What Is 'Gag City' And Why Are Celebrities Traveling There? The Nicki Minaj AI Art Trend Explained

Whether you're a Nicki Minaj fan or not, you may have seen a recent AI art trend going viral about a little place called Gag City. The trend has people across social media generating images of a pink city covered in clouds with the help of AI and now, they're creating images of celebrities arriving at Gag City. So what is Gag City and what does it have to do with Nicki Minaj? Here's what you need to know.

What Is 'Gag City?'

To understand Gag City, you first need to understand the slang term "gag" or "gagged." Gag is a term popularized in the LGBTQ+ community throughout the 21st century. Similarly to the term "slay", "gag" is used to positively express amazement or excitement over a given subject. For example, someone might write under a photo of Nicki Minaj wearing a fire outfit, "next stop: gag city."

While "gag" is mostly used in the LGBTQ+ community, "gag city" has a close connection with Nicki Minaj and her fanbase, known as "Barbz." When Minaj shared the album artwork for her upcoming release Pink Friday 2, showing the singer in a pink subway car flying above a cloud-covered pink city, the location became colloquially known as Gag City by her fans. Then, in December, social media decided to ask AI what various locations in Gag City might look like, sparking a trend.

How Is 'Gag City' Used In Memes?

Throughout early December 2023, leading up to the December 8th release of Pink Friday 2, users on social media, particularly X, have been using AI programs to create images of Gag City. The images tend to depict Gag City as an all-pink utopia covered in pink clouds where all the citizens seem to wear pink. Users have generated everything from spas to radio halls to dispensaries and more in the style of Gag City.

Some have taken a more humorous approach to the trend by depicting things like plane crashes, military occupations and zombie apocalypses in Gag City. Most recently, the trend has evolved to show celebrities arriving at Gag City, including everyone from Lana Del Rey to Michael Jackson to Trisha Paytas.

For the full history of Gag City be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.