Sure, I identify as a Barb. I don’t know every song of hers, but I am a “Nicki fan.” This rapper and singer-songwriter just released her fifth studio album titled Pink Friday 2, a sequel to her debut studio album from 2010. She postponed the release of this album until Dec. 8 of this year for her 41st birthday and I’ve been in a chokehold ever since. I’ve listened to this album numerous times since the drop date and can feel my appreciation for Nicki growing each time. I’m constantly gagged by her lyrical mastery.
In this album, Nicki slows down her tempo in some songs to sing about love and loss, samples iconic clips from past songs such as “Super Freak” by Rick James, and has numerous featured artists, including J. Cole on the sixth track, marking their first collaboration together. This album has something for everybody, still allowing Minaj’s classic Barb style to shine through. Out of this 22-track album, five songs stuck out to me with their striking lyrics and girly pop undertones.
1. “everybody (feat. lil uzi vert)”
I’m starting this off strong by stating my absolute favorite song on the album! “Everybody” with Lil Uzi Vert is guaranteed to get you up and dancing. I know you’re gonna wanna rock your hips to this song, and not only is the beat and instrumental so groovy, but her lyrics are sharp. I’m talking cutthroat. At only seven seconds into this song, Nicki gags us with the lyric, “Said she look like me, quit lyin’.” Ugh! Perfection.
2. “FTCU”
Another baddie song is “FTCU” which, just from the title, you can tell is fire. This is her new song and a trending TikTok audio that plays on a loop in my head all day. The lyrics state: “Yeah, high heels on my tippies / Dolce and Gabbana, that’s on my titties / Cop me Vetements when I ride the d*ckie.” The second verse of this song goes too hard. I promise once you learn these few lines, you’ll find yourself blurting them out all day long.
3. “pink friday girls”
Everyone knows Nicki is a Barb. She is gorgeous. She is pink. She is the moment. Therefore, I wasn’t surprised but grateful, nonetheless, when she blessed her fans with three new girly pop songs. First, my favorite of these three is “Pink Friday Girls.” Ready for the best part? She samples Cyndi Lauper’s iconic 1983 hit “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.” This song is the epitome of being a girl in my mind, so I squealed when I first heard it on the album. I love hearing Nicki sing the refrain with a slightly altered beat than the original, but this one lyric stood out to me in particular: “He got that super bass / make my heart skip a beat.” Shout out the song that put her on the map for me back in 2010!
4. “cowgirl (feat. lourdiz)”
My theme here with these songs is I can sassily have one hand on my hip and the other bent at my elbow in the air and sway my head and my hips from side to side. So sassy. From the first note of this song, you can tell it’s gonna be girly pop. The tenth track of Pink Friday 2 is “Cowgirl” featuring Lourdiz. It’s giving “I’m about to sip on some wine and I wanna see my man later,” if you know what I mean.
5. “last time i saw you”
The final song I’m addressing is the second to last on the album and seems to mean a lot more to the artist. This song is sentimental and essentially encapsulates the themes of “I miss you and I love you, but it’s too late.” Titled “Last Time I Saw You,” this song compares to the first on the album, both speculated to be about Nicki’s late father, Robert Minaj, who passed away in February 2021. Although we know and love this Barb for serving those hard-hitting lyrics, I loved hearing this side of the singer.
All in all, this has to be my favorite album of hers. I know it hasn’t even been a month since the release date, but everything about these songs is serving timeless. By incorporating a range of emotions, beats, artists, and sampled songs, it’s hard to imagine this could be anything but that.
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