Shawty Imma Tell You This Once Your the Illest

- Your Love by Nicki Minaj is where Asian Sensation meets Hip Hop's Chop Shop. the beginning opens and it almost sounds futuristic. the pounding of the drums is like the pounding of a heart and the repetitive sound of the snaps sounds like a crowd just grooving to the beat, in time. The little chimes that sounds here and there make it almost whimsical and makes as though the scene is set in a secret garden. The background voices are also present from the beginning and blend with the music as well. it is also a nod or reference to the Stevie's Wonder "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Da- Day."
 - Nicki's voice continues with the trend of the crossover of Hip Hop and Asian culture, as we here the auto tune to create the sound of a Asian singer or performer. The actual video is set in a Marshall arts school complete with traditional Chinese garb and scenery. Also the references of "When I Was A Geisha, He Was A Samurai" confirms as well. This is also a good line reference where the lyrics meet the sound which meet the video. What I like with the actual video is that it connects to the meaning and lyrics of the song. Some stars, like Lady Gaga, even though i love her, have fallen in this trap or misinterpretation of taking creative license and thinking outside the box too far and now when talking about telephones and the club it suddenly becomes about position a man in the diner and driving off with Beyonce. It just doesn't make sense however Nicki actually gets that and goes the normal route. She made clear what was the concept, the meaning and the feeling she wanted to invoke.

I Fly High I'm Blazin

"How could it me, little me                 

Had the power to be the best B, in the league
Yeah inevitably, but could it be little me
You was heckling me, now it's monotony when I regularly
I catch wreck on recreation, so I exceed all your expectations "

Blazin by Nicki Minaj means just what it says. The track is an inferno upbeat song that is a little reminsance of the Breakfast Club Era with the sound and feel. The song begins with a lot going on. The tempo builds as well as the the background voices. When the first verse begins with only Nicki singing like a lone raindrop before the summer storm. Then everything rises like a wildfire and the sounds and lyrics and voices clash and meld through the chorus.
The first verse is a testimate to what Nicki has been doing in the game. The quote above, which is part of the first verse is a shoutout to the haters. I mean she is essentially putting in "on blast" those who didn't think she could make it or wouldn't be successful. "You was heckling me, now it's monotomy when I regularly I catch wreck on recreation, so I exceed all your expectations" is a direct correlation to that. The first four lines of the first verse are said with no beat or sound behind it which makes it to one of the most important lines in the whole song.
As the song continues to the second verse Nicki gives Kanye West time to shine. I mean he too was conversational when he came out and still is today. who better to put the haters on blast than Kanye West who has been doing it for a very long time. There is the same reptition of no sound and no beat for the first four lines of the second verse. "Ugh, yea, ugh this a moment grab your Kodak while i'm flying with a flow that is a greatest throwback since that Nolan Ryan." Nolan Ryan being a pitcher in the Major Leagues that regularly threw 100mph. As the sound and tempo build again Kanye goes into a rapidly recited verse that referenced the "Messiah" which in his other song "Power" he does often through the chants and his lyrics.

 

Is It Pink or Hot Pink ? That My Friend Is the Question

       Ahh Pink Friday. You have captivated my heart but did you do the same for others ? Sorry Nicki but  I don't think you did it for Scott Plagenhoef.. He seems to think you have a great image but you "wanted to be like everyone else." (PitchFork) Your album wasn't "about showing off a range of talents-- it's about leaning on the ones that have worked in the marketplace." No to mention you got "upstaged by Drake and Kanye West on "Moment 4 Life" and "Blazin'", respectively," of course...
       Wow. Plagenhoef just let the fist fly. In essence the album didn't not live up to its hype, Nicki was out raped by other artist and it was just about image and marketing. I seem to have a tad bit issue with these allegiations.... IT'S ALL FALSE FALSE FALSE ! THAT ALBUM WAS EVERYTHING AND MORE. IT EXCEEDED MY EXPECTATIONS AS WELL AS THE WHOLE WORLDS AND SHE OWNED EVERYTHING SONG WITH OR WITHOUT GUEST FEATURES. That was my only complaint otherwise I value Plagenhoef''s opinion for what it is. Though I do not know if he has the credentials to back up what he is saying the bottom line is that after listening to Pink Friday for the gazillionth time, I can personally a test to, Pink Friday was a well rounded album that pulled from many of Nicki Minaj's talent as a entertainer, comic, singer, actor, and MC.

