Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday

I wonder if the Stupid Hoe vid is slightly mocking the Lil' Kim pornbot schtick actually, or if that's purely just Nicki doing her own hyper-commodified pornbot Barbie thing.

the narcissism of no differences

@ lex i see now that "plain sexploitation" was a bad choice of words. i get that there's some kind of surreal aspect but i do not think it makes it subversive at all which maybe is also your point wrt cage scene.

i don't think there has been a female rapper with sales and explicit lyrics like this before but do school me if i'm wrong.

like she's totally be embracing consumerism/commodification while also, it seems, knowingly portraying it all as scary/unreal/absurd

this seems v otm

i don't really follow sales but is nicki really that much bigger than kim was in terms of profile? also you know missy was hella explicit at times, it's just that no one pigeonholed her as a "sexual" rapper b/c she didn't fit the image.

the funny thing is, in terms of how she approaches sex on record, nicki is far far more in line with missy than kim/trina, and since going "pop" has toned down a lot of that stuff.

It's hard for me to think of Minaj as a sexual rapper either tbh.

ASS ASS ASS ASS ASS ASS ASS ASS ASS ASS ASS ASS ASS ASS ASS ASS

the funny thing is, in terms of how she approaches sex on record, nicki is far far more in line with missy than kim/trina, and since going "pop" has toned down a lot of that stuff.

I hadn't thought about it before but this is true, she doesn't really seem to do tunes along the lines of "Hustlin" or "How Many Licks" or etc.

also you know missy was hella explicit at times, it's just that no one pigeonholed her as a "sexual" rapper b/c she didn't fit the image.

I was going to point you at the 34 million Google hits for "missy elliott sex" but all of them seem to be about her history as a survivor of sexual abuse.

Even though I remember her getting just as much pigeonholing as everyone else, if your statement is true it's likely because unlike Lil Kim/Trina/Foxy Brown/practically every other female rapper who hit in the late 90s, not all of Missy's singles were about how nasty she was in bed.

like she's totally be embracing consumerism/commodification while also, it seems, knowingly portraying it all as scary/unreal/absurd

― Chris S, Monday, January 23, 2012 3:05 AM (6 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

this seems v otm

― tinie tempurah (lex pretend), Monday, January 23, 2012 4:05 AM (5 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

yeah, the use of sexuality, absurdity and distancing in the creation of a pop image reminds me somewhat of lady gaga, though minaj's persona is more limited by and to the "sex object" signifiers she plays with.

I can't quite tell where Nicki is coming from with the hypersexual/Barbie thing. like she's totally be embracing consumerism/commodification while also, it seems, knowingly portraying it all as scary/unreal/absurd

I think this is, like, EXACTLY how we're supposed to feel, and the reason I can't get excited about it.

nicki minaj is a million times funnier than lady gaga & about 2/3 as funny as missy

eh, different kinds of humor with different aims (re: minaj vs gaga)

this is getting pwnd on youtube in the like/dislike war

the bug-eyed baby minaj diva singing "stupid hoe" while standing on a giant chair is really the moment where i'm like oh fuck it i'm enjoying this

ha otm

it's ANIME EYES *fumes*

Sorry I'm playing catch up.

this is getting pwnd on youtube in the like/dislike war
― J0rdan S., Monday, January 23, 2012 7:49 PM (1 week ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

I can't understand why the r&b/hip hop community is not liking this. I guess being weird is not cool anymore. I guess you have to be all cool and "swag"??? Also, does it seem like r&b/hip hop doesn't like uptempo songs anymore. It seems like artists release an uptempo high concept song and it tanks and then releases a midtempo catchy, but boring song and it does well. Also does this song sound vaguely Balitmorish clubby to you guys? Maybe I'm reaching.

I think this is, like, EXACTLY how we're supposed to feel, and the reason I can't get excited about it.

― Clarke B., Monday, January 23, 2012 9:45 AM (1 week ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

I personally think she is the true descendant of Grace Jones which is why I'm enjoying this. Grace made people uncomfortable and Nicki is doing the same thing (but doing it with a sense of humor) for the r&b/hip hop community who tend to cry foul after a woman gets some longevity and tries something different.

nicki minaj is a million times funnier than lady gaga & about 2/3 as funny as missy

― flopson, Monday, January 23, 2012 9:46 AM (1 week ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

OTM!!!!!!

