Diva Spotlight: Nicki Minaj

I didn't listen to a lot of hip hop or rap growing up - my dad can't stand it and makes it very loudly known whenever it comes on within his earshot, and the subject matter is not always to my taste. That being said, I've always considered Nicki Minaj as a bit of a "guilty pleasure" because while I'm still finding out what type of rap music I like, she is one of the first artists that got me more willing to listen to it regularly since her debut album dropped my freshman year of college. While she did release a statement in 2019 announcing her retirement from music so that she could focus on starting a family, it wouldn't surprise me if she made a comeback some time in the future, because you can tell through her music that she really enjoys making it.

If you're not familiar with her as an artist, here's a little quick info dump (all info current as of April 2021):

-Legal name is Onika Tanya Maraj-Perry

-38 years old (first album was released at age 28 and she's a Sagittarius)

-Born in Saint James, Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago (she immigrated to New York to live with her parents when she was 5 years old)

-Vocalist

-Married Kenneth Perry in 2019 (they had their first son together in September 2020)

-Has won 200 awards, including eight American Music Awards, four Billboard Music Awards, and four People's Choice Awards

-Became Guinness World Record holder for Most Billboard Hot 100 Entries by a Female Solo Artist in 2017

-Has released 4 studio albums, 3 compilation albums, 117 singles, and 3 mixtapes

This post is going to look a little different from the others in that I'm not going to focus as much on the lyrics for a couple of reasons. First, rap lyrics tend to be greater in word volume than other genres, so the lyrics sections would make this post a lot longer than it necessarily needs to be. Second, while I always have a good time listening to Minaj's music, I can't deny that her lyrics can get pretty filthy, so for both my comfort and possibly yours as well I'm just going to skip over that all together. As always, I would encourage you to give a listen to her stuff if rap or hip hop are your thing, because her albums are all a lot of fun. That being said, let's go ahead and dive on in.

Pink Friday (2010)

Minaj's debut hip hop/pop/R&B album was released November 22nd, 2010 by Young Money/Cash Money/Universal Motown. With a run time of 50:46, it produced 8 singles: Your Love (6/1/10), Check It Out (6/1/10), Right Thru Me (9/24/10), Moment 4 Life (12/7/10), Super Bass (4/5/11), Did It On'em (4/7/11), Girls Fall Like Dominoes (4/11/11), and Fly (8/30/11). The album has been certified 3x Platinum by the RIAA for selling over 2 million copies in the US. I've been listening to Pink Friday since 2011 so I was pretty familiar with it when this week started off, but I hadn't listened to the whole thing in a while and it was nice to do it again. The album has a good mix of hip hop and pop on it without jarring shifts between the two. I ended up changing my Top 3 around tiny bit from what I initially thought they would be, but here they are.

Track 2: Roman's Revenge ft. Eminem (written by K. Dean, M. Mathers, O. Maraj, T. Smith)

Roman's Revenge is the song that got me to download the entire Pink Friday album to begin with. One thing I've always loved about Minaj's music is how outlandish and honestly funny her lyrics are, and this song is a prime example of that - several times a week I can be found rapping under my breath "Rah, rah, like a dungeon dragon." Add in the fact that Eminem agreed to do a song with her on her very first album, which is a fairly big deal, and this song is an absolute banger.

Track 3: Did It On'em (written by J. Ellington, O. Maraj, S. Crawford, S. Samuels)

This song was a late addition to my Top 3, but after listening to the whole album from start to finish I couldn't leave it off. It's not necessarily the flashiest song on the album, but it's got a good beat and a catchy af chorus.

Track 14: Super Bass (written by O. Maraj, E. Dean, D. Johnson)

And of course, there's Super Bass. People were so crazy about this song when it first came out, and it fits the bill of a mainstream banger - it's upbeat, it's got a catchy chorus, and it gives off a lot of fun, chaotic energy to match.

Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2012)

Minaj's sophomore hip hop/dance pop album was released April 2nd, 2012 by Young Money/Cash Money/Universal Republic. With a run time of 69:00, it produced 5 singles: Starships (2/14/12), Right By My Side (3/27/12), Beez in the Trap (5/29/12), Pound the Alarm (6/12/12), and Va Va Voom (9/12/12). The album has been certified 2x Platinum by the RIAA for selling over 905,000 copies in the US. I was afraid when this album was announced that I would just be a rerelease of Pink Friday, but thankfully I was wrong. The album is my favorite of Minaj's four studio releases, and while there's a definite, mildly jarring shift from hip hop to dance pop around the middle of the album, it's still a great listen from start to finish. I changed up my Top 3 tiny bit from my original picks on this album as well, and here is where I landed.

