CALLING ALL BARBS!
This week for my passion blog I will be ranking songs from Nicki Minaj’s 2014 album entitled The Pinkprint. This album has some fun upbeat jams as well as some more mellow and heartfelt songs. I have been a Nicki Minaj enthusiast ever since 3rd grade when we used Minaj’s song “Starships” as our jazz warm-up song at jazz dance class.
Nicki Minaj is the queen of rap and has managed to stay relevant in the rap music industry for over ten years. Some of Minaj’s songs have more suggestive connotations — as do most rap songs in this era — yet she also has numerous songs that showcase her feelings. Regardless of the song’s topic, Minaj never fails to amaze fans with her lyrical creativity.
In this post, I will be counting down my personal top 5 favorite songs from her album: The Pinkprint, considering both the songs’ overall success and my personal enjoyment of the song.
5. “Truffle Butter” featuring Drake & Lil Wayne
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The song “Truffle Butter” is a solid song choice due to its steady beat while not being overwhelming, therefore making it easy to listen to casually or at a more upbeat social setting. Having both Drake and Lil Wayne featured on the track showcases each artist well, as they each provide a unique vibe with their individual verses.
4. Anaconda
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Ah, yes, the song and music video that broke the internet in 2014. “Anaconda” is fourth on this list due to its incredible success and #1 ranking on Billboard’s Hot 100 soon after its release. This was quite a polarizing song when it was released, as many people thought it was far too inappropriate to be on the radio due to its sexual references. I was in sixth grade when it was released, so I did not have much of a personal opinion on it then, but now I view it as a classic song with a female empowerment slant to it. Miss Minaj was ahead of her time.
3. ‘Pills N Potions”
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“Pills N Potions” is a much more vulnerable song on The Pinkprint, yet still gained massive support by fans. The overall message of the song is about Minaj’s decision to overlook bad treatment that she experiences from the people she loves due to her deeply rooted love. Minaj delves into her feelings that her friends and family often act selfishly, and only come to her when they want something in return. Disguised with a song title alluding to drugs, this song’s deeper meaning is quite humbling to the listener.
2. “Only” featuring Drake, Lil Wayne, & Chris Brown
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This song is ranked at number two due to its popularity across the music industry due to its multiple contributors. This song’s popularity was revived in 2019 on the app TikTok, as it was the theme song for a viral trend.
1. Grand Piano
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This song wins the number one spot because it is underrated and different from Minaj’s other tracks on The Pinkprint. This song involves more of a melodic tone and limited rapping. The song discusses how a love interest broke Minaj’s heart and how she is continually played like a grand piano, which is a play on the term “played like a violin”. Instead of escaping this emotional pain, Minaj is vulnerable and expresses that her love for the person outweighs her inkling that he is playing her.
Overall, Nicki Minaj is the queen of rap. What’s your favorite song on The Pinkprint?