Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
My Review Of 'Pink Friday'
Okay, so we've all heard the album, and we all love it, right?! Well, here's what I think about Nicki's debut. Feel free to share you opinions in the comments.
1. I'm The Best
Nicki introduces us to the album with this cocky little number. This is a great, upbeat start. "What the fuck they goin' say?" She really is the best. ♥♥♥♥
2. Roman's Revenge (f Eminem)
What can I say about this track that Nicki doesn't say herself? It's so great to hear her take swipes back at her public enemy number one, Lil Kim. Nicki goes hard, rahh rahh, like a dungeon dragon. Eminem brings the heat with his super fast verses and clever puns ("I swear to God, I'll piss a Happy Meal off"), although he may have crossed the line using the word "faggot" on the record of such a gay-friendly artist. ♥♥♥♥♥
3. Did It On 'Em
Hood Nicki is alive on this track and want you to know you're da dun dun. Nicki skillfully crafts pun after pun in the album's most boastful track. SB provides his Nicki hype in the background, and the simple, head nodding beat rides perfectly behind Nicki's number twos in the air. "You used to hair now you're gone, Nair." ♥♥♥♥♥
4. Right Thru Me
Nicki's latest single is a bittersweet ballad about a rocky relationship that is worth saving in the end. This is the first song where fans heard Nicki speak on her experience in love. ♥♥♥♥
5. Fly (f Rihanna)
This one has single potential, with a catchy, beautifully sang hook and good message. Nicki will rise above the challenges that face her. She came to win, to fight, to conquer, to thrive. These two divas certainly make a dynamic duo. ♥♥♥♥♥
6. Save Me
This song has no rapping. Instead, Nicki sings about driving for miles to get to the man she loves and crying on his shoulder. She has lost herself and this time, she needs to be saved. I absolutely love the drum and bass beat that kicks in from time to time on this track. This is unlike and song I've ever heard, especially by Nicki, who calls this her most personal song yet. ♥♥♥♥♥
7. Moment 4 Life (f Drake)
Nicki speaks here about her moment in the spotlight finally arriving. She's put in years of work to get here, and she's so happy to finally be dropping this album and being at the top of her game. Drake joins in, and he can relate since he is the hottest new male rapper out, as well. ♥♥♥♥♥
8. Check it Out (f Will.I.Am)
I'm a fan of the song sampled here, "Video Killed The Radio Star" so this was a fun way to revolutionize the song for this decade. The music has Will.I.Am written all over it, and once you hear the song, you wonder why they didn't work together sooner. These eccentric emcees mesh very well together, and this party song will have you moving. ♥♥♥♥
9. Blazin' (f Kanye West)
Nicki called this the album's most important verse after recording it. She has proven a lot of haters wrong with her success and she's none too modest about it now. "Your game over, bitch, Gaterade, wet towel". Kanye puts in work here, too, and together, its feels like you're blazin'. ♥♥♥♥♥
10. Here I Am
This song addresses the media and the critics who've taken shots at Nicki over the years. She may not be what you thought she would be, or what you want her to be, but here she is. And she can only do Nicki. The vocals in the song are crazy and Swizz really brings his A game on the beat. I think Nicki's made her point with the release of this top notch debut. ♥♥♥♥♥
11. Dear Old Nicki
This is a letter to the Nicki of a few years ago, before Nicki got signed to Young Money. Fans often compare the Nicki they see before them to the person she was a few years ago. Nicki has grown, changed, and evolved. She misses the old days as much as the Barbz, but is also excited about the new directions her life id taking. As long as the old Nicki doesn't disappear forever. I'm not a huge fan of the beat on this one, though. ♥♥♥
12. Your Love
This song was pre-Pink Friday and was added by popular demand. This a good, fun love song but it doesn't really represent the Nicki we see before us today. It's a little slice of Old Nicki, right here on the next track. ♥♥♥♥
13. Last Chance (f Natasha Bedingfield)
Another song with pop radio potential, "Last Chance" talks about seizing opportunity. I'm ready to shoot, one bullet in the gun. Natasha doesn't have a lot of notoriety in the states, but the girls sound great together. ♥♥♥♥♥
I'll update tomorrow with my review of the bonus tracks.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
'Pink Friday' Out Now!
Congratulations to Nicki Minaj, as her debut album just hit iTunes! Download it by clicking the pic above and pick it up from Best Buy for more exclusive tracks.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Preview: 'Nicki Minaj: My Time Now'
Rap-Up.com got a peek at Nicki's upcoming documentary with MTV and posted this today:
Nicki Minaj’s Barbz will have to wait until November 28 to watch her MTV documentary “Nicki Minaj: My Time Now,” however, Rap-Up.com scored a front row seat to view several segments of the hour-long production in advance.
