"The only time you on the net is when you google my ass,"
-Nicki Minaj, Ass by Big Sean
Early Life
Born on December 8th (for some reason the year is debated between 1982 and 1984), Onika Tanya Maraj, otherwise known as Nicki Minaj, is a mixed Indian Afro-Trinidadian from Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago. She is the middle child of parents Robert and Carol Maraj and lived with her grandmother in Saint James until she was five years old. Maraj states that at age five her mother took her to Queens, New York because her father, in addition to being a junkie and a drunkard, tried to kill her mother by burning the house down. All the same, she grew up with a relatively artistic lifestyle; playing the clarinet in elementary school, attending a predominately musical, visual, and performing arts high school, and participating in the high school drama program. She had a passion to become an actress but ended up working menial jobs at places such as Red Lobster (side note, she was fired for "discourteousness") til age 20.
Rap Career
In 2004 Onika Maraj signed with Brooklyn group Full Force and began her rap career as the fourth [wo]man to rap group Hoodstars. Shortly after they released a theme for a WWE female wrestler's entrance, Maraj left because she was dissatisfied with the group's popularity. She was then picked up by Dirty Money Entertainment's CEO, Fendi, who dubbed her "Nicki Minaj". She then went on to make her own mixtapes and was featured in a film of underground New York rappers entitled "The Come Up Volume 11" where she was discovered and recruited by Lil Wayne into YMCMB (Young Money Cash Money Business), a rap group starring Weezy, Drake, and other artists. She received much praise for her verses in Bedrock and Roger That, and from there Minaj was able to start her own solo career.
Female Rapper
Minaj's most redeeming quality is her ability to get down and dirty with the big boys (like Drake, Lil Wayne, and Kanye West) while simultaneously maintaining the image of a sex icon. Critics contribute a large part of her success towards her determination to do whatever it takes to get her to the top and stay relevant. Her dramatic nature might not have suited her for her dreams of being an actress, but her place in hip hop is in and of itself a bold statement. I personally don't see a deeper side of Minaj, but perhaps that's exactly what she wants.
To dominate an extremely superficial industry, a "Hollywood dehumanization" must occur. What I mean by this is that there are more or less set models of how female entertainers are supposed to look: long, straight hair; long eyelashes; big lips; large breasts; thin waist; prominent derriere; long legs; flawless, tan skin (bonus points if you're a foreigner; so exotic), etc.. To become one of the biggest contributors to rap, hip hop, and pop culture, Minaj had to subject herself to the edifications of the Photoshop pen and the blueprints of a female artist. This is not to take away from her success in a genre that ultimately objectifies and subjects women to inferior status.
But personality-wise, Nicki Minaj is more similar to a pair of 12 sided dice than a shiny silver dollar.
Here's one of my favorite verses from Miss Minaj:
Y.U. MAD:
Pull up in that new new, bitch get a squeegee
Yeah my flow sick, yeah my flow queasy
Haha, they were sleeping on me, z-zz-zz
This pussy clean, this pussy squeaky
That pussy old, that pussy creaky
When I’m out the country, niggas call me Neeki
Hi, How are you? Yes, it’s nice to meet me
Damn, Billboard, I mean I'm winning but I'm still bored
Yeah we shine, gold cluster
As for your career, dead: Ghost Busters
Like any rap artist should, Minaj is able to adapt and embody the essence of any song she enters. Here she demonstrates the rich, fresh, prideful superstar side of her that "Y. U. MAD" boasts about. She states that she is the effeminate version of the infamous tat-covered, cop-hovered druggie skater Weezy. No doubt paying an homage to the main artist responsible for her popularity, Minaj's relationship with Lil Wayne is similar to that of Eminem and Dr. Dre. Though on different wavelengths of the genre, Mr. Carter expresses a passing of the torch to Minaj at the end of his verse:
"Been had it on lock, gave the key to Nick" -Lil Wayne, Y. U. MAD
Rap Genius offers insight:
"Lil wayne’s has been running the rap game since 2006 and even longer for his true fans. With Nicki’s recent award at the VMAs for rap song of the year with super bass, he is passing the key to her. Lil wayne showing a rare moment of modesty." -RG
Here's her collaboration with Drake, Nas, and Young Jeezy:
[Verse 1: Nicki Minaj]
This a celebration, this is levitation
Look at how you winning now?
This to dedication; this is meditation
Higher education; this the official competitor elimination
I-I-I-I was taking trips with Webs to move weight
Came back to Queens to hit up a new state
Bitches don't know the half, like they flunk they math
Bitches ain't half cut up crack up in the stash
50 Cent Italian, icy flow
This is that Run-and-Get-a-Dollar-for-The-Ice-Cream-Cone
Cause they killed my little cousin Nicholas
But my memories only happy images
This is for the hood, this is for the kids
This is for the single mothers; niggas doing bids
This one is for Tee-Tee, Tweety, Viola, Sharika
Candice, Temby, Lauren, Aiesha
[Hook: Nicki Minaj]
It's a celebration (For the ghetto)
It's time like these (Ooh, ooh)
They know who we are (They know who we are)
Champion, the champions (Champion, champion)
[Verse 2: Drake]
Yeah, okay
We made it to America
I remember when I used to stay with Erica
Labor transferred 20 million to Comerica
It's fucking terrible, it's got me acting out of character
Young T.O. nigga, either riding range
The Ferrari top down, screaming, "Money ain't a thang!"
