"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 rapper, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as the "Queen of Rap" and one of the most influential rappers of all time, she is noted for her ...

from her fourth studio album, ''

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

'' (2018). It was released on April 12, 2018, by

Young Money Entertainment Young Money Entertainment is an American record label founded by rapper Lil Wayne in 2005. It was launched as an imprint of Cash Money Records — a joint venture colloquially branded as Young Money Cash Money Billionaires (abbreviated as YMCMB ...

and

Cash Money Records Cash Money Records is an American record label founded in 1991 by brothers Ronald "Slim" Williams and Birdman (rapper), Bryan "Baby" Williams. The label gained prominence in the late 1990s for having signed and released albums for New Orleans– ...

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

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Background and release

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

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. He is often regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation, as well as one of the greatest rappers of all ...

, " No Frauds" with

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

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that she would be releasing two new songs: " Barbie Tingz" and "Chun-Li" on April 12, and also posted cover artworks of the respective singles. "Chun-Li", which takes its name from the ''

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'' 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 ''Sucka Free'' is the second mixtape by Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj. It was released on April 12, 2008, by Dirty Money Records. ''Sucka Free'' features guest appearances from fellow rappers Lil Wayne, Gucci Mane, Jadakiss, Lil' Kim and Ransom ...

'' (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

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in 2021.

Production

"Chun-Li" was produced by

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-based record 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 were reminiscent of the New York City hip hop scene during the 1980s and 1990s. The structural composition of the song primarily revolves around the intricate technique of slapping, various percussive instruments, and a minimalist arrangement of soundbeads that are also multilayered with an extensive orchestration of recurrent keyboard synths. Minaj linked with Reid in late December 2017, and later explained to him what kind of beat she wanted for the song. She then proceeded towards

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

Chun-Li Chun-Li (; Japanese: , Hepburn: ) is a character in Capcom's ''Street Fighter'' video game series. She first appeared in '' Street Fighter II: The World Warrior'' in 1991 and is the first female playable character to appear in a fighting game t ...

," 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 that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

. 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 East Asian-esque futuristic/

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

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

, and was nominated for Best Hip-Hop at the

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

East Asian culture East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan ...

by prominent media outlets such as ''

Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Internationalism * World citizen, one who eschews traditional geopolitical divisions derived from national citizenship * Cosmopolitanism, the idea that all of humanity belongs to a single moral community * Cosmopolitan ...

'' and ''

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.''

Critical reception

Bianca Gracie of ''

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'' 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, Caramanica received his bachelor's degree ...

of ''

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'' said, "these are sparring records–loose, pugnacious, a little uncentered ��'Chun-Li' swaggers with the authority of the mid- 90s. 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 In the modern music industry, a mixtape is a musical project, typically with looser constraints than that of an album or extended play. Unlike the traditional album or extended play, mixtapes are labeled as laid-back projects that allow artists mo ...

days." Maeve McDermott of ''

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'' 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 "

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" 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. She is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists in hist ...

's "

Roar A roar is a type of animal vocalization that is loud, deep and resonating. Many mammals have evolved to produce roars and other roar-like vocals for purposes such as long-distance communication and intimidation. These include various species of ...

" (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

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by the

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(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 Scotland and the United Kingdom, and the top 60 in Australia, earning a double platinum certification in the latter. As of April 2025, "Chun-Li" is Minaj's 20th most streamed song on

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, with over 400 million global streams on the service.

Live performances

Minaj first performed "Chun-Li" live during

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’s set at

Rolling Loud Rolling Loud is an international hip hop music festival which has been held in Asia, North America, South America, Europe, and Australia. Established in 2015, it is "one of the biggest festivals in the world" according to ''Complex'', while ''Bill ...

Festival in

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

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'' season finale appearance on May 19. She performed a medley of "Chun-Li" and " Rich Sex" 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 honored music, sports, television, and movies released between April 1, 2017, and March 31 ...

held on June 23.

Other versions

American rappers

Juelz Santana LaRon Louis James Sr. (born February 18, 1982), better known by his stage name Juelz Santana, is an American rapper and member of now-defunct hip-hop group, the Diplomats (also known as Dipset). He is best known for his appearances on group coho ...

BlocBoy JB James Lee Baker (born May 19, 1996), known professionally as BlocBoy JB, is an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. Baker is best known for his 2018 single " Look Alive" (featuring Drake), which peaked at number five on the ''Billboard'' Hot ...

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

Credits and personnel

Credits and personnel adapted from ''Queen'' album

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. Recording * Recorded at Glenwood Place Studios,

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* Mastered at Chris Athen Masters,

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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

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{authority control 2018 YouTube videos 2018 singles 2018 songs Cash Money Records singles Music videos directed by Steven Klein (artist) Nicki Minaj songs Race-related controversies in music Republic Records singles Songs about East Asian people Songs about comics Songs about fictional female characters Songs written by Nicki Minaj Stereotypes of East Asian people Vertically oriented music videos Works based on Street Fighter Young Money Entertainment singles