Music
Album Review: Nicki Minaj’s “Pink Friday”
100 Records in 2022 challenge
Note: I’m reviewing 100 new (to me) records this year. This is the 20th in that series.
Many hip-hop artists start by making mixtapes and featuring on other artists’ work.
For many of them, that’s as far as it goes; leaping a full LP proving a bridge too far. Nicki Minaj is a household name in 2022, but in 2010 she was standing at the same cliff, getting ready to jump.
“Pink Friday” is Minaj’s 2010 debut record. Any expedition is best done as a team, and Minaj smartly brought a whole crew with her. Eminem, Rihanna, Drake, Will.I.Am., and Natasha Beningfield (!) all feature here.
Having only heard “Super Bass,” I wasn’t sure what I was in for (see also: Travis Scott’s Astroworld at #2 in this series).
As someone best described as a “suburban dad, “ I’m not in Minaj’s target demographic. At the time, I felt that “Super Bass” was a burst of bubblegum pop brilliance, so I went in with an open mind.
“Moment 4 Life,” (ft. Drake) was also a hit that I managed to miss for the last 12 years. My teenage son…