Tell me when I change, girl, but only when I change
Cause I live this shit for real, niggas know me in the game, they know!
Making hits in three acre cribs
Cooking up tryna eat niggas, steak and ribs
I made a couple stars outta basic chicks
Nowadays blow the candles out, don't even make a wish
Having good times, making good money
Lot of bad bitches, but they good to me
I make them do the splits for a rap
Wish you niggas good luck, trynna get where I'm at
Straight like that
[Hook: Nicki Minaj]
[Verse 3: Young Jeezy]
Straight balling in this bitch, Jeremy Lin; 'Melo
Tell me one thing you won't do: Settle
Give me one word for each chain: Yellow
Pocket full of money, black card; ghetto
Critics say I ain't in the game, A.I
This is how you deal with the fame: Stay high
Stay putting on for the town; may I?
What you call a crib in the sky? Play high
4 Mill in three weeks, y'all did it like a champ
Momma taught me pride, yes, she did it with the stamps
Wait a minute, everybody pause for the photos
Somebody tell these local hating niggas, I'm global
Tell me what I gotta do to get this champagne going
What I gotta do to get this coconut flowing?
Don't let me hear Sean Carter, I'm the ballest of the ace
Let me hit up Sean Comb money case that's on my place, let's celebrate
[Hook]
[Verse 4: Nas]
I saw my first two million dollars, I was 23
I'm barely a man, yet, I had some killers under me
This ain't rated PG, this rated PJ
Cause that's where a nigga from murder on replay
My 24th b-day, I'm sailing to Bermuda, you can see me on a yacht
Blasting Pac, little not, I ain't greedy
I'm back to thugging, bitches
Back to making them kiss other bitches
My man sister like me, I don't fuck my brothers sister
I just aspire and desire to be different
My ten year old plan is just one year to finish
My list went like this, first thing discover
The difference in pussy, white, Black, Latin or other
Here's a man who clearly isn't basic
Waiting lists just to hear me or witness the greatness
Loud laughter, while writing my next chapter
Fast Cash Life, happily ever after
Champions
[Hook]
As the chorus suggests, this song is on the opposite spectrum of hip hop emotions: a celebration of the ghetto and all the joyous and painful memories that belong to it. Being the seventh track on Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, Nicki slows down her "HOV lane" pace to salute her past. Bringing in Nas and Young Jeezy (Drake doesn't know suffering in the ghetto, he's CANADIAN, for pete's sake) was a smart move on her part. Mixing the young and the old, Minaj achieves a more mature and professional status. Origins are just as important as current success to hip hop artists.
Best for last:
Monster:
Pull up in the monster
Automobile gangster
With a bad bitch that came from Sri Lanka
Yeah I’m in that Tanka, color of Willy Wonka
You could be the King but watch the Queen conquer
Ok first things first I’ll eat your brains
Then Ima start rocking gold teeth and fangs
Cause that’s what a muthafucking monster do
Hairdresser from milan, thats the monster do
Monster Giuseppe heel that’s the monster shoe
Young money is the roster in the monster crew
And I’m all up all up all up in the bank with the funny face
And if I’m fake I aint notice cause my money aint
So let me get this straight wait Im the rookie
But my features and my shows ten times your pay
50k for a verse no album out!
Yeah my money’s so tall that my barbie’s gotta climb it
Hotter than a middle eastern climate, find it
Tony Matterhorn dutty whine it
Whine it, nicki on them titties when I sign it
How these niggas so one-track minded
But really really I don’t give a F-U-C-K
Forget barbie fuck nicki cause she’s fake
She on a diet but her pockets eating cheese cake
And I’ll say bride of Chucky is Child’s play
Just killed another career it’s a mild day
Besides 'Ye they can’t stand besides me
I think think me, you and 'em should Minaj friday
Pink wig thick ass give em whip lash
I think big get cash make em blink fast
Now look at what you just saw this is what you live for
Aaahhhh, I’m a muthaf-cking monster!
This verse tops all of her work, previous and current. Again, her chameleon superpowers allow her to personify a number of personalities to create the greatest interaction between one person in a rap song ever. It's a bipolar battle between herself, using Roman and Barbie as her vocal puppets. Not only does she dominate the entire song, but her fictitious overly feminized side of her as well. The fact that the "girly" side of her is named Barbie goes back to "Hollywood dehumanization". Barbie represents fake, plastic ideals of women. Minaj probably has this side of her to appease the party side of her (aka the stuff that gets played on the radio), but from this verse one can tell that this is not her true nature or perhaps the tip of the iceberg. Obviously, the crazy british gay twin brother side of her has a little more freedom in vocabulary, which is by default more fun. However, in this Kanye song specifically she hints at an ability to take the idea of, let's say, a "monster", and take it to the next level. This much more entertaining and lyrically interesting than any raps about money, sex, or drugs.
Though Nicki Minaj is more often than not attributed to the decay of hip hop (see Mehek's final paper about 2Chainz), as an artist and performer, she keeps people on their toes. As listeners, we hope to hear more verses like the one in "Monster", but she keeps her material somewhat balanced with her chart toppers "Superbass", "Starships", "Pound the Alarm", "Va Va Voom", etc.. To get to where she is now was not an easy feat, but where she goes from there will decide if there's more than meets the eye, or if she's truly just a barbie.
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