Produced by Radical Media and executive produced by MTV’s Dave Sirulnick, the doc provides an intimate look at the person behind the pink lipstick and elaborate wigs. “‘My Time Now’ really allows viewers to see part of [Nicki's] world that she hasn’t given people access to,” Sirulnick reveals inside a conference room at MTV’s headquarters in New York City.
The feature presentation showcases the Queens rapper traveling to her native Trinidad, which she hasn’t visited since the death of her grandmother seven years ago. Hugging cousins upon her arrival, the 25-year-old star lets down her guard. “I don’t want to act like Nicki in front of you guys,” she says, before cameras catch her purchasing $12,000 worth of merchandise for the family she’s just reunited with.
“Everything in Trinidad reminds me of family that’s no longer here,” Nicki tells director Michael John Warren during an intimate sit-down. After Warren asks the solemn-faced artist if her deceased grandmother would be proud of all she’s accomplished, the unthinkable happens: Nicki Minaj cries. But not for long. As tears stream down her face, the rapper quickly reaches for a pink mirror to look into, and hide behind, to prevent her mascara from running.
The production moves forward as the Pink Friday creator admits her father fell victim to crack and stole from the family, including the video games her younger brother owned. On the other hand, she praises her mother, a woman who “kept us together even when she was embarrassed.” As a sign of appreciation, Nicki signs the dotted line on a stack of papers and hands over the keys to a new home to her mother.
Fans of the Young Money collective may question why the entire team is absent from the doc, but Warren felt the extra additions weren’t necessary. “Nicki was like, ‘Why aren’t you bringing anyone else into [the documentary]?’” he states. “I only bring people in when I feel like the artist hasn’t given me enough. She gave me so much material to work with.”
Before the 20-minute preview ends, the animated lyricist explains exactly where her alter-ego Roman Zolanski comes from (“Roman is a crazy boy who lives in me. He was born out of rage. People have conjured him up. Now he won’t leave”), erupts into a rant after another artist seemingly acts lackadaisical in returning a favor (“When men are assertive, they’re bossed up. When I’m assertive, I’m a bitch. You have to be a beast to get respect”), and discloses the real reason behind her crazy smile (“My happiness comes from seeing life without struggle”).
Nicki Minaj: My Time Now airs Sunday, November 28, at 10 p.m. on MTV.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Nicki On Hot 97 With Angie Martinez
Click Here to listen to Nicki's chat with Angie, where she actually addresses her "beef" with Lil Kim.
Video: Nicki At A Chicago Club
Check out some professional footage from one of Nicki's latest album release partoes on Chi-city.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Video: "My Time Now" Trailer
Take a peek at Nicki's MTV documentary My Time Now, airing November 28th at 10pm
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Nicki To Present At AMAs
Nicki will be presenting an award for her first appearance on this Sunday's American Music Awards.
Pink Friday Diaries: "Here I Am"
Here I am is the 2nd song I recorded for the album. It was originally going to be called "Letter to the Media". I felt there were things I needed to get off my chest. I changed it because after listening over and over, it sounded as tho it could apply to an intimate relationship as well. It's funny... this song is probably the last song people would expect to here from me but it has to be in my top 3 faves on the album. I'd listen to this song for hours on the plane or at home and pray for the day when I'd truly feel accepted. For me. Not for who everyone thinks I am. Not for who people want me to be. But for me. Here I am. Hate it or love it. Here I am. I've given all I had to give. I fought. I failed. I won. I cried. I laughed. I screamed. I'm ready. Not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. But Here I Am. Preorder Pink Friday on iTunes now.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Pink Friday Diaries: "Blazin'"
Blazin: On Blazin I worked with Music and Fashion Icon Kanye West. His verse is absolutely amazing. The song makes u feel like ur flying to another realm. It takes over your mind for 5 minutes and forces u to get lost in a melodic, whimsical world. It feels like I'm blazin. Preorder Pink Friday on iTunes.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Pink Friday Diaries: "Moment 4 Life"
Moment 4 Life: is about 2 kids that grew up on the same block. They shared their dreams of making it as rappers. They laughed together, they cried together. One day they realize that their dreams have come to fruition. Though they know all things come to an end, they celebrate. They wish that they... could have this moment 4 LIFE. Preorder Pink Friday on iTunes.