It's not even that fast. It's only 100 bpm, which is way slower than "Super Bass" but a lot faster than most rap that gets played on the radio in 2012. 90-100 used to be pretty normal tempo for rap songs.

It's not Outkast "B.O.B" fast but still fast (and random) enough for people to not like it. Also this song is marketed towards the hip hop community while "Super Bass" is a pop song. An uptempo pop song is expected while uptempo hip hop songs don't get that much love.

"Stupid Hoe" is approx 99999999999999999x better than "Fly."

otm

Grace made people uncomfortable and Nicki is doing the same thing (but doing it with a sense of humor)

just r'd my e's so hard that I can see inside my skull

Grace totally had a sense of humor, even if it isn't quite as bugged out as Nicki's.

had and still has

also nicki is trying pretty hard to court that comparison w/ the grace jones homage in the video (albeit the exact same homage amber rose and kanye did a couple years earlier)

Nicki seems more one-note and less adultlike than Grace Jones. Also (pardon misused terminology) dont the downbeats in "Stupid Hoe" hit on 1234 instead of just 24 making it seem faster than it is?

Like "Fight The Power" seems a lot slower than this despite having a v similar bpm

the snare/clap is on all four quarter notes of "stupid hoe" and just on the 3 of "fight the power" -- i guess you could say it's 2 or 4 times the bpm depending on how you count it

They're on the 8th notes actually, which is what gives it the double-time feel.

Ok ya that's what I meant

Nicki seems more one-note and less adultlike than Grace Jones.

There are times that Grace has felt one note even though that's not the case. (Examples of "I've Done it Again and "Victor Should Have Been a Jazz Musician). I also feel that Grace courts more of the seriousness in her music/videos than the humor even though she is a funny person.

Nicki is just more overtly goofy and incorporates that in her music more.

also nicki is trying pretty hard to court that comparison w/ the grace jones homage in the video (albeit the exact same homage amber rose and Kanye did a couple years earlier)

There have been a lot of Grace Jones homages of the past few years, but I like Nicki's because even though her being unsettling to listeners is done in a different angle than Grace's. Like Grace she moves through genres a little off kilter. There is something inviting yet a little grating about both of their performances. Grace can be seen as just a monotone sing talk dominatrix while Nicki can be seen as an annoying drama student trying to rap. Also, their sexuality s not solely for the hetero-male gaze compared to their peers (Diana Ross/Madonna for Grace; Lil Kim/Foxy for Nicki).

tl;dr version - Both crazy women who do interesting, though not fail proof music who can be a little scary and/or annoying.

As you can hear in this video clip, Nicki Minaj slowed down is 100 percent without question actually Jay-Z.

i guess that sounds exactly like jay-z if you've heard less than two minutes of jay-z's music in your entire life

h8 nicki for releasing an inferior song called "marilyn monroe" while brianna's song is out

Brianna just put out a new video for it, though, so it looks like she's getting a proper push, maybe?

Amazing song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kEO5gLW2TI

oh cool, i'm glad they didn't use the remix w/ Wale for the video, i was afraid that was gonna be the version they give a big push

"sex symbol/should be on jimmy kimmel" is one of my favorite lyrics of late

Actually, why doesn't this have its own thread. Do we feel like it's the kind of song that deserves its own thread?

well you never know how these things will pan out, but i wouldn't mind a dedicated Brianna thread -- she dropped a mixtape on Christmas that's pretty good

favorite part of that verse is "bout to change my name...PRINCE SYMBOL," imo the most defensible grocery bag of the last few months

Although it just reminds me of Missy's "Prince couldn't get me change my name"

Voila: Brianna - 'Marilyn Monroe'

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xolh0s_21221223435_lifestyle

VERY GOOD NICKI. nice catholic/exorcism imagery for your gay male alter ego

I can't tell whether you're being sarcastic or not.

He isn't.

I liked it. I thought the song was decent too; chorus reminded me of an unhinged Cyndi Lauper sample

http://www.factmag.com/2012/02/14/nicki-minaj-starships/

This is....suspect. Like her halfway point b/t Taio Cruz and California Gurls.

hahahaha this is terrible

what the hell is happening in the middle of this song

that's the part where the demo RedONE put together for LMFAO leaked through the master copy