The more pop-leaning moments are few here, and the syrupy piano ballad “Come See About Me” feels awkward when it shows up in between narcotic Metro Boomin-produced trap dirges like “Sir” or “Chun Swae.” Melodic and radio-friendly fare, like the Ariana Grande-assisted “Bed,” lands closer to Minaj’s signature pop/rap hybrid formula, and she finds the sweet spot for this formula when she co-mingles sticky vocal hooks with vicious flows as on album-opener “Ganja Burns.” “Barbie Dreams” adds layers to Minaj’s return to rap form, referencing not just the Notorious B.I.G.’s Ready to Die classic “Just Playing (Dreams),” but also throws back the first time she visited this theme on “Dreams 07,” the first track on her debut mixtape Playtime Is Over. With an hour-plus-running time, Queen stretches out languidly, making space for Minaj to follow various paths as the album moves on. Fourth album Queen follows four years after 2014’s The Pinkprint, and finds Minaj offering a darker atmosphere and focusing on her ferocious rap skills more than her well-tested commercial accessibility. The infectious sparkle of her singles was largely lacking in her full-length albums, which could feel inconsistent or torn between Minaj’s fierce skills as a rapper and her calculated pop star veneer. With a flow that launched a thousand features, Nicki Minaj’s talent seemed to find its perfect niche in any of her multiple guest appearances on other artist’s hits or in chart-topping singles that wrapped the most digestible version of her snarling delivery in a sugar-coating designed for pop radio.
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Studio Master, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Young Money – Cash Money Records