King Baby Posted November 19, 2010 Share Posted November 19, 2010 Why Is Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday So Bad? 3:30 pm Thursday Nov 18, 2010 by Judy Berman It’s only fair that expectations are so high for a rapper who showed up Soulja Boy, matched Lil Wayne line for line, and, on Kanye West’s “Monster,” famously growled that she commands “50k for a verse, no album out.” Now, we’ve finally heard Pink Friday. And, unfortunately, there’s no nice way to render our verdict: After years of contributing jaw-dropping guest verses to other rappers’ songs and releasing some pretty great mixtapes of her own, Nicki Minaj’s debut album is, well, not good. As anyone with ears and a high-speed internet connection will tell you, the reason for this is because Minaj — who is, for heaven’s sake, a rapper — is barely rapping on Pink Friday. Instead, she’s using Auto-Tune (and God knows what else) to sing some fairly mushy love songs over cutesy, retro samples. So, what happened? Looks like someone figured out Nicki Minaj is female. It was all well and good for Minaj to put out mixtapes for a small scene, and to lend hard, fast rhymes to her male buddies’ songs. But to put out a solo album as a female rapper? That’s something else altogether. Think about it: How many superstar lady rappers are out there today? Don’t say Missy Elliott — her long-awaited, supposedly forthcoming album has been delayed for years. Lil Mama is a novelty act who hasn’t done much for us since “Lip Gloss.” Lil Kim and Foxy Brown haven’t accomplished much since the ’90s. And, outside the indie-sphere (and, apparently, The New York Times), M.I.A. isn’t nearly as big a star as Yeezy or Weezy. These days, when things look even worse for female rappers than they did 15 years ago, the ladies who hang with Kanye, Drake, and Jay-Z are pop/R&B stars: Rihanna, Alicia Keyes, and, of course, Beyoncé. They may occasionally flirt with rapping, but for the most part, they sing — and they’re good at it. Nicki Minaj is not particularly good at it. On “Right Through Me,” she does some breathy sing-crying, bolstered by the force of a million heavy-handed synths. She intones, “This is my moment, I just feel so alive,” sounding practically dead, on “This Moment 4 Life” before turning rapping duties over to Drake. With its cheesy Celine Dion-style piano intro, “Dear Old Nicki” transforms her into a pitiable groupie. Then there’s the hit single “Your Love,” which, for all its stolen catchiness, sounds like it was sung by an Auto-Tuned cyborg — and not in the good, “Love Lockdown” way. Sure, Minaj gets in a few good rap verses: for instance, listen to her throw down at the beginning of “Blazin’” and think about how wonderful it would be to have a whole album like that. There’s no way of knowing why Pink Friday turned out the way it did, but it seems likely this was a business decision, not an artistic one. The received wisdom is, and has long been, that men are the primary audience for hip hop and aren’t interested in buying records from strong women. Whether Minaj made the choice to go pop herself or under pressure from industry folks, Pink Friday is a sad reminder of how hard it is for talented women (who are already famous!) to put out great hip-hop albums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Baby Posted November 19, 2010 Author Share Posted November 19, 2010 Nicki Minaj walked into a situation that has been brewing for years: the problem with femcees. And with talent that vacillates from tepid to genius as fast and disjointed as some of her raps, she has managed to position herself at the forefront of a mainstream party of one. She has embraced that role completely and with all those lights shining, ears listening and eyes watching, she will drop Pink Friday. If you were expecting her to prove the naysayers wrong and spin Hip-Hop on its axis, your Christmas isn’t going to be too merry. Minaj has worked the schizo shtick well. She’s Sybil meets Lil Kim meets Betty Boop in a game of what character am I going to be today. There is the sweet-voiced seductress who gives money to the babies in Haiti that seamlessly morphs in the ranting, raging rap wack job that eats your brains and then rocks gold teeth and fangs. Unfortunately, Nicki left the “Monster” caged for most of Pink Friday. Instead she is primarily a pop maven who meanders into rap territory spitting glitter-tinged verses over repetitive and plastic-like-Barbie production. She introduces herself, runs through her brief career and her lonely at the top jet-setting existence in “I’m the Best.” The lyrics sit atop some bumble bee synth and digital strings that follow a generic pop blueprint, complete with snare to add a little splash of Hip-Hop. The pop fest gets the boot when “Romans Revenge” pops up. Its sure and steady strings, monotonous almost, throw the attention completely to the cut throat lyrics. Nicki does her best to conjure the insanity with her spectrum spanning, off kilter delivery and tosses stone after stone at Kimberly Jones, but she gets mugged on her own