The Pinkprint
*The Pinkprint* has traces of the candy-colored hooks and wicked-fast lyricism that make Nicki Minaj one of the most versatile superstars in the game, but there’s little of the dance-pop dazzle that propelled her earlier crossover hits like “Super Bass” and “Starships.\" Instead, Minaj’s third album is filled with slinking tempos and heavy-hitting collaborations—Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, Drake, Lil Wayne, and Chris Brown turn up before the halfway point. Simmering downtempo tunes like “Only,” “Get on Your Knees,” and “Pills N Potions” can come across as confessional or coy, but Minaj\'s whiplash-inducing verses on the Sir Mix-a-Lot–sampling “Anaconda” and the punchline-packed “I’m Feeling Myself” leave us in awe of her commanding presence.
It has become nearly impossible to discuss Nicki Minaj without scrutinizing the bitter turf war that has played out between gritty street raps and pop anthems on past albums. Her last album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, literally split itself in two making the distinction. Following the release of hard-hitting songs…
The Pinkprint is Nicki Minaj’s busting-out-all-over magnum opus, a love letter to her supernova star power and hip-hop radicalism, her teeming brain and her body electric.
Although it was explained in pre-release promo material as a return to her early hardcore rap style, Nicki Minaj's third studio album landed as the diva's own 808s & Heartbreak, although one with an extra booty-worshiping summer hit ("Anaconda") plus some bad ballers that really do bring back mixtape memories ("Feeling Myself," where special guest Beyoncé acts like a wonderful cross of Lil' Kim and Grace Jones; then there's the traptastic "Only," which is just too nasty to summarize).
The Pinkprint is the third studio album from Nicki, and delivers some of the slick-tongued spitter's best work as 19 strong, multidimensional tracks tip-toe away from the pop planet of "Starships," ushering the rapper closer to her originally raw hip-hop roots.
Album review: Nicki Minaj - The Pinkprint. Rapper fails to deliver her USP on this sad-sounding third LP...
The Pinkprint is a nakedly introspective work that reduces Minaj’s formerly freewheeling aesthetic to its bare components.
Album number three from hip hop's controversial pop empress. Review by Thomas H Green.