Released - 11/22/10
Label - Cash Money Records
BLURB - Who exactly is Nicki Minaj and why is everyone talking about her? After rising through the Cash Money ranks the last two years, Minaj is out to prove that she is the next great female hip hop artist. Recently, she displayed her talents spitting out one of the hottest verses this year on Kanye West's 'Monster.' What's uncertain is if Minaj has the staying power to prove her haters wrong, and that she actually is the second coming of L'il Kim. But if you ask me her act is all too gimmicky and so obviously prefabricated that it's impossible for her to ever become the credible rapper she's aspiring to be. That being said, she does have some great pop tracks on 'Pink Friday' lending me to believe that she should just focusing on creating solid hip hop / pop songs as opposed to trying to perfect her image as the greatest female rapper alive. That one's just not in the cards.
Rating - 4 out of 10
FULL STORY - Minaj's "Pink Friday" came out the same day as Kanye West's most recent record and I was shocked to see the amount of people picking it up at Best Buy. It seemed like everyone had it in their hand, and so I figured I better pick it up as well. I had really only known Minaj from various tracks that she had guested on, and so I was extremely curious to see what a Nicki Minaj solo album would sound like. But listening to the record only confirmed my suspicions that she really isn't anything special. Her rhymes all sound forced and the actual lyrics are overly simple, cheesy and uncreative. What does help Minaj is that she has the support of the industry, as veterans like Kanye West, Rihanna, Eminem and Drake all make appearances.
Invariably, the tracks that feature hip hop's heavy hitters bring a level of credibility that Minaj simply is too young to provide. 'Fly' (featuring Rihanna) brings with it an accessible pop influence that slowly grows on the listener. The song has a likable quality and uplifting feel to it, and is destined to climb the Billboard charts, should it be released as a single.
'Moment 4 Life' has a great party vibe and features one of the most popular new emcees in Drake. If pop culture has taught me anything, it's that people will like this track regardless of how it sounds - simply because it's Nicki Minaj and Drake. But the song actually is one of the best on the record and the duo sounds amazing as they trade off verses. The chorus, however, is very weak, but then again who cares about the chorus on a track with two of hip-hops rising lyricists.
Minaj also shines with Kanye West on 'Blazin,' a track that is uptempo and ready for the club. Synths and snare drums fill this song with a killer groove that is hard to stop listening to - although, one can't help but think that this was done as a favor by Kanye West in exchange for her dropping that insane verse on 'Monster.'
What's disappointing is that these are the only real bright spots on "Pink Friday." Much of the album is all too gimmicky and feels too much like a marketing plan. The record also has a blandness to it that never seems to entirely dissipate and making it incredibly average. 'Your Love' and 'Check it Out' are by far two of the cheesiest, annoying songs that I've ever heard. If Minaj is trying to become the best female rapper out there, by definition, she can't do songs like this. What she should be doing is more tracks like 'Roman's Revenge' with Eminem, despite how vulgar and obscene it comes off. At least she is rapping with energy, passion and conviction on those tracks. Minaj needs to make up her mind, decide what exactly she wants out of her career, and do it. Enough with the wigs and hype already.
Tracks
1.) I'm the Best
2.) Roman's Revenge (ft. Eminem)
3.) Did it On'em
4.) Right Thru Me
5.) Fly (ft. Rihanna)
6.) Save Me
7.) Moment 4 Life (ft. Drake)
8.) Check it Out (ft. Will.I.Am)
9.) Blazin' (ft. Kanye West)
10.) Here I Am
11.) Dear Old Nicki
12.) Your Love
13.) Last Chance (ft. Natasha Bedingfield)
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