Nicki Minaj- The Pinkprint- Full Album Review

On the 15 of December, rapper Nicki Minaj released her highly anticipated The Pinkprint, worldwide. With Nicki’s first two albums containing almost polar opposite sounds to them (from hip-hop to dance pop), the rapper managed to convey a wide array of different sounds and feelings on this cohesive body of work. Minaj also managed to show a hugely different side of herself, with just the album opener, “All Things Go”, pertaining to the rapper’s damaged connections with different members of her family that she has been attempting to rekindle since she hit fame. The album is full of high profile features such as former “Bang Bang” collaborator Ariana Grande. Also included on the album is another former collaborator, this time on the famous “Flawless Remix”, Beyoncé. The two stars came together to create a track that did everything but scream smash hit. Other tracks such as “Only” feature label mates such as Drake and Lil Wayne. 

The first single off the album, “Pills N’ Potions”, features a more pop sound with a hook sung by Minaj herself. While it only managed to find a niche audience and failed to provide the exposure a lead single is meant to provide, the second single, “Anaconda”, featured a viral video that skyrocketed the track to number two on the Billboard Hot 100. This became that artist’s biggest single to date, beating out her previous high point, “Super Bass”, which fought its way up to number three in the year of 2011. Follow up singles “Only” (urban single) and “Bed of Lies” (pop single) have already garnered critical acclaim, joining each and every single’s positive reviews from critics worldwide.

Overall, this definitely is one of my favorite albums of 2014. The cohesive 22 track work displays all sides of Nicki, sides revealed in ways never before on this heartfelt work. From Chris Brown to Skylar Grey, from hard rap to soulful ballads to straight up pop jams, you would be hard pressed to not find something you can enjoy on this diverse, solid album that manages to span all genres, serving all of her fans in one body of work. I would recommend any hip-hop enthusiast to pick up the album today!

Nicki Minaj ft. Skylar Grey- Bed of Lies Review

On Saturday, the 15th of November, Nicki Minaj released her highly anticipated 3rd single (Dual release with urban track Only) Bed of Lies, featuring Skylar Grey, to digital retailers worldwide. How does this track, recently promoted at MTV's EMA awards, stack up to previously released singles off The Pinkprint? Find out after the jump.

Bed of Lies is a piano led track, with Skylar Grey nailing the vocals of the chorus and bridge down easily. The singer manages to bring a sweet and sensitive sound to the track, which allows us to easily jump into Minaj's first verse. The two rap verses featured in this track are more thoughtful in content rather than what was featured in previous singles, such as Only and Anaconda. This, along with Skylar's vocals, make the track very reminiscent to Pills N' Potions, the first single released from this era. However, with an overall more mature sound to it, Bed of Lies turns out to be similar to a grown up, big sister like sequel to Pills N' Potions, lyrically and vocally.

All parts of the song lyrically excell, with the track being centered around someone (widely believed to be Minaj's old partner Safaree Samuels, whom she had a ten year relationship with) who has broken the rapper's heart, with the lyrics surrounding their turbulent relationship.

Overall, this incredible track is already being widely considered as the best single released off of The Pinkprint thus far, and could end up finding itself being a top ten hit. Tell me what you think of the track in the comments below, and I'll see you in the next review!

Nicki Minaj- Anaconda Review + Listen

I've been obsessed with this song since its release, sorry about not posting earlier. Let's hop right in to the review of Nicki Minaj's Anaconda.

Anaconda, the followup to the under-performing Pills N Potions, shows off a completely different side of the self proclaimed Rap Queen. The song features a tastefully executed sample of the number one single, "Baby Got Back", giving the track a perfect beat for Minaj's laid back rap verses. While the energy fluctuates through out the song's four minute run, the twerk anthem always manages to keep it danceable, and had me goin' in within the first listen.

The track features laid back verses, uptempo, rapid fire pre-choruses, and a "Look at her butt" led chorus. There's not much to describe this song with, other than with the word "fun". The track is a party anthem that is already all over the radio, and should be dominating for weeks to come.

Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj- Bang Bang Review + Listen

Late on the night of July 28th, the new collaborative effort between 3 of the biggest names in music, Bang Bang was release to iTunes worldwide. Were the huge amounts of hype circulating this release really worth the finished product? Find out after the jump.

Bang Bang is an upbeat urban pop banger, with the first word I would use to describe it as is loud. The entirety of the 3 and a half minute track sounds like a party, with powerhouse, impeccable vocals, coupled with a clap led unending instrumental track that works perfectly with all three artists' unique style.

