Nicki Minaj | Pink Friday

I recently listened to Nicki Minaj's debut album, "Pink Friday" and though I didn't think any of the tracks had any real staying power, I still don't think it was a bad listen. I saw a lot of reviews before listening to it that really smashed the record and said it wasn't good at all. I'd be lying if I said I didn't go into it with just a little bias.

Well, here's my review of the Young Money femcee's first project.

"I'm The Best"| Nicki Minaj is feeling her steez and I think everything is good here minus the hook. The problem I have with "I'm The Best" is that she couples bragging/flaunting about her lifestyle with doing it for the girls. Huh? It doesn't work. If you're doing it for the girls, then you need to talk more about issues girls face, or saying how you're doing for the girls. You rapping is not simply "doing it for the girls".

"Roman's Revenge"| Nicki Minaj does her best to take shots at her arch nemesis Lil' Kim, who fired back with Black Friday. Minaj sets out to make punchline after punchline about the Lil' Kim and does a good job putting a dent in Kim's ego in some sense. The only issue she brings along Eminem who totally negates her rhymes and energy. His rhymes/voice/ energy trumpall things Nicki Minaj unfortunately. Let me add that the majority of this track is trash. The production is awful and there is no real hook.

"Did It On Em"| "Did It On Em" The best thing about the song is the tv disses going on in the background. Nicki Minaj may have gotten Bangladesh's worst beat and didn't do anything with it anyway. #failed You DID NOT "do it on em" Nicki Minaj. I feel the swag of this song coming back to it to listen later though. It has potential. This might be a song that can grow on you.

"Right Thru Me"| This track is actually not half bad. I'd even go as far as to say I like it. This was one of the singles from the album that had an accompanying video, and I really appreciated the video because it showed another side of Nicki that I grew to love. This side of Nicki was the more feminine Nicki, rather than the one often toying with the sexual innuendo of being lesbian.

See what I mean:

"Fly" (ft @Rihanna)| Nicki Minaj excels when she lets other people do the singing. This is a good song. In"Fly" (ft @Rihanna) Nicki Minaj excels when she lets other people do the singing. This is a good song.

"Save Me"| Not a bad record actually. Still not convinced @nickiminaj is a singer though. I don't understand why she brought on actual singers to help her with this album. Thinking about this album from a performance standpoint, it will be intriguing to the least to see how Nicki chooses to perform the tracks from her record. I could see this track being used in a movie though. Preferably one of my films actually.

Moment for Life (feat Drake)| For me the execution of this track didn't work. The message of the song is cool, but it doesn't sound like an inspirational song, it sounds like a ballad. If you "feel so alive" you'd think it would sound a little more energetic than the way Nicki sings it. I can't believe the message of the song with the bad singing. And Drake's verse brings nothing to this track either. Drake's verse is mediocre, Nicki's singing is okay, but they are bopping on Young Money too much in this song. It feels like a sad song. This "Moment For Life" track goes on too long with bad singing. Nicki Minaj you are not a singer, remember? Other than that, the production is good.

Check It Out" (ft Will.I.Am)| This song embodies POP music. Nicki is assisted by Will.I.Am to crossover."Check It Out" is good for Nicki Minaj because it can relate to her younger fans too. But it is OVERLY pop. Like SUPER pop. Annoying POP.

Blazin' (feat Kanye West)| This song serves as a problem for me because I cannot take her seriously with her flaunting all these punch lines. Kanye West doesn't deliver here either in "Blazin". He rambles on a lot about nothing. He is out of his element obviously. Nicki Minaj doesn't have a message in this song, "Blazin'", she is just out to prove that she can make punch lines. I feel like this song has pop elements to it and Nicki Minaj is trying to bottle them up in hip hop and that is making it excruciating to listen to at some points.

"Here I Am"| Probably the best cut that's NOT a radio single. Solid track. An unexpected side of Nicki. Sounds like this beat was made for Cassidy. I would have been interested to see what he could have done with it.

"Dear Old Nicki"| Nicki has a conversation with her old self and I can dig it. Not bad inflection.

"Your Love"| This is the single. It definitely is a good precursor to what is to come from the rest of the album. Not really rap as much it is a pop record. Again, Nicki singing. This too has an accompanying video that unlike "Right Thru Me" doesn't do much for the song.

See what I mean:

"Last Chance ft Natasha Bedingfield"| First of all, you gotta love Natasha Bedingfield, she owns this track."Last Chance" is NOT hip hop at all. I feel like Nicki Minaj delivers very little. But the Natasha Bedingfield Nicki Minaj collab isn't bad. To fairly critique, "Last Chance" you have to look at it as a pop/crossover record than a hip hop record. From a pop standpoint it works.

"Super Bass" (feat Esther Dean)| A lot of onomatopoeias here and the idea behind this song is Nicki Minaj trying to sway a guy and her heart is beating like a bass system... hmmm.. Interesting. However, the song is again, a bit on the pop side. It is made for the black girl that enjoys pop (as much of this album is). Not a fan, but I get the idea.

"Blow Your Mind"| This track was a total waste of time. Listening to and making. Thanks for nothing Nicki. I can find nothing good about this record and believe me I'm trying. Maybe and I say may BE a good club record.... if you're like really drunk. Or on ecstasy.

"Muny"| Annoying. NEXT! If you can survive this hook, I give you a lot of credit. I was one step away from pulling the trigger, and the gun was in mouth. The skits are manageable.

"Girls Fall Like Dominoes"| Cool. Nicki likes girls. We can get along then. I like this song to an extent. I don't know exactly who is on the hook, but it works on this track. This song is a bonus song, but should have definitely been replaced by "Muny" or "Blow Your Mind" on this album.

In essence, nothing wow'ed me about Nicki Minaj music and the tracks didn't have staying power, but it wasn't too bad a listen. Yes, Nicki Minaj still needs work, but overall, the music wasn't too bad. I went into it expecting far worse than I heard. Overall, Nicki Minaj's "Pink Friday" was NOT as bad as some of the reviews stated it was. It was actually better than expected. I think Nicki Minaj is here to stay. She showed that she is more than she puts on in her shows and mix tapes. Though Nicki Minaj is a emcee, it is evident that she is very much a fan of pop and that is her major influence.