By the time 2010 rolled around, debuts like
Nicki Minaj
's
Pink Friday
could still fall into the "highly anticipated" category, but the reasoning was different. Two years of strong mixtapes and guest appearances meant the hip-hop faithful already knew this sometimes dirty debutante could take that gutsy
Lil' Kim
style to another level, and that both the single and the full-length format were at her command. The only question left is how this versatile artist would present herself to the general public, and the answer is a
Gwen Stefani
-meets-
Baz Luhrman
Young Money
-type affair that both dazzles and disappoints. Feed off the production, the great musical ideas, and
Minaj
's keen sense of her surroundings, and
is an outstanding success. It's chock-full of new wave textures and diva attitude, creating the kind of atmosphere where
will.i.am
stops over while you tell the haters to kill themselves over a
"Video Killed the Radio Star"
sample (
"Check It Out"
). More grand moments come when
Kanye West
and
mack together on the great,
Simple Minds
-sampling
"Blazin,"
or when
"Your Love"
waltzes out of the speakers with a unique brand of hood majesty, but when
"Dear Old Nicki"
comes round with "In hindsight, I loved your rawness and I loved your edge,"
suggests that her growth as an artist requires the sacrificing of all
Trina
-like qualities. Confusingly, the key track,
"Romans Revenge,"
finds her winning while acting as savage as ever, standing up to
Eminem
-- who is in gross-mode -- and literally roaring like a tiger to get the job done. This is the
Nicki
the mixtape crowd fell in love with, and you only need check out 2009's mixtape
Beam Me Up Scotty
for examples of how the Barbie (read: pop and R&B) and the bitch (read: hip-hop) sides of
can be sensibly presented together. In the end,
is an ambitious, glossy stunner if fashion week is your favorite time of year, but
didn't earn her diva status this way. Longtime fans familiar with her underground work won't even consider this her debut, just an extravagant coming out party, the kind where the invite mentions "no sneakers or athletic apparel." ~ David Jeffries