“The mistress, I’m the baddest bitch.” Nicki Minaj has an equal amount of haters and lovers, similar to the reputation of mistresses in our society huh? The self-proclaimed Mistress was the first woman signed to Cash Money Inc. and has arguably taken the music world by storm. Crayonish hair, outrageous outfits and a personality to match, Nicki has redefined female success in the game and whether you like her or not, it’s hard to not respect the hustle. However, the true fans are sittin’ back waiting for mixtape Nicki to wake up and spit something in the ranks of “Who’s Ya Best Mc?,” “40 bars,” and “Slumber Party.” Nicki has always been about “Gettin’ Paid” and that’s exactly what she set out to do, even though she may have lost the essence of who she really is. “Monster” solidified Nicki’s commercial ability to hold her own alongside heavyweights such as Kanye and Jay-Z . That right there, is the type of Nicki verse that I’m used to hearing. Not Superbass. Nevertheless, Nicki’s drive is bananas! She’s comfortably sitting on her throne as the first female rapper to grace Forbes’ Hip-Hop Cash Kings of 2011. She ranked #15 out of 20 rappers on the list, with $6.5 million in earnings last year, making her one of the highest paid female rappers….ever! And her 15 minutes haven’t expired yet. The Mistress just signed a multi-million dollar deal with Pepsi to be the face of a new beverage that’ll debut later this year. Well damn…what can I say? She may not be the best rapper or singer in the game, but this lady is definitely a businesswoman. Now about that new CD, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (Deluxe Edition)…
Review:
This album has something for everyone. You’ve got the girl power break up song “Fire Burns,” the ‘what was I thinking song’ “Marilyn Monroe“, and even a lil’ dancehall vibe with “Gun Shot.” With the exception of “Roman Holiday,” the first seven songs reminded me of mixtape Nicki and I was pleasantly surprised at the inclusion of cameos from highly respected artists. “Champion” is a classic, laid-back track and I kissed everything about this song except the fact that Drake is on it. I mean, why?? Not a Drake hater, just don’t think he blended well with the clearly genius presence of Nas and Jeezy. Common would’ve been a better choice…jus sayin. Another fav of mine is “Come on a Cone.” I will admit, nasty thoughts came to mind upon reading the title but the obvious route definitely was taken on this track. The song has a bold beat and is laced with the cocky talk that we all succumb to–a good choice if you’re on your way to the club or just feel like talking that talk.
Brown Sugar Grade: B-
All in all, this CD was well worth my $9.99. The first half is pretty much mixtape Nicki with the last half focusing more on her pop vocals…which have improved since “Moment 4 Life.” The pop songs are all catchy and as much as I tried to fight it, my body involuntarily moved along to each and every one of them. Each song on the CD has the potential to be a single, which is rare for a sophomore album and means that Nicki can expect several more duffle bags full of $$$<—-Mission Accomplished. Oh and by the way, “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded” debuted as #1 on Billboard Top 200 album chart, with 253,000 copies sold in its first week (beating out Madonna and Adele).
Nicki’s a risk taker and is doing what she wants to do, I hope. She didn’t fall back and let anyone tell her how to sound and dress, I hope. She didn’t change her style because people weren’t getting it, right?? Nicki may never be considered one of Hip-Hop’s faithful wives such as Lauryn Hill and Mc Lyte, but she’s is definitely a side piece in this love triangle and will always be our guilty pleasure…
Still rockin’ with mixtape Nicki for now and eagerly waiting for a long overdue Beyonce collabo…
Mixtape Favorites:
Brown Sugar Life 