The 3 leads all bring something different to the song with each of their verses, making for an interesting track that doesn't dull throughout its run. Ariana and Jessie's vocals compliment each other perfectly in the chorus, and each manages to shine in their own verse. Nicki's rapid fire flow allows her verse to hit all the high marks, as the 3 all join in the chorus to deliver a staple in every party playlist.

Overall, this is an amazing song. The 3 vocalists all bring something different to the table in this new collaborative track that soars above and beyond all their fanbases' expectations. The track is already shooting up (ha) iTunes charts worldwide, and is shaping up to be a global smash for weeks.

What do you all think of Bang Bang? Was it what you were expecting? Share in the comments below, and I'll see you next time!

Nicki Minaj- Pills N Potions Review

After a number of promo single including Boss Ass Bitch and Lookin' Ass being released over the past few months, the official lead single of rapper Nicki Minaj's highly anticipated third LP The Pink Print was released on Wednesday the 21st. How does the song compare to the numerous amount of promo tracks that preceded it? Find out after the jump!

The song starts off with a hard, haunting drum beat, coupled with a piano to round out the instrumental side. Minaj then starts in on the track, softly singing in a manner we've yet to hear from her, that honestly, sounds beautiful, before jumping into the hook, which features more R&B centered vocals. We then jump into the first verse, which features laid back heavy rap vocals from Nicki. The speed of the rap picks up slowly throughout the verse right up until the end, before we jump right back into the pre-hook the song began with. We continue this pattern once more, before the song comes to an end.

The song, while not exactly new rap-wise, is something we really haven't heard from Minaj. The powerful ballad centered hook is surprising coming from her, but her voice works it beautifully. The song also triumphs lyrically, as the song is centered around someone who has obviously betrayed her, but she won't hold grudges. The lyrics are laid out perfectly, and the track really tells a story.

Overall, this is not what I was expecting from the female emcee. With the plethora of heavy rap promo tracks we've received in the past few months, a rap/ballad hybrid was not what I was expecting. However, the track is formulated excellently, and the instrumental track works seamlessly with the vocals. I could easily see this being played on the radio, however, it is different enough from most radio songs today that it could stand out amongst the many pop tracks we hear today. This, in my opinion could be one of her biggest crossover hits today.

Nicki Minaj- Lookin Ass Ni--a Review+Downloads

Hey everyone, after almost two months due to lack of new music, I'm back with a new review, this time featuring one of the Hottest MCs in the Game, Nicki Minaj.

After reining in the New Year freestyling over PTAF's Boss Ass Bitch (at the same time garnering them a record deal), she continued her stream of guest features on Young Thug's Danny Glover, proclaiming that she has a mixtape and an album in the works for 2014. It seems as if these works are going to see the light of day quicker than we thought, as the new track Lookin' Ass Ni--a, expected to be a single off her 2014 album, The Pink Print, also appearing on Young Money's Rise of an Empire, was released Wednesday, the 12th. This adds another song to her current stream of new tracks, all strengthening the fact that The Queen's back, and she's "back on the prowl", in her own words. So, is this new track worth all the hype that it's been released to? Find out below.

Warning, video is definitely NSFW.

The song actually starts off pretty well... ok, with the first 40 seconds being predominantly focused on the word ni--a being repeated over, and over, and over again, within the first verse of the song. While this would be ok, the fact that the song doesn't even clock in at 3 minutes makes it take away from the song to a degree. However, after that we move into the second verse, featuring hard, rapid fire lines delivered by Minaj, coupled with an equally hard, bass led instrumental track. The energy doesn't drop off until the end of the verse, but we quickly jump back into the second verse, featuring the same intensity as the previous verse, at some points containing the most intense parts of the song. However, shortly after that and an about 30 second instrumental outro, the song ends.

While the song's good, its short duration is upsetting. However, given the other tracks and verses we've been given in the past few months, we have been getting a consistent stream of solid new tracks, with this being no exception. The instrumental and vocal tracks blend well together, making overall a hard rap track that is reminiscent of her early works, something her fans are sure to love.

Feel free to download the track below on iTunes or Amazon, and I'll see you all in my next review!

Chris Brown Ft. Nicki Minaj Love More Download+Review

Oh hey, remember that one time when I didn't post for like 6 years? Stop judging me. Anyways, I'm back now with a review of Love More by Chris Brown and Nicki Minaj.

Love more features a fast paced beat full of marching drums and heavy bass, coupled with Brown's fast paced, smooth R&B vocals. The innuendo filled song offers little variety, only having two verses besides the chorus. However, soon after the track starts to get redundant, Nicki Minaj starts in with a quick paced, swaggerish (which is just as innuendo filled as the rest of the song) verse that's over as quickly as it began.