Oh yeah barbz, Moment 4 Life features Drake! I was really looking forward to our collaboration and it lived up to every one of my expectations. It feels like a marriage made in heaven ;)
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Pink Friday Diaries: "Save Me"
Save Me: This song feels like a soundtrack to a movie. It paints a vivid picture of a girl who has it all but still feels very much alone. She's turned into a monster and pushed the one person who truly loved her away. She drives hundreds of miles, falls to her face sobbing, and begs him to save her. Preorder Pink Friday on iTunes now.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Nicki In Billboard Magazine
But three years ago, Minaj, born Onika Maraj and raised in Jamaica, Queens, was just another tough, street-wise, potty-mouthed chick who couldn't keep a job.
"The last job I had was as an office manager in a little, tiny room where I literally wanted to strangle this guy because he was so loud and obnoxious," Minaj recalls. "I would go home with stress pains in my neck and my back. That's when I went to my mother and said, 'Look, I'm not going back to work.' I'd been fired like 15 times because I had a horrible attitude. I worked at Red Lobster before that and I chased a customer out of the restaurant once so I could stick my middle finger up at her and demand that she give me my pen back. I swear to God I was bad."
Thankfully, Minaj has found a much more productive way to channel her fury. After being discovered by rapper Lil Wayne a couple of years ago off the strength of a street DVD appearance and becoming the first lady of his Young Money crew, Minaj has become one of rap's most attention-grabbing MCs and this decade's Queen Bee.
Universal Motown president Sylvia Rhone marvels at Minaj's mic skills, noting that she has "proved that she can go toe-to-toe with today's top male rappers." The buzz began last year when she appeared on Robin Thicke's "Shakin' It 4 Daddy." Even Jay-Z took notice, making a suggestion for her verse. "I had never met Jay at that point," Minaj says, "but he told Robin Thicke that if I did the song I should say, 'I be, I be, I be, I be, I be on that money shit.' So I took that line and just ran with it."
Ludacris' platinum-certified "My Chick Bad" single and the Young Money hit "Bedrock" further boosted Minaj's credibility. Then there was Usher's "Lil Freak" and Trey Songz' "Bottoms Up," which showcased her range as she masterfully reconfigured her raps to fit the R&B-driven and club-heavy songs, respectively.
But it was last month, when Kanye West released "Monster," a new song featuring Minaj, Jay-Z, Rick Ross and Bon Iver, that skeptics-mostly male-finally recognized she was more than a hip-hop Jessica Rabbit. "Can we just talk about Nicki's verse????????!!!!!!!!! I toooooooooooooooold yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallll!!!!!!!!!!!" tweeted West, who, just weeks before, had dubbed Minaj the "scariest artist out right now" with the "potential to be the No. 2 rapper of all time" after Eminem.
"When I do songs like 'Monster,' when I'm on a record with Jay-Z and Kanye West, when I'm on a record with Wayne and Em -- I definitely think the dudes give me respect," Minaj says. "They haven't come easy but I think people are starting to give me more props."
To seal the deal, Minaj leaked the single "Roman's Revenge" a couple of weeks ago, which served as the official introduction of her most belligerent persona, Roman Zolanski. On it, although Minaj claims not to be directing rhymes at her, it seems the rapper takes aim at Lil Kim, who's targeted Minaj in recent rants for not paying sufficient homage to the female rappers who have come before her.
"'Nicki she just mad 'cause you took the spot,' word, that bitch mad cause I took the spot? Well, bitch, if you ain't shitting then get off the pot/Got some niggas out in Brooklyn that'll off your top," Minaj raps on the track.
"'Roman's Revenge' is where I've become a different human being," Minaj says. "I didn't give a damn who I offended, whose feelings I hurt -- this needed to be said, and it cracks me up when I listen to it. I'm a maniac on that track. I knew true hip-hop fans would love this."
Minaj credits mentor Lil Wayne for sparking that fire in her. After she dropped out of the second leg of Wayne's 2009 I Am Music tour, he kicked her out the crew -- a turn of events that wasn't made public. "I started to record by myself and I lost track of what I was doing and who I wanted to be," she says. "It wasn't until I linked back up with Wayne that he gave me this speech. He said, 'What happened? You were hot,' and it just hurt me so much. I wanted to prove to him that I was still hot. It hurt my ego so bad that I went back with a vengeance."
Surprisingly, Minaj's solo attempts haven't been quite as ferocious as her guest features have. Although first official single "Your Love" reached No. 4 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, the track wasn't even meant to be released. "I didn't like the song and I didn't put it out," she says. "Someone stole it out of the studio and put it on the Internet and I cried because I was mortified. I was humiliated and remember telling Drake, 'This is going to ruin my career.' "
That track followed the now unofficial lead single, "Massive Attack," which Minaj says she pretends doesn't exist to avoid feeling further embarrassment. The track charted but fell off soon after and was, according to Minaj, one of the low points of her career.
