‘Let’s Just Put a Kibosh on This’: Linda Perry and Nicki Minaj Nearly Recorded Their Own Version of the Viral Mash

Linda Perry was as surprised as anyone when she first heard that a mash-up of her band, 4 Non Blondes’ 1993 hit “What’s Up?,” and Nicki Minaj’s 2012 hit “Beez in the Trap went viral on TikTok.

To Perry, at least for her side of this equation, this is nothing new. In the 30-plus years since the song’s release, it’s had moments when it’s spiked back into the cultural consciousness. This is just a newer medium and reaching a much different audience. That said, she’s thrilled about the song’s return just as 4 Non Blondes are playing their first shows in years.

“This is definitely a different type of blow-up, because it’s happening on TikTok,” Perry tells VICE backstage at the Corona Capital festival in Mexico City. “I embrace anything that happens with anything that I create, because it’s pr