Over the past decade the status of the female MC has declined. The last female rapper to make any significance on the charts was Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliot, to her credit her 2002 single "Work It" shot up to the top of the charts. Enter Onika Maraj (Nicki Minaj) the lone female rapper in Lil' Wayne's Young Money crew. Just like her mentor , Wayne, Nicki Minaj made a name for herself by hitting the mixtape scene , and making note-worthy guest appearances from the likes of Mariah Carey to Gucci Mane. Her buzz generated so much attention that even the Jiggaman himself, Jay-Z brought her on stage at Yankee Stadium for his historic Home and Home Tour with Eminem this past September. After watching her fellow Young Money label mate , Drake, drop his much anticipated ,successful opus, Thank Me Later over the summer , the hip hop world soon turned their eyes on Nicki to see if she could deliver another home run for her Young Money camp , while also fill the void of the missing femcees in the rap game. Nicki Minaj shoulders the pressure with the equally anticipated Pink Friday. The festivities begin with the synth -heavy album opener "I'm The Best". The song, if nothing less is an achievement in itself as Nicki Minaj brings forth her declaration, and also keeping in mind what's at stake: "I hear their coming for me/ Because the top is lonely/ What the fuck they gon' say? / I'm the best..." She belts on the hook. What makes Nicki Minaj an intriguing figure in the world of music is not just based on her style , as she is sometimes considered the Lady GaGa of rap, but her outlandish, at times bizarre delivery on the mic. The culprit for this eccentric behavior can be credited to her alter-ego Roman Zolansky. Nicki had gone on record to say she tries to keep her inner split personality hidden, but at times Roman gets the best of her, and she can't be held accountable for Roman's actions. With that being said , the album's most controversial track "Roman's Revenge" finds Roman sharing mic duties with another rapper's alter-ego , Eminem's Slim Shady. The two go on a rampage over Swizz Beatz frantic track. The track is rumored to be a subliminal diss toward reigning Queen Bee , Lil' Kim, who has recently been going back and forth with the new jack, Nicki over biting the Queen's style. Nicki--oops , I mean Roman sends warning shots to a "has-been" rapper by spitting "Is this the thanks that I get for putting you bitches on?/ Is it my fault that all you bitches gone?...'Nicki she just mad cause you took the spot'/ Word, that bitch mad cause I took the spot?/ Well bitch if you ain't shittin, then get off the pot/ Got some niggas out in Brooklyn, that'll off your top" While Slim Shady uses a female as a metaphor for life with these not so friendly bars: "I swear to God/ Life's a dumb , blond, white broad/ With fake tits /And a bad dye job/ Who just spit in my fuckin face...so I tied her arms and legs to the bed/ And set up the camera and pissed twice on her/ Look, two peas in a tripod". On the Bangladesh-number "Did It On'em" Roman pops up again stating : "She ain't a Nicki fan/ Then the bitch deaf-dumb/ You ain't my son/ You my muthafuckin step-son". When Nicki Minaj does take control of her album she displays a side we rarely see from her---vulnerability. On "Save Me" Nicki Minaj shows off her singing chops as she humbly bares her all over the sparse track, singing, " It's not your fault I'm a bitch / I'm a monster/ Yes, I'm a beast/ And I feast when I conquer/ But , I'm alone on my thrown/ All these witches / I came this way/ All this way just to say/ This time won't you save me/ Baby I can feel myself giving up". Moments like these brings more layers to Nicki Minaj that we really don't see, and its just as entertaining. Another album highlight is the Drake-feature "Moment 4 Life". Nicki and Drake reunite after Drake's "Up All Night" to deliver a stirring performance about cherishing life's most intimate moments. Drake sums it all up , closing his verse with, "Man, this one for the books/ Man, I swear this shit is as fun as it looks/ Man, I'm trying to make it more than what it is/ Cause everybody dies/ But not everybody lives". Pink Friday is not without its short-comings. The will.i.am produced and featured-"Check It Out" suffers from just being downright cheesy, and while "Your Love" was a number one hit for Nicki Minaj , the song sounds like a filler compared to the other gems that could have been better choices. Even when she teams up with Kanye West for "Blazin" the hook is stagnant and becomes annoying upon a further listen. Pink Friday still has something to offer, but its not what some may have expected with all the hype surrounded by it. What Nicki Minaj has done more than anything with Pink Friday is become a voice for female rappers who have up until this moment been silent. That is a testament to her star-power, because there hasn't been any doubt that Nicki Minaj is indeed a star, and if you beg to differ than your just deaf-dumb.
