Not to be "that guy," but I am being completely honest when I say that I have been following Nicki Minaj since around 2008. That being said, I have not been that ecstatic about the recent music released by the artist in her past two albums. Yeah, there were definitely some radio hits and nice featured verses from Nicki, but I wanted the original rawness that captured me into following Onika Maraj.
Thankfully, my prayers have been answered with her most recent release The Pink Print.
1. All Things Go
Like a blast from the past, "All Things Go" revisits heartfelt topics such as the murder of her cousin, a past abortion, and feelings about her success in contrast to her family. To me, this particular song is a remade version of Nicki's song "Autobiography," which was featured on her "Sucka Free" Mixtape with Lil Wayne.
2. I Lied
In this emotional ballad, Nicki Minaj addresses something that many of us can relate to: lying in love. Rather than accept the fact that she "caught feelings" within her relationship, Nicki sings about telling herself and her partner that she did not love him at all. However, she is now left in a complicated place where she is forced to reflect on her lies and relationship — wondering where it went wrong.
3. The Crying Game (Feat. Jessie Ware)
Continuing her emotions from the previous track, Nicki and Jessie Ware tell the story of a failed relationship. This feeling, however, is something very familiar to the two — so familiar that it has become a kind of game and, unfortunately, Nicki is losing.
4. Get On Your Knees (Feat. Ariana Grande)
Nicki Minaj and Ariana Grande amp up the vibe of the album with this track (cowritten by Katy Perry). Rather than sappy love gestures such as roses, fancy dinners, and long-winded poems, these ladies would rather have a man who is not afraid to be submissive in the bedroom and beg for what he wants.
(Ariana is definitely eager to get rid of her Nickelodeon persona).
5. Feeling Myself (Feat. Beyoncé)
Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj on a track? Nope, this is not déjà vu. These two powerful female artists link up once again on "Feeling Myself" to talk about an array of topics such as self-pleasure, superfluous riches, and Beyoncé's surprise record release a year prior to this date. Nicki and Bey want to make it known that they are in a completely different league from other artists.
6. Only (Feat. Drake, Lil Wayne, & Chris Brown)
This track, accompanied by Drake, Lil Wayne, and Chris Brown, acts as an informal reply to rumors circulating the Young Money Artists. Within the song, Nicki, Drake, and Wayne all dispel talk of Nicki being promiscuous while engaged to her boyfriend, Safaree. However, the couple did ironically split not long after the release of this track.
7. Want Some More
In this track, Nicki reflects on her accolades, citing that her haters only reaffirm the fact that she is running the rap game. Like Foxy Brown (one of Nicki's rap idols) in "Faillin'," the rapstress gives a complete rundown of some of her most successful feats in the music industry thus far. Despite all of these successes, Nicki still wants more.
8. Four Door Aventador
Nicki Minaj takes it back to her mixtape days with this rugged track, paying homage to the late Biggie Smalls by sampling his flow through the entire song. Although Nicki has gained a lot of "Hollywood" fame, she is obviously not scared to take it back to the basics with talks of street trade and other illegal acts.
9. Favorite (Feat. Jeremih)
In this track, Nicki raps about wanting to be a man's "favorite" or only girl. To Nicki, if a man was to get with her then there would not even be a need to give other girls a second glance, because she could provide anything that he needs in a very complementary way.
10. Buy A Heart (Feat. Meek Mill)
"Anybody wanna buy a heart?
'Cause I don't use the sh-- anyway"
Meek Mill teams up with Nicki Minaj on this anti-love track to ask one important question: "Does anybody wanna buy a heart?" After being burned by love too many times, Nicki has come to a point in which she does not even want to feel the emotions associated with it. Instead, all Nicki is concerned with now is getting even and playing men in the same way that she was played.
11. Trini Dem Girls (Feat. Lunchmoney Lewis)
Nicki Minaj takes it to the islands with this track inspired by sounds from Trinidad (an island Nicki and many other artists hail from). There is not much to this track other than feeling good and encouraging girls to "wine their waistline."
12. Anaconda
Sampling Sir-Mix-A-Lot's 1992 hit "Baby Got Back," this single by Nicki Minaj applauds women who know how to shake their large backside (whether blissfully endowed or surgically enhanced).
13. The Night is Still Young
Nicki Minaj brings out her inner Ke$ha on this track — perfect for one's optimistic pregame.
"We're just getting started, yeah, yeah
Can't you see the night's still early
And we gon' get it wild and crazy"
14. Pills 'N Potions
This track was the first official single released by Nicki Minaj in 2014 from The Pink Print. It deals with the emotions surrounding a breakup and how sometimes one can go down the dangerous path of self-medicating through the use of various drugs and alcohol.
15. Bed Of Lies (Feat. Skylar Grey)
Soon after her rumored breakup with longtime fiancée, Safaree, Nicki Minaj debuted this ballad at the 2014 EMAs with the help of Skylar Grey on the chorus. Within the song, Nicki questions how Safaree feels now that he is away from Nicki — the woman who brought him to gain the amount of notoriety he has today. This track allowed Nicki's fans to get a deeper view into her emotions concerning her past relationship, informing them of all of the lies and deceit she has faced.
16. Grand Piano
Echoing the previous emotions on the entire album, Nicki decides to conclude with a soulful ballad accompanied by a crying violin. This reflection is very powerful for Nicki, because she is looking back on over 10 years of her life, questioning why she was so foolish to be played like a grand piano.
