Misplaced Pages

"My Chick Bad"
Single by Ludacris featuring Nicki Minaj
from the album Battle of the Sexes
Released	February 23, 2010
Recorded	2009
Genre	Hip hop crunk
Length	3:37
Label	DTP Def Jam
Songwriter(s)	Christopher Bridges Onika Maraj Brent Haseltine Samuel Lindley Derrelle Davidson
Producer(s)	The Legendary Traxster
Ludacris singles chronology
"All I Do Is Win" (2010) "My Chick Bad" (2010) "Ride" (2010)
Nicki Minaj singles chronology
"Knockout" (2010) "My Chick Bad" (2010) "Lil Freak" (2010)

"My Chick Bad" is a song by American rapper Ludacris. The song features Trinidadian recording artist Nicki Minaj, who co-wrote the song with Ludacris, Samuel Lindley, and Derrelle Davidson. The track was produced by The Legendary Traxster. "My Chick Bad" serves as the second single from Ludacris' eighth album, Battle of the Sexes. An official remix to the song was also released, featuring female rappers Diamond, Eve, and Trina.

The song was a commercial success, peaking at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song reached number two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Rap Songs charts, and also appeared on the Pop Songs without an official release to pop radio. "My Chick Bad" was nominated for a 2011 Grammy Award in the category Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. The accompanying music video for both versions of the song take place in a dungeon during the filming of a movie, with Minaj portraying a Freddy Krueger-esque character, an early incarnation of her alter-ego, Roman Zolanski.

Background

In an interview with Rap-Up, on Nicki Minaj, Ludacris said, "She’s an animated female and I’m an animated rapper myself." Before it was released as a single, in the interview, he said, "That’s one of the records that we gonna put out there." The official remix features Eve, Trina, and Diamond, while Ludacris only has background vocals. The remix was also included on Battle of the Sexes, and an extension of the original video was made to accompany it. On the set of the video, Eve said, "I’m just happy that Luda got this together and made this happen. This is just a nice prelude to what’s about to happen. I think it’s about to be another movement of strong women."

Composition

The song carries a "thumping" and "dark" tone described as "spooky". Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club described the song as "swaggering", and it has been called "rambunctious" by XXL. It also features the catchy hook, "My chick bad / My chick 'hood / My chick do stuff that your chick wish she could." As Ludacris's verse brags about his significant other, Minaj's as well as the females present on the remix, brag about themselves. In the song, Ludacris refers to tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams, the Tiger Woods scandal in a reference of his wife, Elin Nordegren, The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and Homer Simpson and his signature catchphrase “D’oh!”. Minaj refers to basketball star Lisa Leslie, as well as the horror franchises A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th, and their respective main antagonists, Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees.

Critical reception

August Brown of the Los Angeles Times complimented "a cameo from the ever-delightful Nicki Minaj." Sarah Godfrey of The Washington Post commented that the remix version of the song was the only track on Battle of the Sexes to fully live up to the album's name and original premise. Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club said the song provide a "vital forum for red-hot Lil Wayne protégé Nicki Minaj on the original track and Eve on the remix." XXL said: Minaj's turn at the song "proves she’s got the goods to be the perfect playmate to any of rap’s leading men." Jesal Padania of RapReviews called Minaj impressive on the song, and said the song had less energy than lead single "How Low", but more "meat."

People Magazine, Rap-Up, and Ken Capbobianco of The Boston Globe referred to the song as one of the highlights of Battle of the Sexes. Simon Vozick-Levinson of Entertainment Weekly also chose the track as two of the album's best, calling Minaj's appearance "scene-stealing". Jason Richards of Now Magazine was not impressed, calling the song "particularly gross" and called the production "bargain-basement. It was named the eighth worst song of 2010 by The Village Voice; Christopher Weingarten, writing for the publication, described the song as "loathsome", criticizing its "hashtag rap".

The song was nominated for a 2011 Grammy Award in the category Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, but lost to "On to the Next One" by Jay-Z and Swizz Beatz.

Chart performance

On the week ending March 13, 2010, "My Chick Bad" debuted at 46 on the Billboard Hot 100. After its release to radio, followed by increasing digital sales, the song eventually continued to rise, and peaked at number 11 for two weeks. The song peaked at two on both Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Rap Songs charts. Although the song never officially went for adds on mainstream airplay, the song appeared on the Pop Songs chart at 39. As of December 2014 the song has sold 1.8 million copies in the US.

Music video

The music video was filmed the weekend of February 6, 2010 in Miami, Florida, directed by TAJ Stansberry. Two clips were filmed, one for the original song and one for the remix version. On the set of the video, Ludacris said, "It hasn’t been this many women on the same song or the same video set in... I don’t know how long, so we making history and it feels damn good." It premiered on February 19, 2010, on BET's 106 & Park and Vevo.

The video takes place in a lair/dungeon setting, as Ludacris is directing a movie but the filming is on break. During that time Ludacris begins to brag about his "girl" towards the other cast members. Later in the video Minaj is revealed as the actress of the film, portraying a Freddy Krueger character, complete with the trademark glove made of razor blades. She is found lying in a couch, held by restraints, before the video ends with Ludacris and Nicki performing in the lair. The remix video with Diamond, Trina and Eve, also directed by TAJ, premiered on March 26, 2010, on Vevo and 106 & Park. The video is an extension of the original clip, featuring the same concept and premise. While Eve, Trina, and Diamond, make cameos near the end of the original video, Rick Ross, Lil Scrappy, DJ Khaled, Larenz Tate, and 2 Chainz make cameo appearances both clips.

