One day, I hope to have children and I am going to have to explain my generation’s taste in music. Now if I was raised in the 70s I could say that we listened to Marvin Gaye and Nina Simone. But no. I have the one and only Nicki Minaj. (I’m praying that her name will be erased from the history books by the time I procreate. *crossing fingers and toes*)
I’ve never been a Minaj fan. Her music, style, and antics just don’t appeal to me. Every artist isn’t going to have the depth and grace of Nina Simone or Tracy Chapman but c’mon now. This is what the industry has to offer? An over the top music video laced with idiotic lyrics that practically made my body and mind seize?
Speaking of lyrics let’s analyze them for a moment shall we?
First she takes a jab at her competition (Lil Kim maybe?):
Bitch talkin she the queen when she looking like a lab rat
I’m Angelina, you Jennifer, c’mon bitch you see where Brad at?
The adversarial nature of hip-hop at it’s best huh? Is it another Ether? I think not.
Ice my wrist-es then I piss on bitches
You could suck my diznick, if you taking shizzes
You don’t like them disses, give my ass some kisses
Yeah they know what this is givin this some business
The first graders I used to work with could come up with better rhymes than this poor excuse for a set rhyming couplets. Diznick? Shizzes? Has anyone in her camp ever heard of dictionary?
Let’s skip a stanza and go to this little charmer:
Ey yo SB, what the fuck’s good?
We ship platinum, them bitches is shippin wood
Them nappy headed hoes, but my kitchen good
I wish I wish I wish I wish a bitch woooooouuuulllldddd
Did she really just refer to certain women, women of AFRICAN descent as “nappy headed hoes”? I’m sorry but I remember Don Imus catching hell for this yet here she is spouting nonsense against the women who actually put money into her pocket. Here’s an artist that is supposed to represent women yet she uses an adjective like nappy? I would think that a woman of Afro-descent wouldn’t incorporate a loaded term like nappy into her lyrical repertoire but I guess that’s too much to ask for in 2012.
The chorus is stellar I must say:
You a stupid ho, you a you a stupid ho
You a stupid ho, you a you a stupid ho
You a stupid ho, you a you a stupid ho
You a stupid ho, you a you a stupid ho
You a stupid ho, yeah you a you a stupid ho
You a stupid ho you a you a stupid ho
You stupid stupid, you a stupid ho
You a you a stupid ho, you stupid stupid
Really? Really Ms. Minaj? This is what you and Young Money came up with? Repeatedly referring to someone as a “stupid ho”? I won’t even bother going through the rest of the lyrics. It’s too painful. She does claim to be the “female Weezy” at the end of this so-called song. Now Ms. Minaj, why not just be your own person and let Weezy be Weezy? But she’s well on her way to be Weezy with a vagina. She’s got the grating voice, silly punchlines, and candy coated lyrics. Way to go.
This song is stupid. This video is stupid. Youtube viewers have recognized the asinine nature of this production and the dislike bar is growing rapidly. It’s woefully unfortunate that the sole female face in mainstream music uses her platform to degrade women and arguably degrade herself. I’m not a prude. But I contend that Minaj’s overt sexuality is not empowering. If anything she is a 21st century Jezebel. What’s worse is that there are no opposing forms of femininity in mainstream music to give listeners an option.
In all honesty I’d like to see Minaj disappear from music but her fan base is strong. It’s her world, and the rest of us just live in it so she’s going to be around for awhile. In the meantime Ms. Minaj, “step your cookies up” as you are so fond of saying. Give your listeners some real lyrics so when folks claim “TeamMinaj” or whatever the hell it’s called, the rest of us won’t scoff and snicker.
