then blonde and rainbow cornrows. The video also cuts to him holding over $200,000 in cash and, as in the "Gooba" video, shows off his GPS ankle monitor.

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal, BMI and YouTube.

• 6ix9ine – lead artist, songwriting
• Nicki Minaj – lead artist, songwriting
• Jeremiah Raisen – arrangement, songwriting, production
• Jahnei Clarke – arrangement, songwriting, production, mixing
• Aaron Clarke – songwriting
• Wizard Lee - mixing, mastering
• Big Juice - mixing
• Alex Solis - art direction, design

Charts

Release history

References

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2. ^ "6ix9ine, Nicki Minaj: "Trollz"". nickiminajqueen.com. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
3. ^ Trust, Gary (June 22, 2020). "6ix9ine & Nicki Minaj's 'Trollz' Launches at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100, Lil Baby's 'The Bigger Picture' Debuts at No. 3". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
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10. "THIS FRIDAY ⭐️TROLLZ🌸 ANOTHER ONE🍭🌈🌈🍭💦💦💦 ‼️‼️‼️‼️ THEY WISH THIS WAS A NIGHTMARE ‼️‼️ IT CANT BE TRUE 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂‼️😂😂😂BITCH I AM THE INTERNET". Retrieved May 24, 2020 – via Instagram.
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• 2020 songs
• 2020 singles
• 6ix9ine songs
• Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
• Nicki Minaj songs