Overall the song is just... pretty ok. While it's incredibly short (barely clocking in at 3 minutes) the track manages to pack 3 hardcore verses, coupled with a swaggerish, bass heavy beat, perfect for an R&B track. So while the song is good, it is in no way Brown or Minaj's best work, and I expect only moderate radio rotation before Brown moves to his next single.

                                    

Ciara- Ciara Review+Download

On Tuesday, the 9th, Ciara released her self titled 5th album Ciara. Followed up from her less than successful 2010 effort Basic Instinct, Ciara has a lot to prove in her new 11 track album. Does she have what it takes to regain the airplay that her hit singles like Goodies and 1,2 Step had? Find out in the review below.

Ciara starts out strong with club banger I'm Out, which features a verse from Nicki Minaj. Nicki starts the album out strong with a fast paced, hard hitting verse. Ciara doesn't let the energy die there though, delivering swaggerish verses over the bass heavy beat of the summer pop girl anthem.

          

While Ciara starts out strong with I'm Out, from there the album fluctuates all over the place. Featuring beautiful ballads that showcase Ciara's incredible voice like Body Party, and then other songs such as Sophomore, that really don't differentiate themselves except for being just another song on the album. Like most albums Ciara has its ups (Body Party, I'm Out, Overdose) and its downs (Sophomore, Super Turnt Up, Keep on Lookin') unfortunately the downs really outweigh the ups, and throughout most of the album I was just waiting to get to the next song, hoping for something that didn't feel like filler until we get to one of the highs of the album.

However, while most of the album falls into the category of mediocrity, the album does have its high spots. And these high spots really are diverse, and the album has pop, R&B, and and even electric feels throughout its 11 tracks, all of which exceed in their own right.

Overall, this album is a definite hit and miss, with unfortunately, most of it being a miss. However on this album, just like on all of her previous efforts, she is moving closer to finding out what her true sound is, and I would recommend Ciara to any R&B fan.

Are you a fan? Tell me below in the comments, and if you like it, make sure to check it out on iTunes or Amazon MP3 below!

                                    

                                                                                                                                    -Colby

Justin Timberlake: The 20/20 Experience: Track By Track Review

picture credit: http://pitchfork.com
Hey everyone, I'm here bringing you a review of Justin Timberlake's new album: The 20/20 Experience.  Bear with me guys, I'm still trying to perfect music reviews, it's hard! This'll be a quick review, so you can go out and buy the album yourself, enjoy!

JT The 20/20 Experience: Track By Track Review
Pusher Love Girl:
Oh an 8 minute song!  Great!  This song has a killer beat and a great hook, which blend perfectly.  Only JT can make an 8 minute song enjoyable.  Pusher love girl is a mid to up-tempo R&B song, and is a nice opener.  And even if it isn't too hard to make it through all 8 minutes, it is most certainly not necessary.  It's mainly just the hook over and over again, and it could have easily have ended at 4 minutes, but for some reason they found it necessary to add some weird vocal chops for about the whole 5th minute.  And a weird rap...  Ok, could have totally done without those last 4 minutes, which is why it gets an
8/10


Suit and Tie:
A bit of a throwback song, this may have not been the best track for JT to come back with, but it definitely works.  It's a good, mid-tempo R&B song.  It reminds us of the old JT, but with alot of new inspirations integrated into this song.  But then, in comes Jay-Z. For me, he totally ruins the song.  Granted, I usually enjoy Jay-Z, but when he comes in, it feels like it changes to a different song.  A different, not nearly as good song.  Aside from the rap verse, this is a very enjoyable song!
7/10

Don't Hold The Wall:
What's with all these long songs? A slow start, but once he starts singing, it's a great song.  The beat has an almost Indian feel, and it goes great with his voice.  I can't really compare this song to anything, since it isn't similar to any other songs.  This song is produced by Timbaland, and they definitely know how to make a great song.  However, the track then does something odd, where for the last 4 minutes of this (yeah, 7 minute) song, he doesn't really do any singing and the beat changes.  I'm sure there will be a radio edit, but it was odd, and took away from the experience.
8.5/10

Strawberry Bubblegum:
Why? Why must this song be 8 minutes? Any song that is over 5 minutes automatically loses half a point now.  That's what he gets for 4 minutes of pointlessness.  Strawberry Bubblegum has a cool, slightly electronic beat.  It, once again is a mid-tempo R&B song.  The point of the song is... strange.  He continues to call the girl he's talking about his strawberry bubblegum, and he's her blueberry lollipop.... k.  There's nothing that really stands out about this song, but, that's not to say it's bad.  It's single material, that is the radio edit is.  This song once again breaks down into some weird new beat for the last half, which does nothing for the song, as it once again is pointless.
With Reduction: 6.5/10
Without Reduction: 7/10

