The Era of Nicki Minaj 2010 Songs

The year was 2010, and we saw her with her colorful wigs and outfits. She was up-and-coming in the music industry and was trying to make sure that she was portraying her own personal style. The Young Money crew—Tyga, Lil Wayne, and Drake—made an everlasting impact that is still being talked about generations later.

Solo Tracks & Debut Album

Looking back at the roster of Nicki Minaj 2010 songs, her debut era delivered some of the most memorable tracks in modern hip-hop history:

• “Your Love” An early version of the song was leaked online before it was even finished. It became an accidental hit on radio stations. Nicki was forced to record the final version and release it as her official breakout lead single.
• “Check It Out” (feat. will.i.am) The song samples the 1979 pop hit “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles, which gave it a futuristic hook. In the music video, Nicki even looks like a robot. Even the hook gives off a vibe of what the future will look like. Nicki was collaborating with everyone at this time, and she knew that who she collaborated with mattered and would make a difference in her career.
• “Right Thru Me” In the music video, she played an action star and a dramatic actress, portraying a couple in a heated argument.
• “Moment 4 Life” (feat. Drake) There were rumors that Nicki and Drake were in a relationship; however, Nicki was actually in a long-term relationship with Safaree. The music video made it seem like there was something going on by staging a fairytale wedding, which made it look like they were dating. These rumors and the collaboration helped propel their careers even more and made Young Money even more popular than before. The music video felt like Cinderella—it was definitely like watching a real-life wedding. Both artists blended their singing and rapping seamlessly with the video.
• “Massive Attack” (feat. Sean Garrett) This was supposed to be the main lead single for Pink Friday. However, it didn’t perform well on the charts and was removed from the final album tracklist.
• “Super Bass” Nicki wasn’t going to release this song as a single. Taylor Swift heard it on the radio, liked it, and requested it on a radio show, causing the song to end up becoming huge. That momentum convinced Nicki Minaj to shoot a music video for it. People discovering Nicki Minaj today may not have known this, but sometimes the songs you don’t think will do well end up doing the best.
• “Roman’s Revenge” (feat. Eminem) This collaboration was iconic. Eminem was a white male rapper in a majority Black American–dominated space, and Nicki Minaj was a woman pursuing rap in a heavily male-dominated field.
• “Did It On ‘Em” This track features heavy 808s and video game–style sound effects.
• “Fly” (feat. Rihanna) Nicki and Rihanna shot the music video in early 2011. The song was delayed because they didn’t want it to compete with other releases they were promoting at the time. On this song specifically, you can hear Nicki singing more—she was rapping, but when you listen to the “Fly” hook, both of them are singing.
• “Save Me” On this song, Nicki is strictly singing and not rapping at all. Her core supporters know her for rapping, so it can be shocking when she strictly sings, and some listeners might find it surprising or unexpected.
• “Muny” Nicki talks about Balenciaga a lot during the hook. Rappers often talk about luxury fashion designers like Versace, Gucci, and Christian Louboutin, who have long used hip-hop artists because they are incredible at marketing them and driving fast sales through their fanbases.
• “Dear Old Nicki” This is a letter that she wrote to her past self, mourning life before fame took over. In hip-hop, people often talk about how the more money you make, the more problems you have. She reflects on life before fame—where you could go wherever you wanted—and how people treat you differently once you become famous because they know what you can do for them.
• “I’m the Best” This served as the opening track for the Pink Friday album to document her journey toward making the record. It showed her grinding from the beginning all the way to becoming a superstar.
• “Here I Am” This song combines classical piano with heavy hip-hop drums, produced in collaboration with J.R. Rotem.
• “Blazin'” (feat. Kanye West) The song samples “Don’t Lie” by The Black Eyed Peas.
• “Wave Ya Hand” Introducing her alter-ego “Londen Bridges,” Nicki switches her voice into a British accent.
• “Catch Me” This song served as a bonus track on the Deluxe Edition of the album.

Iconic Features & Collaborations

Beyond her solo work, the lineup of featured Nicki Minaj 2010 songs made her one of the most in-demand artists in the entire music industry:

• “Monster” (Kanye West feat. Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Bon Iver & Nicki Minaj) Kanye nearly cut this song from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy because he was worried Nicki’s verse would outshine both him and Jay-Z on his own album.
• “My Chick Bad” (Ludacris feat. Nicki Minaj) Her iconic line, “Silly rap chicks, go and get a dictionary,” was written on the spot right after Ludacris played her the beat for the first time.
• “Bottoms Up” (Trey Songz feat. Nicki Minaj) On this verse, she introduced her alter-ego “Roman Zolanski” to mainstream audiences, rapidly switching her voice and pitch.
• “Lil Freak” (Usher feat. Nicki Minaj) This song samples Stevie Wonder’s 1973 classic “Living for the City.”
• “2012 (It Ain’t the End)” (Jay Sean feat. Nicki Minaj) The song played on pop-culture beliefs that the world was ending in 2012—similar to how in 2020 a real pandemic happened, the world shut down for basically a year, and you couldn’t go anywhere.
• “Letting Go (Dutty Love)” (Sean Kingston feat. Nicki Minaj) Nicki showcased her Trinidadian heritage, while Sean Kingston is Jamaican, making it a powerful crossover of West Indian culture. This was a great move because audiences in America don’t always know about other cultures and could educate themselves more about West Indian nations. In America, people may primarily know Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico because those are among the most visible. Nicki grew up in New York, where West Indian culture is huge and represents many different countries. New York has a massive influence on rap because that is where the genre was born.
• “Up Out My Face” (Mariah Carey feat. Nicki Minaj) When Mariah Carey and Nicki were filming together, they were cool—this was well before American Idol. On American Idol, they were arguing the whole time. Doing a quick music video together versus working together constantly are very different things; personality clashes can make someone difficult to work with.
• “Raining Men” (Rihanna feat. Nicki Minaj) This song shares its title with “It’s Raining Men” by The Weather Girls.
• “Woohoo” (Christina Aguilera feat. Nicki Minaj) Christina Aguilera personally called Nicki to be featured on the track because she wanted a female artist who wasn’t afraid to use explicit/sexual lyrics.
• “Get It All” (Sean Garrett feat. Nicki Minaj) Sean gave complete creative control to Nicki for her verse, allowing her to construct her own vocal harmonies for the bridge.
• “I Ain’t Thru” (Keyshia Cole feat. Nicki Minaj) She wore a custom wig that took over four hours to make.
• “All I Do Is Win (Remix)” (DJ Khaled feat. Various Artists) Nicki was the only female rapper invited to join the star-studded posse cut.

Controversies Surrounding the Era

The incredible momentum of Nicki Minaj 2010 songs didn’t come without major industry drama and rivalry:

• The Lil’ Kim Feud Lil’ Kim felt like Nicki Minaj was copying her style. During an interview on The Breakfast Club, Lil’ Kim expressed that Nicki didn’t show proper respect to her, even though she paved the way for female rappers. Nicki then responded on the track “Roman’s Revenge” with Eminem, dropping the line: “Word, that bitch mad ’cause I took the spot.” Lil’ Kim subsequently responded with a dedicated diss track titled “Black Friday,” directly attacking Nicki’s debut album Pink Friday.