Live performances

The song was first performed by the duo at BET's Rip the Runway 2010, which Minaj co-hosted with The Game actor Pooch Hall. While Ludacris wore a black vest similar to in the "How Low" video, Minaj's attire was from the "My Chick Bad" video, as she donned a pink wig and similar clothing as in the Freddy Kruger-lair scene. Ludacris and Minaj performed the song at MTV's Spring Break 2010 in Acapulco, Mexico, featuring Minaj donning a blonde wig. The duo also performed the song at the BET Awards 2010 on June 27, 2010, as a part of a medley with the remix of "All I Do Is Win", featuring Ludacris in a mask, flanked by violin players, and Minaj with a spiraling blonde wig seated in a medieval chair, similar to her scene in the music video. Minaj has also recited her verse on select dates of her debut tour, the Pink Friday Tour. She has performed her verse in a medley on her Pink Friday: Reloaded Tour.

Charts and certifications

Release history

References

1. "Album Preview: Ludacris – 'Battle of the Sexes'". Rap-Up. Retrieved 2010-03-29.
2. ^ "Video: On Set of Ludacris' 'My Chick Bad'". Rap-Up. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
3. "Behind the Video: Ludacris f/ Diamond, Trina, & Eve – 'My Chick Bad (Remix)'". Rap-Up. 2010-03-23. Retrieved 2010-07-21.
4. ^ Brown, August (2010-03-08). "Album review: Ludacris' 'Battle of the Sexes'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
5. ^ Padania, Jesal. "Ludacris :: Battle of the Sexes". RapReviews. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
6. ^ "Battle of the Sexes by Ludacris". People Mobile. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
7. ^ Rabin, Nathan (16 March 2010). "Battle Of The Sexes". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on March 22, 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
8. ^ "Ludacris, Battle of the Sexes". XXL. 2010-03-16. Archived from the original on 2010-03-29. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
9. Anderson, Sara D. "Ludacris 'My Chick Bad' Feat. Nicki Minaj – New Song". Retrieved 2010-07-01.
10. ^ Godfrey, Sarah (2010-03-09). "Music review: Ludacris's 'Battle of the Sexes'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
11. "Ludacris 'My Chick Bad' Feat. Nicki Minaj -- New Song". AOL Radio Blog. AOL. Retrieved 2010-11-17.
12. ^ "Video: Ludacris f/ Nicki Minaj – 'My Chick Bad'". Rap-Up. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
13. "Review Roundup: Ludacris – 'Battle of the Sexes'". Rap-Up. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
14. Capobianco, Ken (2010-03-15). "Ludacris, 'Battle of the Sexes'". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
15. Vozick-Levinson, Simon (2010-03-10). "Battle of the Sexes (2010)". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2014-11-09. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
16. Richards, Jason (2010-03-17). "Now Magazine // Music // Ludacris". Now Magazine. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
17. Weingarten, Christopher (2010-12-14). "The 20 Worst Songs of 2010, #8: Ludacris featuring Nicki Minaj, "My Chick Bad"". The Village Voice. Village Voice Media. Retrieved 2014-12-23.
18. ^ "Ludacris - Billboard Singles - AllMusic". Allmusic. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2010-11-17.
19. Trust, Gary (2014-12-23). "Ask Billboard: Why Is There No R&B/Hip-Hop in the Hot 100's Top 10?". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2014-12-23.
20. ^ "Video: Ludacris f/ Diamond, Trina, & Eve – 'My Chick Bad (Remix)'". Rap-Up. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
21. ""My Chick Bad" Director Talks Remix Video". Vibe. Intermedia Vibe Holdings. 26 March 2010. Retrieved 2010-11-17.
22. Daw, Robbie (2010-03-16). "Nicki Minaj Continues Her Ascent To Hip Hop Divadom On 'Rip The Runway'". Idolator. Buzzmedia Publishers. Retrieved 2010-07-21.
23. "Video: Ludacris & Nicki Minaj Perform on Spring Break". Rap-Up. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
24. "Video: BET Awards '10 Performances". Rap-Up. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
25. "Ludacris Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
26. "Ludacris Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
27. "Ludacris Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
28. "Ludacris Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
29. "Ludacris Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
30. Hot 100 Songs : Mar 30, 2013 - (Chart position) | Billboard Chart Archive
31. "New Zealand single certifications – Ludacris feat. Nicki Minaj – My Chick Bad". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
32. "American single certifications – Ludacris – My Chick Bad". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
33. "R&R :: Going For Adds :: Urban". Radio & Records. Radio & Records Inc. Archived from the original on July 10, 2012. Retrieved 2010-07-21.
34. "R&R :: Going For Adds :: Rhythmic". Radio & Records. Radio & Records Inc. Archived from the original on July 10, 2012. Retrieved 2010-07-21.

• 2010 singles
• Ludacris songs
• Nicki Minaj songs
• Songs written by Ludacris
• Songs written by Nicki Minaj
• 2009 songs
• Songs written by The Legendary Traxster