After a four-year hiatus, Nicki Minaj returns with her highly-anticipated, fourth studio album, Queen. It doesn’t disappoint for the most part.

It’s been a long time coming but the Queen is back. Who’s the queen? Why Nicki Minaj – didn’t you know? The Grammy-nominated rapper took her time releasing her fourth studio album, but finally, it’s here, and certainly royal enough.  A lengthy effort, comprised of 19 tracks and clocking in at nearly 70 minutes, there are no shortage of gems.

“Ganja Burns”

“Ganja Burns” commences Queen with tropically-tinged production.  Nicki Minaj begins rapping, showcasing an agile flow and incredible toughness.  She sings the catchy chorus, which is idiomatic of pop/R&B.  If the first listen feels somewhat underwhelming, successive listens reveal the magic, even if the magic runs a bit long, approaching five minutes.  A less poppy Nicki arrives on “Majesty” featuring Eminem and Labrinth.  An intriguing, somewhat quirky track, Eminem expectedly goes off on his guest verse – that flow is quick and sick.  That’s not before Minaj asserts her queenly status on confident, energetic rap verses, with Labrinth compelling with his distinct, smoky pipes.

As solid as “Ganja Burns” and “Majesty” are, “Barbie Dreams” is incredible.  Beginning with an old-school hip-hop beat, Nicki Minaj kills it on utterly disrespectful, unapologetic bars, dissing numerous male hip-hop artists – 50 Cent, Young Thug, and DJ Khaled among them.

“I tried to f**k 50 for a powerful hour / But all that n***a wanna do is talk Power for hours.”

Phew, if that isn’t hot enough, “Barbie Dreams” gets the switch-up treatment, and ‘the queen’ bites even more. The second part is hypersexual – surprise, surprise.

“Rich Sex”

“If you know your pussy worth a Benz truck / Don’t let homie fuck unless his bands up.”  Hmm, speaking of sex, “Rich Sex” follows. Definitely NOT ‘family-friendly, clearly depth is not the M.O.  Nicki Minaj not only thinks a lot of herself (“I ain’t stupid, this $250 on my arm”), but so do these men…supposedly. Even so, early into her verse, she makes it clear, she likes money more than sex – to each their own. Lil Wayne gets into the act on the second verse, as sexed-up as ever. Give him credit for staying true to self. Beyond unapologetic lyrics and themes, the production bangs with a trap beat and a minimal piano loop.

Keeping the bangers coming, Nicki flexes hard AF on “Hard White.” Then, she softens things up with “Bed”, featuring Ariana Grande.  “Bed” commences with Grande singing the intro, which ends up being part of the chorus.  Grande delivers low-key vocals, performed in her lower register, with effective results.  Grande, lets loose more on the final chorus. Minaj pop-raps on a relatively brief first verse, referencing Carter III and “Back shots to the beat of ‘A Milli’.” The second verse is more melodic, mentioning “strawberry lingerie” and sex. The third and final verse is the most assertive, finding Ms. Minaj dropping un-pitched bars.   It’s a respectable record, but not earth shattering.

“Thought I Knew You”

“Thought I Knew You” is among the most melodic records on Queen.  Featuring The Weeknd, Nicki Minaj also opts for singing as opposed to rapping.  There’s a vibe, but there are also more distinct, electrifying moments.  Follow-up “Run & Hide” isn’t necessarily more electrifying, however, embracing more of a low-key sound. It’s worthwhile, but not among the genuine hits of Queen. The laid-back “Chun Swae” is a legit hit, featuring Swae Lee – lots of Swae Lee to be exact.  The production work bangs, and the Swae falsetto is as airy and ripe as ever.  Nicki shines as well, closing out the lengthy cut – north of six minutes – with a colorful outro.  

Nicki Minaj is in full-on, hard-nosed, tough-as-nails mode on standout single “Chun-Li”. Not merely exuding ‘that attitude’ all by herself, the production provides fuel for her fire.  The backdrop is minimalist, comprised of a hard-hitting beat, sound effects, and a recurring synth.  Minaj tends to excel with simpler, repetitive productions, so it’s not surprising that she is so successful on “Chun-Li.” “Chun-Li” isn’t ‘brand-new,’ for Minaj, but she executes the flex-fest well, while channeling her Chun-Li persona.

“LLC”

Post- “Chun Li,” Minaj kills it with some more bangers.  “LLC” benefits from killer hook, mallet-fueled production, and ample personality from the Queen herself.  If that wasn’t enough, she brings the heat, packing a punch on “Good Form.”  Aggressive Nicki always seems to be on-point.  Furthermore, she takes it back to the beginning of her career, changing her voice. Sick.  Expectedly, “Nip Tuck” offers a change of pace following the punches served up by “Chun-Li,” “LLC,” and “Good Form.” It remains rhythmic, but is more melodic.  

Following the “2 Lit 2 Late Interlude,” Minaj superbly showcases her personal, vulnerable side on “Come See About Me.” Arguably, this is her best singing performance.  The chorus is relatively simple, but incredibly memorable.

“Come, come see about me / Come, come see about me / Know it can’t always be about me / Just come, come, see about me… / You know I’m still trying to find where we went wrong at.”

“Come See About Me” is a hard act to follow.  “Sir” is no slouch, bringing in the ubiquitous Future into the fold.  That said, it’s probably wouldn’t be my first pick for banger of Queen.  Speaking of bangers (lots of ‘em on Queen), “Miami” keeps ‘em coming.  Gotta love the production by Murda Beatz, particularly those synths.  Perhaps the surprise collaboration of the album is the final full-length record, “Coco Chanel” featuring Foxy Brown.  The production is tropically-tinged, while both rappers are fiery.  The brief “Inspirations Outro” closes things out – an extension of “Coco Chanel.”

Final Thoughts

All in all, there’s plenty to like about Queen.  It took longer than expected for the fourth studio album by Nicki Minaj to arrive, but it’s worth the wait.  Could Queen have been trimmed down? Definitely – not all of the 19 songs are hits or necessary.  Still, anyone listening shouldn’t have any problems finding hits.

Gems: “Majesty,” “Barbie Dreams,” “Rich Sex,” “Hard White,” “Chun Swae,” “Chun-Li,” “LLC,” “Good Form,” “Come See About Me”

Nicki Minaj • Queen • Cash Money • Release: 8.10.18

Photo Credits: Cash Money