Nicki Minaj is letting fans know her dancehall knowledge goes way back as she teases a sample of a Ninjaman classic for her upcoming new music.
Minaj is gearing up for the release of her song “Red Ruby Da Sleeze,” to be released on March 3, but it appears that the artist is either adding Ninjaman’s song to the track, or she might be teasing a new track itself.
On Tuesday night, Nicki Minaj shared behind-the-scenes footages of herself in Trinidad during her recent visit to the island for Carnival, where she showed off her whining (twerking) skills to Ninjaman’s “Number One,” especially the verse that speaks to her being a champion.
Minaj is all but naked in a striped blue and white bikini and underwear as she mouths the lyrics of the song. The slips also intersperse with the singer’s recent music video in Beetham, Trinidad, with dancehall artist Skeng. The two artists had met up on the island to shoot a music video and sent fans into excitement at the prospect of another collaboration.
Nicki Minaj previously used the same video to tease a collaboration between herself and Skeng, “Red Ruby Da Sleeze,” which she announced last week after her Carnival stint.
The original audio of the music video Minaj shared on social media had her rapping to the beat from the track “Never Leave You (Uh Oooh, Uh Oooh)” by Lumidee featuring Busta Rhymes and Fabolous. Minaj has been quite evasive with details about the track, as she routinely goes off the grid after posting her teasers.
Fans reacted to the possible Ninjaman sample on Tuesday night. “Big up the original Don Gorgon Ninjaman. Nicki’s fav dancehall artist,” one fan wrote in the comments section.
“This gave “Murda dem Murda dem” IFYKYK,” another fan wrote. “Y’all need to know this some real gangster reggae music,” another fan wrote.
It’s no secret that Nicki Minaj is a huge fan of dancehall music and Jamaican culture. Skeng is her new favorite artists just like a sizeable segment of the dancehall community currently.
Dancehall legend Ninjaman is currently incarcerated serving a life sentence for a murder conviction. The deejay, whose real name is Desmond Ballentine, was found guilty for the 2009 murder of Ricardo Johnson, with whom police said Ninja and his son had a domestic dispute with. Ninjaman will be eligible for parole after serving 25 years of his sentence.
