Nicki Minaj Releases ‘The Pinkprint Freestyle,’ Gives Shout Outs To Meek Mill, Lil Wayne, And Harambe The Gorilla
Nicki Minaj dropped a new song, “The Pinkprint Freestyle,” on Sunday, which is the “Anaconda” performer’s first new song since she released The Pinkprint almost two years ago on Universal Records.
Minaj certainly doesn’t hold anything back on the latest six-minute track. She begins the song by giving a shout out to fellow rapper Lil Wayne while rapping over Young M.A.’s hit track “OOOUUU.”
The Trinidad native, known for her unforgiving style of rap, delivers the opening lines of “The Pinkprint Freestyle” by saying, “Young M.A, it’s the female Jay/ I’m a brand, according to what retail say / Yeah, my tour she selling out on pre-sale day / Plus I got the Tidal queen stream, press replay.”
On “The Pinkprint Freestyle,” Minaj raps over a bass-heavy beat with a mesmerizing background, but Nicki always steals the show with her clever and unabashed lyrics. The rapper is so experienced at turning a phrase she even mentioned Harambe, the gorilla who was killed in an enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo after grabbing a child. Somehow, the lyric sounds slick and fits perfectly in the song when rapped by Minaj.
Nicki spit the line, “I’m dragging these hoes likes Harambe did the kid,” which is a brilliant shout out to the internet’s favorite murdered gorilla. Of course, that’s not the only razor sharp observation Minaj makes throughout “The Pinkprint Freestyle.”
Minaj maintains a conversational tone for the song while continuously delivering unapologetic lines like, “F–ck outta here you dumb b—h/You know I’m pretty and I’m witty and I’m dumb rich,” Nicki raps, “You throw shade, but I sun b—h/And now you know what I’mma say: you my son b—h.”
At about the four-minute mark, Minaj kicks it up a notch by adding some Latin beats and a dance-club feel to “The Pinkprint Freestyle.” In addition to giving shout outs to Meek Mill and Harambe, Minaj also recites the chorus to M.I.A.’s 2007 hit “Paper Planes.” Nicki makes the homage complete by mimicking the British rapper’s well-known accent.
Slate reports that Minaj released the song after hinting at something new on Twitter, then eventually linking the song for her fans. The release of “The Pinkprint Freestyle” comes as a surprise to fans and critics alike considering it’s the first new music from Minaj since her album, The Pinkprint, dropped in December of 2014.
As far as new music is concerned, Minaj hasn’t been completely out of the public eye. The New York rapper recently appeared with Ariana Grande in her steamy video for “Side to Side,” which the pair performed live at the 2016 VMAs.
Minaj has also made clarifications on her word plays, including one line that says, “I call my p—y liquor” which can be heard as either “lick her” or “liquor.”
More than anything on “The Pinkprint Freestyle,” Minaj reasserts herself as the undisputed champion of savage rap. Nicki killed her delivery in the six-minute song and spit timely lines like her Harambe line, which has already birthed numerous gorilla memes.
Although Minaj has made no official announcement for a new album release, “The Pinkprint Freestyle” drop and her increased involvement with other artists hopefully points to a new release this year.
If the release of “The Pinkprint Freestyle” is any indicator, Minaj may take a page out of Rihanna and Beyonce’s books and drop a surprise album with little warning. Either way, Nicki’s new album has as much fire as “The Pinkprint Freestyle” the rapper will have outdone herself again.
[Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP Images]
