The Brief: Nicki Minaj, the self-proclaimed Queen of Rap's latest album, Queen lived up to the hype with its sharp lines, info on the latest beef, and sick beats. Here's an overview of the ins and outs of the album including highlights, slang, and cultural references.
DEEP DIVE
Minaj’s 2018 album Queen is a celebration of her reign as a successful rapper. The album includes collaborations with Ariana Grande, Eminem, Future, Lil Wayne, The Weeknd, Swae Lee, Labrinth, Kodak Black, Foxy Brown, and Boonk Gang.
Nicki’s rich vocabulary, fast rhymes, double entendre, intertextuality, sampling, and rhythm make this album. Nicki’s references range from the mainstream to the obscure. More mellow tracks on the album including “Run & Hide” and “Come See About Me” are full of love and heartbreak.
Nicki uses sports lingo, references many other musicians, disses those she has beef with, and brags about her status as one of the GOAT. There’s even a Mean Girls reference in there.
In “Majesty,” rap royals Nicki and Eminem collaborate and claim their thrones. Eminem raps extremely fast. Some lyrics, and the idea of Nicki and Eminem being a king and queen have caused some fans speculate about them having a romantic relationship.
“Barbie Dreams” is inspired by Biggie Smalls. It’s arguably the best song on the album. In it, Nicki flaunts her status as a sex icon, and talks about sex – through innuendo and directly. She names a number of male rappers
“Chun-Li,” with its saxophone toots and drumbeat is most notable for these memorable lines:
I-I-I been on, b*tch, you been corn
Bentley tints on, Fendi prints on
Ayo, I been north, Lara been Croft
Plates say Chun-Li, drop the Benz off
Slang:
Here’s a guide of some slang from the album that you might not be previously familiar with. Not listed here are boundless variations on names of luxury cars and designer brands.
- Money: Stacks, Drop Top, Bands, Bag, Floss, Green, Racks, Ice, Paper.
- Drugs: Ganja, Ganj, Yayo, Bricks, Plug, Hard White, The Sauce, Mollies, Molly, Bando, Tens, Yellows, Dirty Fanta, Xannies, Percs, Bundles, Trees.
- Social Media: DM’s, The Gram, Double Tap.
- Love & Sex: Duck, Curve, Cuff, Eat the Cookie, Snack, Bae.
- Misc Slang & References: Wack, Lit, Poppin’, GOAT, “If Young Metro don’t trust you,” Timbs, LLC, Frontin, Gas, Blicky, Switch Up, Slept On, Hammers, Baddie, Yap, Ratchet, Skrr.