There’s an art to a good rap intro, and this one doesn’t meet the criteria. The ' Kobe, Kyrie pick a K' line made me chuckle. The drums are giving me more life than her delivery. We have to stop taking ourselves so seriously. Eh, the line about king status and embodying a queen made me queasy. She has such an interesting way with words, which means the wordplay either hits or misses. I didn’t know she was a smoker, but I guess if you aren’t Wiz Khalifa or Curren$y it’s not a big deal. I’m loving the tropical instrumentation, but it's a weird direction to take for an intro. Each song will receive my gut reaction from start to finish. In usual 1-Listen fashion, the rules are the same: no skipping, no fast-forwarding, no rewinding and no stopping. For the first time since she was introduced to the mainstream, Nicki Minaj has something to prove. Queen is Nicki’s fourth studio album and also her most important. Naturally, increased competition has forced Nicki to back up her boasts with bars if she wants to remain a royal. From Cardi B to CupcakKe, a tidal wave of women in hip-hop are delivering hits and displaying skillsets worthy of the spotlight. But this year, compared to her contemporaries, the self-proclaimed Queen of rap has been cracking under pressure in public.īuilding a brand based on being the best woman in rap becomes shaky ground when the competition heats up. Prior to 2018, Nicki held her position with an unwavering poise. However, once you reach the top of your industry, how long are you able to maintain before the inevitable freefall begins? Nearing a decade of dominance, Nicki has cemented her legacy in hip-hop’s kingdom, regardless of gender. She is, without question, one of the most successful women to ever step foot in a recording booth.

Nicki minaj the queen album