{"id":32503,"date":"2023-12-10T00:41:34","date_gmt":"2023-12-10T00:41:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shows4.com\/?p=32503"},"modified":"2024-03-25T12:22:07","modified_gmt":"2024-03-25T12:22:07","slug":"nicki-minaj-review-pink-friday-2-queen-of-rap-rests-on-her-laurels-instead-of-proving-why-she-still-deserves-the-crown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shows4.com\/?p=32503","title":{"rendered":"Nicki Minaj review, Pink Friday 2: Queen of rap rests on her laurels instead of proving why she still deserves the crown"},"content":{"rendered":"
Nicki Minaj has never been afraid to speak her mind, but in the five years since her last studio album Queen, the pop-rap diva\u2019s penchant for controversy \u2013 including her now-infamous claim that the Covid-19 vaccine might impact male fertility \u2013 has frequently overshadowed her actual music. Pink Friday 2, a sequel in name to her 2010 studio debut, in many ways suggests that Nicki is going back to basics. But more often than not, the album sounds like a queen resting on her laurels rather than proving why she still deserves the crown. A decade ago, Nicki was largely an island unto herself in a male-dominated rap game; the success of rappers like Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion has opened the gates for a flood of female voices like never before, many of whom owe an obvious debt to Nicki. But without the novelty of being the only major female talent in town, she seems to be struggling to redefine herself: her recent collaborations with younger artists like Ice Spice and Sexyy Red can feel more like clout-chasing than genuine mentorship from one generation to the next.<\/p>\n

On Pink Friday 2, Nicki finds her identity in motherhood: not just as Mother to her creative descendants or ravenous stans, but as a literal mother to the son she gave birth to in 2020. The first sound we hear, on opener \u201cAre You Gone Already\u201d, is Nicki playing with her child, and the track radiates a newfound level of introspection that\u2019s come with bringing a life into the world. In the most unexpectedly profound moments of Pink Friday 2, like the outright gospel banger \u201cBlessings\u201d, Nicki slows down and looks inward. Notably, she more overtly embraces her Caribbean roots on the Drake-featuring tropical house bop \u201cNeedle\u201d and the straight-up dancehall of \u201cForward From Trini\u201d. But Nicki is always ready to go on the attack, and such glimpses behind her armour are fleeting. Just in case you thought she\u2019d gone soft, she immediately reminds you how hard she can go, riffing on the relentless flows of Biggie and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony\u2019s \u201cNotorious Thugs\u201d on \u201cBarbie Dangerous\u201d. There\u2019s still a frisky dexterity to her delivery, as she shifts the pitch of her voice and slides in and out of patois. Nicki can still rap faster than almost anyone, regardless of gender. Beneath the fake English accents and bratty delivery, there\u2019s a playfulness to how she writes her verses; on the club-ready \u201cEverybody\u201d, she duets with a sample of Junior Senior\u2019s \u201cMove Your Feet\u201d using the sampled word \u201cbody\u201d to end each of her bars.<\/p>\n

While some moments of interpolation are more inspired, like the distorted strains of Blondie\u2019s \u201cHeart of Glass\u201d on \u201cMy Life\u201d, Nicki\u2019s increasing reliance on recognisable samples can start to feel like cruise control. Aside from the obvious Rick James flip on single \u201cSuper Freaky Girl\u201d, there\u2019s also \u201cPink Friday Girls\u201d, which adds relatively little to Cyndi Lauper\u2019s anthemic \u201cGirls Just Want To Have Fun\u201d.\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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