Track 4: Beez in the Trap ft. 2 Chainz (written by M. Jordan, O. Maraj, T. Epps)

For a long time I struggled with whether I liked this, I Am Your Leader, or Come On a Cone better, and at this current moment in my life Beez in the Trap is the clear winner. It's incredibly catchy, has a good, steady beat, and I enjoy 2 Chainz's part in this song as much as I enjoy Nicki's.

Track 10: Starships (written by C. Falk, O. Maraj, R. Yacoub, N. Khayat, W. Hector)

Obviously, Starships was going to make this list because it's still a total banger nine years later. I actually wrote a version of this song for my sorority for us to sing during recruitment the year it came out, so it holds some sentimental value to me as well.

Track 19: Stupid Hoe (written by O. Maraj, T. Dunham)

This may be one of her stupidest songs in her catalogue, but damn is it ever entertaining and catchy. Seeing Minaj let loose more on this album through her alter ego Roman Zolanski was really fun, and I missed that quality in her music in her third and fourth albums a lot.

The Pinkprint (2014)

Minaj's third hip hop album was released December 15th, 2014 by Young Money/Cash Money/Republic. With a run time of 66:51, it produced 7 singles: Pills n Potions (5/21/14), Anaconda (8/4/14), Only (10/28/14), Bed of Lies (11/16/14), Truffle Butter (1/23/15), The Night Is Still Young (4/12/15), and Trini Dem Girls (9/1/15). The album has been certified 2x Platinum by the RIAA for selling over 682,000 copies in the US. I'll be honest, I really did not like this album when it first released - the tone was so different from what I'd gotten used to from her, and the only song that I thought even remotely sounded like a "Nicki Minaj song" was Anaconda. As time has gone on, I've started to like this album more and more, and this week during my listen through I think it actually climbed to spot #3 instead of #4. My Top 3 on this album actually includes more of her R&B sound as opposed to her hip hop sound, but all of the songs on The Pinkprint have great beats and are worth listening to.

Track 3: The Crying Game ft. Jessie Ware (written by A. Wansel, J. Ware, O. Maraj, S. Mostyn, W. Felder)

I toyed with throwing Anaconda on here for my Top 3, but as I've gotten older and the shock value on that song has worn off, The Crying Game has taken its spot. It's a much more serious tone, but it works for me and I never feel bad after listening to it.

Track 15: Bed of Lies ft. Skylar Grey (written by A. Grant, B. Isaac, D. Johnson, H. Haferman, J. Coleman, J. Davey, O. Maraj, V. Vyas)

Another more serious-toned song, I think Skylar Grey's vocals on this track are what make it my favorite. The sweet tone she has in her voice balances out Minaj's rap style and the whole thing just works really well.

Track 16: Grand Piano (written by D. Johnson, E. Dean, K. Harris, O. Maraj, P. Lord, W. Adams)

The irony isn't lost on me that my favorite Nicki Minaj song is on one of my least favorite Nicki Minaj albums. I think this song is so beautiful and sad and really shows off Minaj's abilities as a singer in a way that her previous songs just hadn't.

Queen (2018)

Minaj's fourth hip hop album was released August 10th, 2018 by Young Money/Cash Money/Republic. With a run time of 66:19, it produced 4 singles: Chun-Li (4/12/18), Bed (6/14/18), Barbie Dreams (8/14/18), and Good Form (11/29/18). The album has been certified Platinum by the RIAA for selling over 1 million copies in the US. I definitely don't dislike this album and several of the songs on here are very good, but this is probably my least favorite Nicki Minaj album right now. She started up with that purring sound effect that she does (you know the one) on The Pinkprint and it definitely bothered me then, but her overuse of it on Queen makes me want to seriously consider digging out my eardrums with a rusty spoon. However, My Top 3 and a few of the other tracks here are enjoyable to listen to, so here's my main picks.

Track 2: Majesty with Labrinth ft. Eminem (written by L. Resto, M. Mathers, O. Maraj, T. McKenzie)

Right off the bat, this song kicks serious ass. I loved hearing her reunite with Eminem, and I really like Labrinth's breathy vocal style on the chorus.

Track 3: Barbie Dreams (written by M. Hough, O. Maraj, R. Smith, R. Wouter)

While I like her stand-alone single Barbie Tingz better, Barbie Dreams is a bop all on its own. It's funny hearing her talk about all these men and felt a good hybrid of her older style mixed in with the new.

Track 15: Come See About Me (written by B. Hazard, C. Braide, H. Walter, O. Maraj)

Like with Grand Piano, Minaj doesn't rap on this song at all and instead shows off her singing voice. I actually listen to this song quite a bit and it always puts me in a good mood when I do.

Whether you've followed Nicki Minaj from the beginning or just found out who she is today, I hope as always that you found some new, fun music to listen to. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!