"Fefe" (stylized in all caps) is a single by American rapper 6ix9ine featuring Trinidadian-born rapper Nicki Minaj, and Canadian record producer Murda Beatz; the latter producing it with Cubeatz. Written alongside Andrew Green, it was released on July 22, 2018 through TenThousand Projects. The song served as the second single from 6ix9ine's debut album, Dummy Boy (2018). Minaj also included the song on streaming versions of her fourth album, Queen (2018).
Commercially, the song reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100. It was certified 8× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Internationally, "Fefe" reached the top ten in Australia, Canada, Hungary, New Zealand, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Background and release
A track with the title "Fefe" leaked in snippet prior to the song's official release. During his European tour in June 2018, 6ix9ine revealed that he planned to release the song featuring a surprise guest, when he returned to the United States. "I got a really cool feature on it. It’s a surprise," he said. On July 18, he shared on Instagram a lo-fi audio clip of the song, with the caption, "Subscribe before Sunday." A verse from it made some listeners advance that it would possibly feature Nicki Minaj.
On July 20, he announced that the track would be released two days later, and said, "Watch this shit go 8 for 8 on Billboard." On July 22, the song was officially released as a single for download. On July 24, 6ix9ine claimed that he will donate a portion of sales from the single to New York youth programs. The track was included as a bonus track on Minaj's fourth studio album Queen (2018). The "Fefe" cover art features a 3D cartoon artwork that shows 6ix9ine and Minaj sharing an ice cream cone (which is recreated in the music video). Minaj's cartoon is dressed in a G-string.
Composition and lyrics
"Fefe" was both composed and produced by Murda Beatz and duo Cubeatz, consisting of Kevin and Tim Gomringer, while its lyrics were written by Andrew Green, 6ix9ine, and Minaj. The track is two minutes and fifty-nine seconds long. Minaj explained the making of the song saying, "6ix9ine sent me this song & we got on the phone to discuss. 5 mins after the call I sent him this voice note. True story. He sent me a voice note back making fun of my voice. I was literally in bed half sleep! […] I was inspired because it reminded me of a song I did with Gucci years ago." The cadence used by both rappers in the song was noted to be similar to Valee's feature verse on Z Money's song "Two 16's" (2017), with 6ix9ine particularly seeming to stray from his usual aggressive rapping style to a calm, more melodic autotuned flow. Lyrically, the song features 6ix9ine boasting about his street cred, while Minaj is bragging about her jewelry, fashion, and sexual prowess. The latter namechecks rapper ASAP Rocky, television personality Khloé Kardashian, and singer-songwriter Tinashe.
Reception
Critical reception
In Noisey, Kristin Corry expressed discomfort about the song, "not because of who the two polarizing rappers happened to be but because of the imagery," referring to 6ix9ine's sexual misconduct case involving a minor while the song's visuals and cover art are childlike. For Idolator, Mike Wass was more neutral in his review, writing "[Minaj's] new era hasn’t exactly gone to plan and she seems to be losing ground against her main rivals [...] Time will tell if Nicki’s latest feature does more harm to her career than good". Nylons Taylor Bryan added the collaboration to Minaj's list of controversies during 2018, writing "if 2017 was the year of questioning Katy Perry, 2018 is the year of questioning Nicki Minaj." In a positive review, Peter A. Berry of XXL said its beat "serves as an appropriate audio canvas for the song", with 6ix9ine's rap "showcasing a much gentler delivery than the one he used on tracks like "Gummo" and "Keke". He concluded that "with some authentic NYC confidence and a memorable hook, "Fefe" is definitely a slapper". Time considered "Fefe" as the second worst song of 2018.