North Texas Daily

Nicki Minaj has finally released her fourth studio album after a begrudging three-and-a-half-year wait. In 2014, she dropped “The Pinkprint,” and now in 2018 she follows it with “Queen,” a powerful, menacing, self-titled album that solidifies Minaj as the true supreme in the game. I thought Minaj would not be able to top her excellent “Pinkprint” album, but not only did she completely blow my already monumentally high expectations out of the water, she has surpassed every one of her previous albums and has delivered us with her greatest body of work to date. 

Minaj has been subject to a massive uprising of online scrutiny during this album rollout on a number of social media outlets. If you have seen one trash-talking tweet, then you have most likely seen them all because they all seem to be the same. Minaj has been scrutinized basically the entirety of her career and now, not only is she defending herself, she is also speaking out about sexism in the industry and she is being dragged for it on Twitter ruthlessly. 

I may understand some of the complaints thrown her way, like her decision to collaborate with a pedophile, but many of the shameless insults and “drags” being thrown her way seem to just be missing the point entirely of what she is trying to do. 

Back to what really matters though, the music. Minaj executes a daring 19 track album full of hot beats, fire bars and strong lyrics only the Queen of Rap could spit. Any other artist and I would have turned and run away from the challenge of listening to a 19 track album, but with Minaj, I not only encourage it, I fully embrace it. 

All 19 tracks are powerful in their own right, and the entire 1 hour and 6 minutes runtime of the album breezes by thanks to the force of Minaj’s savage bars and dope beats. I have run through the album completely now about five times and there is not one skip in the whole album. While I do enjoy all of the tracks, there are key ones in the album which completely express the level of talent Minaj truly has. 

The album opens with “Ganga Burn”, a testament to the haters who pray to see the downfall of the Queen. Not only will she not pay mind to the haters or the foes, she expertly dismantles them piece by piece with her lyrical jabs in the track. 

Key Lines: “Unlike a lot of these hoes whether wack or lit, I least I can say I wrote every rap I spit”

“I could wage war or I come in peace like Gandhi”

In the second track on the album, Minaj employs the iconic Eminem and singer/songwriter Labrinth for the vicious “Majesty”. Much like Eminem and Minaj’s other collaboration, “Roman’s Revenge”, their expert pairing is an unbeatable blend of savage bar-to-bar rapping, mixed with their signature double entendres and Em’s high speed, tongue twisting verse bounces off of Minaj’s already high energy verses. It is a match made in rap heaven. 

Key Lines: “The Queen and her husband/Last thing you’re gonna wanna be is our subjects”

“Jealousy is a disease, die slow”

In what is arguably the best track on the album, Minaj flips Biggie’s “Dreams” into “Barbie Dreams” to deliver one of the most disrespectful, insane, brilliant songs of her entire career. She holds nothing back here and comes for the blood of her male counterparts such as Drake, ex-fiancé Meek Mill, Future, Desiigner even Eminem, and an assortment of other male rappers who come under the bloody knife of the Queen. Minaj presents herself as a no holds barred, venomous, cruel Queen who is not going to take anything from anyone and who is ready to demolish her subjects at any given time.

Key Lines: “Meek still be in my DM’s I be having to duck ‘em, “I use to pray for times like this”, face a— when I f—- ‘em”

“Shoutout Desiigner ‘cause he made it out of special ed”

“Em cop the barbie dream house and you can play the part, I ain’t tryna bust it open in the trailer park”

In the fifth track “Hard White,” Minaj reiterates her position on the throne and let’s everybody else know who exactly is “the fairest” in all the land. She addresses her copycats and drags them through the dirt while simultaneously letting them know who is still the Queen by letting them know if they ever “Put my crown on again” she will “knock it off”. There has been some serious speculation if Minaj is coming for fellow rapper (and ex stripper) Cardi B with the line, “I ain’t ever have to strip to get the pole position/ You’re in no position to come for O’s position” although nothing has been confirmed, if the (bloody) shoe fits, go ahead and wear it. No shade, though. 

In the eleventh track “LLC”, Minaj makes it known there is no one else like her while addressing these other rappers who try to be like her when she exclaims labels are “Tryna make a new Nicki with a factory.” She also lets it be known even though she is a woman, it does not detract from her ability all the while channeling her forever iconic verse when she says “Spit hard, but I’m feminine/Iconic trio on Monster”. Minaj knows her talent and it is finally time for everyone else to fully recognize it, too.

Taken from the Queen herself, “You can be the king but watch the Queen conquer,” and that is exactly what Minaj did with her fourth album. She saw, she came and she conquered over her adversaries once again and made the others her subjects just like a true Queen would. This is her best body of work to date, and she has once again proven her position in the rap game as the Queen of Rap.

My Rating: 5/5

Featured Image: Courtesy Facebook