Nicki Minaj, Last Time I Saw You

Reading Time: 2 min read

Nicki Minaj, often brash and unapologetic, shows her versatility singing and rapping emotionally on her single, “Last Time I Saw You.”

When you think of Nicki Minaj as a musician, often, you focus on her rapping skills. That said, throughout her career, Minaj has also sung, scoring some hits doing so. Her bars are the most potent, but Minaj is versatile. On her single, “Last Time I Saw You”, she surprises by singing more than she raps. Sure, she gets her bars in as well, but “Last Time I Saw You” offers up a different aesthetic – a different vibe for the veteran rapper.

The change of pace begins with the sound of the record. “Last Time I Saw You” begins with a fabulous groove that is more pop/rock leaning. It’s not exactly what might normally be expected, but its enjoyable. Minaj gets production courtesy of five producers: Hendrix Smoke, ATL Jacob, Bak, Frankie Bash, and Too Dope. As stated, Minaj sings more than she raps, singing the first verse and the chorus. Her vocals are respectable by all means. The chorus marks a key moment, as to be expected. Notably, it is more enjoyable and memorable the more you listen to the track:

“I wish I’da hugged you tighter than the last time that I saw you

I wish I didn’t waste precious time the night when I called you (ooh)

I wish I remembered to say I’d do anything for you

Maybe I pushed you away because I thought that I’d bore you.”

thinking emoji As promised, Minaj raps in the second verse. That said, don’t expect a “Monster” type rap. Instead, the rhymes match the emotional vibe – tamer and complementing those sung vocals. Beyond the sung verse, chorus, and rapped verse, the refrain (also sung) borrows from a nursery rhyme… “Starlight, star bright, first star I see tonight.” Woo! The bridge finds Minaj singing, “Bombs away /… Yeah, yeah, dream about you.”) All in all, “Last Time I Saw You” is worth spinning – it’s a welcome change of pace for Minaj. Do I personally prefer her eating the beats with her brash, unapologetic bars? Yes, but I appreciate the fact that she can clearly be far more versatile.