  "Pink Friday is a collection of tracks that take into account Nicki Minaj’s delectable talents as an MC, however, the overall nature of the album lacks the ability to work as a cohesive piece and ultimately falls flat.

The tracks themselves are first rate and Nicki has the innate ability to demonstrate that she can change who she is and how she raps in order to breathe life into a track, which is exactly what she did with the tracks “Here I Am,” “Roman’s Revenge,” and “Right Thru Me.” In this way, each track is brilliant on it’s own."
       
     Well Nicki at least somebody besides your 3 million fans finds Pink Friday to be in fact Hot Pink. The folks at CBS actually applaud your daringness and your ability to open doors for hiphop. The quote above illustrates some of my stand point on your album. I completely agree that your talent is the focal point of this album. The tracks do not over power you yet still being able to "breathe life into a track" is a amazing talent that most female MCs haven'tm been able to do in a long time. The records that are mentioned, "Here I Am" "Roman's Revene" and "Right Thru Me" are some of the best tracks on the album. They are great by themselves but they each show a different part of Nicki that ranges from the soulful Nicki to the aggresive female MC to the pop singer. all these different sides of her talent makes her interesting and versatile.

its Pink Friday Friday Friday !!!

     It's Pink Friday,  Pink Friday
Gotta get down on Friday
Everybody's lookin' forward to the album, album
 Pink Friday,  Pink Friday
Gettin' down on Friday
Everybody's lookin' forward to the album.. 

 That was a total parody on Rebecca Black's Friday but the over eager joy she felt making that song is the way I feel when listening to Nicki Minaj.This might not be the perfect desert island disc but it is perfect for me. It has a nice blend of sounds and color that might possibly sustain me for a long period of time without company just solitude.

Not only does the album speak for itself but the album cover as well. There are two color schemes: Pink & Silver.  The emphasis on Pink is clear as the color is repeated in the background, the word, the shoes and the hair. The barbie like feel just illustrates Nicki's persona and her quirkiness and her ability to have fun being who she is, even if that means wearing a pink wig and 20 inch stelletos .  The overall mood and variety of this album makes it almost perfect for any occasion and when you brave a deserted island, literally or metaphorically, you have to ready and up for anything 

Swartley Oh My

"All I want is for a voice to come out of the wilderness and the stereo to crackle in flames like the burning bush. I don't want to have to ask,' Are you talking to me?' I want to know. And then I want to dance. In other words, I'm going to be a sucker for someone who takes rock and roll as a religion, and romanticizes the hell out of mundane details."
    Ariel Swartley opens with what she is looking for in an album and in hindshight found those qualities in Bruce Springsteen's The Wild, The Innocent and The E Street Shuffle. In short Swartley wants something that is exciting, descriptive and rock and roll. It needs to have pasaze and enough substance to either take you to a peculiar location or give enough of a picture to let your imagination go wild. Some of these qualifications I used in my own decision making for my desert island album. I want something that can transport me from my solitude and isolation that I found myself in. Some that fit the mood of the island would only lull you to stay there and the exact opposite of what i want. Swartley can relate. 

How Did We Get Here ?

It actually sounds really simple to take a album to a desert island. I mean you would think it would go something like "Hey Mom! Can i Borrow the Bon Jovi album? I am going to a desert island and I would really like to listen to that as I search for food & shelter?" Sounds simple right ? But in all honestly it isn't. Do you want something that keeps you occupied? Do you want something that reminds you of home? What is a desert island? is it a metaphor ? is it literal? All these questions come into play and what you thought was walking on easy street suddenly becomes a intersection with a traffic clog and no lights as construction work lies ahead.

The one thing I do think might be stress free is blogging. for those who don't know but actually are reading this on a Blog, it is a "log of thoughts and writing posted publicly on the World Wide Web." (Andrew Sullivan)