track by an amazing and amazingly harsh verse from Eminem. “Do It On’em” is in for shock value only. Nicki what if’s about having a dick and pissing and shitting all over her haters when she isn’t eating some lucky gals puddy. Minaj’s delivery is covered in a type of stoicism that she hasn’t mastered yet and she ends up with more track than words. The slow drag over the metronome-like cow bell and drunken warning sirens that compose the foundation makes the song dull. “Save Me” with its heart monitor driven track projects Nicki’s despondency and a need for intervention, but Nicki seems fine. Its the song that clearly needs saving. Next is “Moment 4 Life” a serviceable track that finds Minaj and Drake savoring their careers as Duke and Duchess of Young Money. However, the royal duo couldn’t churn out anything special and okay isn’t good enough from the hottest pair in the game. Will.i.am shows up to offer both his producer and feature rapper guy styles on “Check It Out,” the Buggles inspired joint that sounds like it could have easily been removed from BEP’s last album. It’s cute, quirky and underwhelming. I know I’ve listened to “Fly” with Rihanna several times. I still don’t remember it. Simple Minds’ “Don’t You Forget about Me” is sampled for the Kanye-assisted “Blazin.” It invokes the 80’s without the corniness and Nicki big ups herself into next week with a tight and amusing delivery that incorporates some Drake punch lines and a little Mitch Green/Jigga/Young Chris whisper flow along with about 50 other styles. Kanye’s playful conceit wins this round, with his word play coming in a close second. “Here I Am” is an interesting juxtaposition of Hip-Hop and pop as they are both built into the track, but Minaj drops the ball with breaks long enough to make you forget she was rapping and a rap tedious enough to make that memory lapse plausible. The “Bitch” inspired verse at the end is lifeless. The loss of Nicki’s hardcore and the birth of her soft serve is addressed in “Dear Old Nicki” suggesting she is aware of a problem with her reinvention. It’s the most thoughtful of her material. “Last Chance” with Natasha Bedingfield is a radio offering in a field of similar tunes and a lack luster ending to an album peppered with tedium. Pink Friday’s issue is simple. The fractured personality of Minaj’s artistry has crafted two separate audiences who were both addressed with this album. The tilt is towards the tinkerbell and purple pen carrying contingent with the Hip-Hop heads being tossed some muted tracks. Minaj tried, but unlike Jigga when she came to the fork in the road she couldn’t walk straight and both audiences will lose a little in return. So no, Hip-Hop will not spin on its axis, Hard Core will not be over taken and Nicki’s personality disorder will not act as her defining characteristic. On the contrary, it’s Pink Friday’s Achilles heel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotboy06 Posted November 19, 2010 Share Posted November 19, 2010 Kim would never.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Baby Posted November 19, 2010 Author Share Posted November 19, 2010 Kim would never.. It does sound good to me either. I think they bigged her up too much, and the album doesn't match the hype. I hear the Black Eyed Peas new song makes "Check it out" irrelevant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xtraordinary Xternal Posted November 19, 2010 Share Posted November 19, 2010 This is the perfect setup for eve and kim... missy come on out bitch... Nicki brought attention to female rap again so her job is done to me. I knew she wouldn't live up to the hype... and may the homosexuals that support her gag Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotboy06 Posted November 19, 2010 Share Posted November 19, 2010 This is the perfect setup for eve and kim... missy come on out bitch... Nicki brought attention to female rap again so her job is done to me.I knew she wouldn't live up to the hype... and may the homosexuals that support her gag I'm very thankful for that..but bitch, your album sucks more than Kim did dicks.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xtraordinary Xternal Posted November 19, 2010 Share Posted November 19, 2010 I'm very thankful for that..but bitch, your album sucks more than Kim did dicks.. If kim was smart she would hire a good ghost writer and ether that bitch I have to laugh at the kim sucking dick thing.. I remember when I was younger they started that rumor she had to get her stomach pumped because she was full of cum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotboy06 Posted November 19, 2010 Share Posted November 19, 2010 If kim was smart she would hire a good ghost writer and ether that bitch I have to laugh at the kim sucking dick thing.. I remember when I was younger they started that rumor she had to get her stomach pumped because she was full of cum Well I'm waiting for another Kim album..I mean, she isn't doing anything but just wasting time..Although her older material is classic, she still needs to release new material to say she still has it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xtraordinary Xternal Posted November 19, 2010 Share Posted November 19, 2010 Well I'm waiting for another Kim album..I mean, she isn't doing anything but just wasting time..Although her older material is classic, she still needs to release new material to say she still has it. I don't know why everyone stalling... Missy and Eve should have been out already.... Missy should come out in Jan Eve in feb and Kim in the summer... foxxy too busy throwing blackberries at people and shit to give a damn about an album so.