Nicki Minaj’s ‘Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded’ Leaks: Listen

Becky Bain | March 29, 2012 11:16 am

As with all anticipated albums in the modern world of music, Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded has surfaced online on Thursday (March 29) before its scheduled release date. The epic LP (22 tracks on the deluxe edition!) will officially drop on April 3, but that’s not stopping the web from buzzing about Nicki’s new collection of bombastic electro-pop anthems, gritty hip-hop cuts, mellow breathers and frenetic bangers. (Just look at Popdust, who is reviewing the album track by track.) Listen to five new songs (“HOV Lane”, “Whip It”, “Automatic”, “Come On A Cone”, “Young Forever” and “Fire Burns”) below.

For her sophomore effort — a sequel of sorts to her 2010 debut — Nicki abides by the rules of sequels and made everything bigger, though not necessarily better. There are more beats per minute, more craziness, more calls to the dancefloor, more blush-worthy lines (“Put my dick in your face!” sings Nicki on “Come On A Cone” like a regular diva) and many more guest appearances (10 other MCs appear throughout the LP, including two drop-ins by Lil Wayne).

But what Nicki can’t seem to understand, both here and in her recent performances and music videos, is that more isn’t always more. It feels like Team Barbie bet on landing another “Super Bass” by throwing everything they could think of into the album, hoping that something would stick. But barely anything in the pot is all that satisfying. Nicki raps and sings a whole lot on Roman Reloaded, but she’s rarely ever saying anything. And with all the attention she’s got on her right now, we really wish she would.

Anyway, that’s our first-listen take. Listen to these five surfaced tracks and decide for yourself.

[Unsurprisingly, it looks like some of the tracks have been taken down. We’ll replace as soon as we find ’em!]

Nicki Minaj — “HOV Lane”

Nicki Minaj — “Whip It”

Nicki Minaj — “Automatic”

Nicki Minaj — “Come On A Cone”

Nicki Minaj – “Young Forever”

Nicki Minaj — “Fire Burns”

What do you think of Nicki Minaj’s sophomore effort? Better than the original Pink Friday? Let us know what you think on Facebook, Twitter, or in the comments below.