Nicki Minaj’s fans, affectionately known as the ‘Barbz’, are using AI-generated art to create a fictional city to celebrate the launch of the artist’s upcoming album Pink Friday 2.
Named ‘Gag City’, fans used AI art generators like Midjourney and Stable Diffusion to conjure up a futuristic metropolis city coated floor to ceiling in pink – a colour that Nicki Minaj’s brand is closely associated with.
AI art and ‘Gag City’
Being Nicki Minaj’s fifth studio album and first full-length project in five years, some Barbz expressed on social media that promotional activity for Pink Friday 2 had been underwhelming.
Thus, some dedicated ‘stans’ decided to take matters into their own hands and become marketing wizards themselves to give Minaj’s album some well-deserved media attention. So, what better way to do it efficiently and for free with the help of AI-generated art?
A search of the keywords “Gag City” on X returns with thousands of results showing AI-generated art of the fictional modern city. Here’s what Gag City’s entrance looks like – we see Barbz proudly marching into their homeland.
High-profile celebrities are also arriving at Gag City, one by one. At the time of writing, Beyonce, Rihanna, Ice Spice, Blackpink, and even Marge Simpson have walked into Gag City. Oh yes, we gagged.
Of course, the president of Gag City is Miss Onika Tanya Maraj herself. Here’s an image of her giving a speech to her fellow Barbz.
Queen of Rap… but AI
Gag City went so viral that brands are now also hopping onto the trend. Spotify, MTV, Pizza Hut, and even Mozilla Firefox have shared AI-generated art for a ticket into the pink city.
Nicki Minaj herself, of course, took notice of the trend and acknowledged her fans’ efforts. At the time of writing, the rapper announced that she will be making a stopover at Gag City to unveil the tracklist for Pink Friday 2.
AI art: Free marketing
The virality of Gag City, thanks to fans’ creativity with AI, again illustrates the power of organic, user-generated content on social media. We’ve seen plenty of such free ‘marketing campaigns’ this year with Barbenheimer and Taylor Swift’s “seemingly ranch” moment.
Minaj’s long-awaited Pink Friday 2 will be released December 9, 2023 in Australia.