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotboy06 Posted November 19, 2010 Share Posted November 19, 2010 I don't know why everyone stalling... Missy and Eve should have been out already.... Missy should come out in Jan Eve in feb and Kim in the summer... foxxy too busy throwing blackberries at people and shit to give a damn about an album so.... I have given up on Missy. It's been since 2005 for both Missy and Kim's albums..and I thought Eve said she was releasing this fall.. I guess she's gonna have to drum up some interest..And I don't care for Foxy like I used to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xtraordinary Xternal Posted November 19, 2010 Share Posted November 19, 2010 I have given up on Missy. It's been since 2005 for both Missy and Kim's albums..and I thought Eve said she was releasing this fall.. I guess she's gonna have to drum up some interest..And I don't care for Foxy like I used to. Foxxy looks like her pussy stinks... so im over her... Wow its been that long for missy? I think kim has legal issues with her record label? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotboy06 Posted November 19, 2010 Share Posted November 19, 2010 Foxxy looks like her pussy stinks... so im over her... Wow its been that long for missy? I think kim has legal issues with her record label? It probably does. Yes..but at least she's writing music and producing behind the scenes..but it would be cool to get another album. I enjoyed "The Cookbook".. I don't know of any legal issues with Kim..but if she doesn't release another album, I will turn on her.. *listens to Hardcore* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ Y2K Malone™ Posted November 19, 2010 Share Posted November 19, 2010 well i guess that's the end of Nicki Minaj Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SianGracious Posted November 19, 2010 Share Posted November 19, 2010 Kim would never.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Wonder Posted November 19, 2010 Share Posted November 19, 2010 This is the perfect setup for eve and kim... missy come on out bitch... Nicki brought attention to female rap again so her job is done to me. I knew she wouldn't live up to the hype... and may the homosexuals that support her gag We don't ever see eye-to-eye, but this post right here in spot on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Baby Posted November 19, 2010 Author Share Posted November 19, 2010 Kim should be sdropping mixtapes or something then. She should have been had an album out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotboy06 Posted November 19, 2010 Share Posted November 19, 2010 Kim should be sdropping mixtapes or something then. She should have been had an album out. Exactly. She's bullshitting around but I still love her. I WILL turn on her if there isn't an album out by next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Baby Posted November 19, 2010 Author Share Posted November 19, 2010 Exactly. She's bullshitting around but I still love her. I WILL turn on her if there isn't an album out by next year. She doing $20.00 shows at clubs and stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock & Roll Hall of Game Posted November 19, 2010 Share Posted November 19, 2010 her album leaked... idk if i'm late or not but i have it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ Y2K Malone™ Posted November 19, 2010 Share Posted November 19, 2010 her album leaked... idk if i'm late or not but i have it i will send it to you in a message Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Baby Posted November 19, 2010 Author Share Posted November 19, 2010 i will send it to you in a message me too. me too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotboy06 Posted November 19, 2010 Share Posted November 19, 2010 She doing $20.00 shows at clubs and stuff. Well she gotta make some money somehow.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ Y2K Malone™ Posted November 19, 2010 Share Posted November 19, 2010 me too. me too. sent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock & Roll Hall of Game Posted November 19, 2010 Share Posted November 19, 2010 i will send it to you in a message i have it.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henrietta. Posted November 20, 2010 Share Posted November 20, 2010 They spoke nothing but the truth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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