Tunnel Vision:
Guess who loses half a point.  This song is a bit more up-tempo, and this is definitely a strong point of the album.  I can definitely see this one on the radio soon.  If you didn't know, Timbaland produced the whole album, and they have certainly outdone themselves.  This is a very unique song, and doesn't sound like any of the other songs off the album.  Right around the four minute mark, the song just goes downhill (as all the rest do) and he barely even sings for the rest.
With Reduction: 8.5/10
Without Reduction: 9/10

Spaceship Coupe:
Once again, a great beat, and it really adds to the song, I'd say even makes it.  With a different beat, I don't think this song would be as good as it is now.  However, once again, this song really, sounds like the rest of the album.  And this one goes downhill even earlier! Around 3:50.  Now all the songs over 5 minutes lose a whole point.  Which is why this bland song gets a
With Reduction: 5/10
Without Reduction: 6/10

That Girl:
FINALLY! A REGULAR LENGTH SONG!  The song has a (even though I hate this word) funky beat.  I had very high hopes for this song, and I was pleasantly surprised, it met my expectations.  The hook has a nice little rap type part in the middle of it, which adds some originality to the song.  This song switches it up for the middle of the album, which was desperately needed.  This definitely shows off just how much JT can do, he can hold notes, or he can sing an upbeat tune, all in the same song, and it makes for a great song.
9/10

Let the Groove Get In:
As the title says, this song gets GROOVY! :D  This song has a sort of Indian essence to it, especially in the beginning.  I don't exactly see this as a radio song, but I think JT's core fans will love this one.  It doesn't really have very deep lyrics, (actually, most of the lyrics are the same) but this is just a fun pop song.  I feel like from That Girl to Let the Groove Get In, the album is starting to get much more original, and just as it's ending, too!  The last part of the song is mostly just instruments, but it actually makes sense on this song, so it won't get a reduction.
8.5/10

Mirrors:
This song, may be my favorite.  It doesn't sound like anything off the album, it's about the story and the beat.  If it hadn't already been named the next single, I would have guessed it would be.  This one, you just have to hear.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOZ-kPb_cTs
10/10! This song doesn't deserve a reduction!

Blue Ocean Floor:
Blue Ocean Floor ends the album off, very serenely.  It's a very calming song, and as I was writing this review, I hadn't had the best day, but this, made me feel much happier, and calmer.  If it had been anywhere else on the album, I wouldn't have liked it, but I just love how it ends off the album.  I usually am not a fan of slow ballads, but I could listen to this over and over again.  Unfortunately, the end ruins it (shocker!) just like all the other songs.
With Reduction: 7.5/10
Without Reduction: 8.5/10

This album, sadly, wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be.  Not to say it's not good, it just isn't as good as I thought it would be.  However, I already bought the album, and will listen to it over and over again and ruin it for myself (like I do every other album).  See you guys next time!

FINAL SCORE w/ reductions: 78.5/100

FINAL SCORE w/out reductions: 81.5/100

                                                                                                                     -Colby

*New single alert* Nicki Minaj- High School Review

picture credit- http://rapfix.mtv.com

Alright guys! First music review! Nicki Minaj (My favorite artist) is about to release her new single (and accompanying video) "High School". I've been a fan of this song since it came out, so everyone, put aside any bias for Nicki you may have, and listen to this review.

The song starts out fierce, as soon as the beat drops, she's on it.  Nicki starts busting raps with a non stop flow, and only gets faster from there on.  She picks up the pace until the end of her verse, leading us into the chorus, sung by Minaj herself.  I'm a fan of her singing, but I've always liked her rapping much more.  The chorus works for this song, but it almost seems like it was an afterthought, as it is very weak, and doesn't offer much. However, the song picks back up when we get to the second verse, rapped by Lil Wayne.  I've never been a big fan of Wayne, but he brings the song back up.  His verse keeps the song going at a nice pace, and it would have been nice if the song ended here.  However, they keep dragging this song out by repeating the chorus, and then ending the song off with a slow, yet slightly less boring outro.  So basically, the only thing that saves this song are the rap verses, leading the song to this score. 6.5/10

Alright guys, go easy on me!  This is my 1st song review, and I know it isn't great.  But I will get better! Make sure to leave some constructive criticism of my review and what you think of this song in the comments.  I'll be sure to reply! See you guys soon!
                                                                                                                           -Colby