Nicki Minaj opened her fourth studio album, Queen, in dramatic style: “Who you gettin’ at Nicki?” she asks, earlier than responding, “Watch them c__ts learn.” From the leap, it’s clear that Minaj is just not solely coming for her rival feminine MCs, but in addition the boys who’ve forsaken her legacy and self-worth. The album’s title speaks for itself, as Minaj sought to say herself because the reigning Queen Of Rap almost a decade after her triumphant debut, Pink Friday.
Within the years following her 2014 launch, The Pinkprint, the pop, and hip-hop climates had each dramatically modified – as had Minaj. The legendary MC had turn out to be tabloid fodder for her public beefs and subsequent relationship splits, and Queen paperwork the highs and lows of that journey in an impressive world that solely Minaj might create.
‘All you bi__hes wanna look like me’
To kick off her Queen period, Nicki Minaj launched two singles, “Barbie Tingz” and “Chun-Li,” proving that the pop-crossover artist nonetheless had bars. “Barbie Tingz” demanded homage from hip-hop’s newcomers with the road “Let’s be real, all you bi__hes wanna look like me”. Paying homage to Minaj’s early mixtape days, the boom-bap-centric single turned an instantaneous favourite for its extra street-oriented vibes.
To cap that off, “Chun-Li” turned Queen’s official first single, introducing a brand new persona that references an ass-kicking character from the Road Fighter video-game franchise. Over a bumping saxophone and sporadic gongs, Minaj reminds her detractors, “Ayo, I been on, bi__ch,” and embraces the notion that “They paintin’ me out to be the bad guy”. Her new visuals matched the provocative perspective of her music, with Minaj trying just like the spitting picture of Lil’ Kim on the one’s cowl artwork. ‘Chun-Li’ peaked at No.10 on the Billboard Sizzling 100, a formidable comeback for an artist whose final correct launch had been 4 years in the past.
Main as much as Queen’s launch, Minaj teased out three singles, together with “Rich Sex,” that includes her longtime collaborator and mentor, Lil Wayne; the pop-reggae collab observe “Bed,” with frequent associate Ariana Grande; and the controversial Tekashi 6ix9ine smash “Fefe”. The latter garnered a lot consideration as a result of Tekashi 6ix9ine’s authorized troubles, but in addition for the plain show-stealing verse from Minaj, which noticed her in uncommon lyrical kind.
Queen, nevertheless, wasn’t the one outlet for Minaj to talk her thoughts. The singer/rapper additionally launched her personal radio present on Beats 1, appropriately titled Queen Radio. Discovering a brand new lane for her superstar, Minaj used the platform to debut her album, on 10 August 2018, in addition to dispel rumors surrounding her whereas airing her personal grievances and speaking store with associates and collaborators.
Nothing’s off-limits
Making its debut at No.2 on the Billboard 200, Queen needed to break by way of the near-impenetrable maintain that male rappers had on the charts. To take action, the album noticed Minaj enterprise into new sonic instructions whereas bringing alongside the colourful alter egos that she launched all through her three Pink albums.
Following the hypnotic tribal rhythms of “Ganja Burn,” “Majesty” performs into the demonic rhyme schemes of her frequent associate in crime, Eminem. Certainly one of Queen’s best moments is “Barbie Dreams,” which sees Minaj pay tribute to Biggie’s iconic 1994 observe, “Just Playing (Dreams).” As a substitute of lusting after the R&B divas of the day, nevertheless, Minaj flips the script and skewers her male opponents and former romantic flames, questioning the sexual prowess of Meek Mill, 50 Cent, Quavo, and Younger Thug in hypothetical sexual conditions. The tune kicked up a stir upon launch, however Minaj made it clear that “Barbie Dreams” wasn’t a diss observe, however meant all in good enjoyable. In spite of everything, nothing’s off-limits in hip-hop.
“Hard White” sees Minaj calling out her suspected imitators as soon as once more, claiming she has to “work hard just to get half back” and “I ain’t ever have to strip to get the pole position” – a not-so-subtle shot at fellow rapper Cardi B. On the clap-back observe “LLC,” Minaj stakes extra claims that she invented the blueprint for different feminine rappers within the sport.
Displaying a susceptible facet
A stretch of Queen sees Minaj making use of R&B vocal stylings to pop melodies, a ability she’s by no means shied away from since her Pink Friday debut. She mourns being duped by a lover on “Thought I Knew You,” that includes The Weeknd, and assures “A true bad b__ch ain’t weak or bitter” on “Nip Tuck.” Although most of Queen brims over with bravado, Minaj lets her guard down and shows her vocal chops on the piano-tinged ballad ‘Come See About Me’, which offers with the toll that fame takes on her private relationships.
It’s in these moments when Minaj isn’t single-mindedly centered on reasserting her relevance, that we see her genuine self. On “Run And Hide” she sings about her belief points and the way she maintains her self-preservation over a boom-bap beat. On “Chun Swae” she joins forces with Swae Lee to create cloud-rap magic, whereas the Future-assisted “Sir” advances Queen’s hazy, dream-like manufacturing.
A Nicki to rule all of them
No Nicki Minaj file is full with out some floor-filling cuts and musical spontaneity. After tearing up dancefloors on her earlier albums, critics famous how Queen struck a extra severe, darker tone. That mentioned, Minaj nonetheless delivers a twerk anthem with “Good Form.”
To shut the album, she pays homage to Cunning Brown’s 2001 opus, Damaged Silence, on “Coco Chanel.” Simply as Damaged Silence merged dancehall and West Indies music with hip-hop, Brown jumps on the observe with a patois verse, a nod to each her and Minaj’s Trinidadian roots. (Minaj, alongside Drake and Rihanna, have been leaders in bringing West Indian tradition to mainstream pop for the reason that 2010s.) The riddim of “Coco Chanel” continues into Queen’s closing observe, ‘Inspirations Outro’, on which Minaj shouts out to different Caribbean musicians who’ve impressed her.
Queen is just not solely a declarative assertion from one of many final nice crossover hip-hop stars, however proves that Minaj is effectively outfitted to remain high of the rap sport. From R&B stylings to dance-pop and hard-hitting hip-hop, there’s a Nicki to rule all of them.
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