Nicki Minaj’s Upcoming Tekashi 69 Reunion, ‘Trollz,’ Draws Backlash And Support From Fans

“Trollz” isn’t just the name of an ill-fated, millennial update of the long-running doll franchise, it’s also the title of Nicki Minaj‘s upcoming reunion with Tekashi 69. It’s certainly apt — over the past couple of years, both rappers have become better known for attention-baiting antics than their music, but the former often seems to drive consumption of the latter. Since their last collaboration, “Fefe,” went multi-platinum, reached No. 3 on the Hot 100, and became one of the most successful singles for both artists, they’ve apparently decided to go back to the well with “Trollz,” which they announced releases this Friday, June 12. Proceeds of the song will reportedly be donated to The Bail Project.

Just as with their previous collaboration, the announcement drew a massive reaction from fans online. Nicki previously drew criticism for working with Tekashi on “Fefe” because of his trolling shenanigans and his past sexual misconduct case. That was before Tekashi was arrested as a part of a racketeering sweep of the Nine Trey Bloods gang who backed his rise to fame by lending him legitimacy and muscle — and before Tekashi agreed to testify against them in exchange for a shorter sentence.

This time around, the Barbz stepped up to defend their queen once again, but had a much harder hill to defend from critics. While some pointed out Tekashi’s upcoming collaboration with Akon based on Akon’s hit single “Locked Up” in an attempt to deflect, others noted that it’d still be a hit thanks to all the buzz surrounding it, based on the success of “Fefe.”

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However, plenty of people expressed disappointment in Nicki for reuniting with 69 in light of the latest round of hip-hop rules he’s supposedly violated.

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As usual, it appears that controversy is the best promotion — for a while, at least. We’ll see how things turn out for Nicki and Tekashi on Friday. For now, you can check out the reactions to her latest collaboration above.