Really good post, but I'd like to see you nail down what specific choices/ verses on the album are particularly egregious conceits to the sort of amorphous antagonist 'corporate pop.' Like, the two songs you identify as not as great are "Your Love" and "Last Chance." But looking just at lyrics, I'm not sure what's the concession in unapologetically liking a dude, nor how it represents a significant shift from, say, her verse on the "Best I Ever Had" remix on Beam Me Up Scotty. Same with "Last Chance" - I actually think she's really inspired lyrically and uses her voice really well in the speed up/ change pitch parts in the second verse. And if you're identifying something too 'corporate' in the beats, I'm not sure how the beats she's rapping over on Pink Friday have any more terrible pop influence than the top 40 songs she's rapping over on the mixtapes?
On Selling Herself Short: The Miscontexualization of Nicki Minaj
Really good post, but I'd like to see you nail down what specific choices/ verses on the album are particularly egregious conceits to the sort of amorphous antagonist 'corporate pop.' Like, the two songs you identify as not as great are "Your Love" and "Last Chance." But looking just at lyrics, I'm not sure what's the concession in unapologetically liking a dude, nor how it represents a significant shift from, say, her verse on the "Best I Ever Had" remix on Beam Me Up Scotty. Same with "Last Chance" - I actually think she's really inspired lyrically and uses her voice really well in the speed up/ change pitch parts in the second verse. And if you're identifying something too 'corporate' in the beats, I'm not sure how the beats she's rapping over on Pink Friday have any more terrible pop influence than the top 40 songs she's rapping over on the mixtapes?