Nicki Minaj is already a household name, and something of a
superstar following on from her fast rise to fame, in part due to the success
of her debut record Pink Friday, which topped the Billboards on its release in
2010. It didn’t perform as well over here, but still made its mark, setting her
out as one of the brightest stars in the rap game for some time.
The hype for her follow up was huge, and with Pink Friday:
Roman Reloaded seeing her explore her male alter-ego Roman Zolanski (having
first bringing him out to play on her debut), her sophomore album could have
gone one of two ways. Couple that with the fact that it is longer than most
albums released these days (19 tracks on the standard edition), the question
was whether the quality would last out for an entire record.
Minaj proves any of her doubters wrong with Pink Friday:
Roman Reloaded though. It is a remarkable and oftentimes schizophrenic
collection which is an incredible listen, which never fails to surprise
throughout its 70 minute + turn.
As a record, it starts off with Minaj showing her hardcore
rap stylings, on some low down and dirty tracks. For many, her vulgar lyrical
content would be off-putting, but it is executed in such a way that you can’t
help but love it. The opening Roman Holiday is bonkers, as is the sexually
explicit Come On a Cone, which is also one of the early highlights in terms of
flow and rap skills. In fact, the first 6 tracks are hard hitting and
breathless, before in the middle, it starts to add more R&B stylings in
place of the lyrical rap flow. At this stage, the record starts to take you on
a full-on journey.
As soon as lead single Starships hits though at track 10,
the album morphs from straight up rap, and having moved through the R&B
phase, enters dance club banger territory, and sees Minaj take it to the next
level. At this stage, the record is smack bang in commercial territory, but it
is executed so brilliantly, that it instantly makes this album into a classic.
Starships is only the start; Pound The Alarm, Whip It, Automatic and Beautiful
Sinner are all huge dance floor infused killers, and see Minaj at her best.
The album then switches it up again, with her tribute to
Norma Jean (“Marilyn Monroe”), Young Forever, and Gun Shot seeing her opt for
more straightforward pop territory, before the closing Stupid Hoe sees her go
full circle, back to the explicit opening moments. The deluxe version has her
Guetta collab Turn Me On, and two other great tracks in Va Va Voom and Masquerade,
to round off the collection.
It is a fantastic album, with the dance floor fillers, and
Marilyn Monroe being some of the obvious highlights. It is hard to separate all
the club infused numbers because they are all so good. To just focus on these
though would be to discredit the brilliant rap tracks and the solid pop numbers
too, but the dance tracks are by far the most essential tracks on this
collection. The beats are incendiary, hard hitting, and unforgettable. She
simply owns it on these songs.
Her Minajesty is here to stay – so is Roman Zolanski – this
is an unbelievable record; not flawless by any stretch of the imagination, but
a breathtaking listen. It quite simply has to be listened to, to be believed.
Unbelievable.
9.5/10
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