However, follow-up singles "Check It Out," which peaked at No. 14 on the Rap chart, and "Right Thru Me," topping out at No. 24 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, were well-received but not like "Your Love." But then in comes "Roman's Revenge," No. 56 on the Hot 100, and, as Minaj anticipated, a fan favorite.
"She has done well [on radio]," WQHT (Hot 97) New York VP of programming Ebro Darden says. "'Your Love' was huge, 'Right Thru Me' is growing, and it seems like 'Roman's Revenge' has people interested as well. She developed a following long before she had music on radio."
Lil Wayne, who was recently released from jail, says he's "not shocked at all" about Minaj's success. "Both Drake and Nicki Minaj are both born stars," he says. "I am just blessed to have them on the team."
Cash Money president Bryan "Birdman" Williams isn't surprised either, stating that Minaj has the right team -- including new managers Sean "Diddy" Combs and James Cruz -- to help her reach the top. "If she looks at us and our accomplishments, we've laid out the blueprint for her to accomplish a lot," he says. "She stands on her own with her talent, but a strong team is what makes or breaks an artist."
Now that Minaj has laid the groundwork, Universal Motown VP of marketing Katina Bynum says the label can begin rolling out a structured marketing plan for "Pink Friday." iTunes has a preorder promotion that instantly gives buyers a copy of "Roman's Revenge" upon purchase. MySpace will host a contest where selected winners will get a one-on-one experience with Minaj. "Maybe a shopping spree or meeting her backstage at a show," Bynum says.
"There will also be a release-week event -- either a performance or an album release party in New York or Los Angeles."
Minaj is set to do an AOL Sessions performance and a "24 Hours With Nicki" webisode series will air as well. Yahoo is shooting exclusive footage for a "New Now" episode and an in-studio video performance and interview. "As we go forward, we're talking about a partnership with Foursquare for a performance and maybe a Nicki look-alike contest to take place simultaneously in different cities," Bynum says.
Currently, there's a flyaway radio contest and a $1,000 shopping spree competition going on across the country. A tour is also in the works for next year. And while details are scant about her future ventures, Minaj is working with MAC makeup to start her own line, hopes to get into acting and wants to start a children's charity. She also plans to further develop her live show, working with choreographer Laurie Ann Gibson and a voice coach.
But for now, Minaj is fine-tuning the final details of "Pink Friday" and continuing to cement her status as the baddest bitch in the building-even if it means summoning the angry girl from a couple of years ago.
"I push people around me but I don't push anyone more than I push myself," she says. "I tell people all the time, 'You want to work for me? You have to give 250,000%,' because when I'm in the booth, I don't half-ass it. I demand perfection from everyone around me and if you can't live up to that, then bye-bye."
Pink Friday Diaries: "Fly"
FLY is one of my absolute faves. I wanted to work with Rihanna for a long time. I'm very proud of her accomplishments; especially since she was born on an island like me :). This song is a female empowerment song. But then again, it's not specific to just women. It speaks about flying, soaring high in the face of ...every single solitary adversity that comes your way. I speak about how the media has attempted to box me in and how that has made me feel suffocated. After years of being dragged thru the mud, I've mustered up the courage to re-define myself. I believe that I represent an entire generation. My fans have become my family; and together we have become a movement. Get ready for it. We came to win. Pink Friday - iTunes Preorder Available Now.
Video: "Check It Out" UK Version
Peep the UK version of the video featuring Cheryl Cole. I think it looks cheesy and sounds cheesy as hell since they added her in in post. But here it is, so check it out.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Photo: A Peek At The 'Pink Friday' Shoot?
Rap-Up just posted this pic, saying it's part of HB's album art for Pink Friday!
Pink Friday Diaries: "Did It On 'Em"
"Did it on'em": This track follows Roman's Revenge on the album and is a ball of cocky arrogant diva bitchy insanity! Sometimes u just wanna "SHIT on'em" lol. This arrogance comes only when u mix the cute ghetto girl with the queen of England. Lol. Preorder Pink Friday on iTunes.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Pink Friday Diaries: "I'm The Best"
Nicki is taking some time out just for her Facebook fans to give us some insider info on each track of the album. She'll be talking about a track per day, starting at the top.
"I'm The Best" is the intro to my album. It chronicles my journey from underground rapper to border-line mainstream artist. It speaks about the doubters in my life and it speaks about overcoming every challenge I was ever faced with. It's a toast to the girls who've gone hard. Who've been told they'd never make it. It's also the only song where I speak about my family and childhood. Though hard to speak about at times, it's necessary for my healing process. #itsPinkFridayHoe ;) Preorder now on iTunes.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Photos: Black Men's SSX Tribute Magazine
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