My Top 5 Nicki Minaj Features
Christmas came early for Nicki Minaj fans when she dropped her most recent album, Pink Friday 2 in early December. Of course it comes as no surprise that the album was well received and has been loved by fans, aka “Barbs”. While I was giving the album a full listen, I started to think about how many iconic versus Nicki Minaj really has, not even including the songs on her own albums. In fact, Nicki Minaj has been featured on over 300 songs! That is absolutely insane and has basically solidified her as the queen of features. That being said, I wanted to lay out my personal top 5 of Nicki’s features.
#5 - “My Chick Bad” by Ludacris
Okay, starting with the number 5 spot, I chose “My Chick Bad” by Ludacris. I think what I love so much about Nicki’s feature in this song is how the whole song is talking about how Ludacris has this chick that basically blows all other women out of the water. However, when Nicki shows up in the song, she chooses to rap from the point of view of a crazy chick who will come after you instead of trying to be some sort of sexy fantasy. I have also always been obsessed with the lyrics of hers “It's goin' down, basement, Friday The 13th, guess who's playin' Jason? Tuck yourself in, you better hold on to your teddy, It's Nightmare On Elm Street and guess who's playin' Freddy?” It’s just such a fun verse to sing along to and as always, Nicki puts so much personality into it.
#4 - “Knockout” by Lil Wayne
Next up on my list is “Knockout” by Lil Wayne. For starters, I am not the first nor the last person to ever mention that pretty much any time Lil Wayne and Nicki work together on a song, it is going to be a hit. But what is so unique about this one is that “Knockout” was when Lil Wayne was in his “rocker era” and created this sort of mash up between rock/alternative and pop compared to his usual music. What makes Nicki’s feature so iconic is that although this feature on a Lil Wayne song is not usually what we would expect from the two of them, she still completely nails it and keeps up with the vibe of the song, while still be distinctly Nicki. Honestly, this song is so underrated and truly showcases just how much talent and versatility both Nicki and Lil Wayne have. Plus, the line “Give 'em more head than toupees” is just so iconic and always makes me smile.
#3 - “Dance (A$$)” by Big Sean
Next up is the song “Dance (A$$)” by Big Sean. Now, Big Sean knew that he couldn’t put out a song in the early 2010s talking about ass without including Nicki Minaj, and boy did she live up to the feature. While Nicki was getting more and more popular, the topic of her body, specifically her butt, was often discussed and analyzed in regard to cosmetic procedures. To make it even better, in her verse, she even pokes fun at herself, proving that she is in on the joke and fully aware of what people are saying with her lyrics “And it’s finally soft, yeah, it’s finally solved, I don’t know, man, guess them ass shots wore off”. It would also be a crime for me to bring up Nicki’s feature in this song and not mention how much everyone loved the way she drags out the note on the word “Waikiki” before going into the next verse where she is basically telling everyone to kiss her ass. Overall, the whole feature is so fun to sing along to and I can’t help but respect Nicki’s sense of humor, especially surrounding her own body.
#2 - “Monster” by Kanye West
Now I am fully aware that many people would put “Monster” by Kanye West as Nicki’s best feature but it comes in at a VERY close second place for me. Her feature on this absolutely makes the song, it wouldn’t be the same without her. I mean right out of the gate, she hands us a lyric that is still quoted daily over 10 years later, “Pull up in the monster, automobile gangsta, With a bad bitch that came from Sri Lanka”. I love how at the beginning of her verse, she plays along with the theme of monsters because of the song as a whole but then starts to use the opportunity to clap back at people who my criticize her, basically those people saying she’s a monster herself. She even sets the record straight with anyone doubting her talent with what I consider to be the best line out of the whole song “So let me get this straight, wait, I'm the rookie? But my features and my shows ten times your pay? 50K for a verse, no album out”. Like ???? You can’t argue with that! That line in and of itself is proof that Nicki Minaj is the feature queen. Honestly, every single line from her verse on this song is quotable and has held the test of time.
#1 - “Bottoms Up” by Trey Songz
Coming in at what I consider to be the BEST Nicki Minaj feature ever, “Bottoms Up” by Trey Songz. I can almost guarantee that even if someone isn’t a fan of Nicki Minaj, they have at least heard her verse on this song. I am also pretty confident that even if I end up getting dementia in my old age, if they play this song in the nursing home, I will start rapping along with Nicki’s verse and match her bar for bar. I mean even just starting out with “Could I get that 'trón? Could I get that Remy? Could I get that Coke? Could I get that Henny? Could I get that margarita on the rock-rock-rocks? Could I get that salt all around that rim, rim, rim, rim? Trey, I was like, "Yo, Trey, Do you think you could buy me a bottle of Rosé?” makes her verse so fun from the start. I know I am not the only one who has also fantasized about quoting these lines while going up to a bar to order a drink. The verse continues to just serve attitude and more quotable lines like “I don't say, "Hi", I say, "Keys to the Benz"“ and her little shoutout to Anna Nicole Smith. To take it a step further, Nicki also includes one of her typical “personality switches” she will do when rapping and slip into this more nice girl version of herself before jumping back into the classic Nicki we all love. I mean come on!! This whole verse is just so fun to rap along to in the car when it comes on and hands down made this song what it is, solidifying itself in early 2010s music history.
It is obviously very difficult to narrow down so many iconic features of hers into only a top 5, however, these are the ones I am the most drawn to. Rather that be out of nostalgia, or simply just one iconic line that made me laugh, these features only barley scratch the surface of Nicki Minaj’s talent. I think it is safe to say that if you want to elevate your song, give Queen Nicki a feature!
What is your favorite Nicki Minaj feature?
