Nicki Minaj – “Bust Down Barbiana”
Released: 6 February 2019
At a time where women in Rap are flourishing like never before (this era), Nicki Minaj throws her bid in on West LA’s own Blueface “Bust Down Thotiana“.
The original Thotiana song is a certified twerking anthem, produced by Scum Beats. “Thotiana” is an amalgam of off-kilter, slightly double-time flows layered with salient adlibs that, at times, seem more prominent to the song than the bars themselves. It’s certainly not a lyrical display, but more-so a fun party anthem and exercise of flow & style.
4 albums and 8 projects (including 1 re-issue) into her career, Nicki tries her hand over the Scum Beats banger. But her remix ultimately falls flat. There are few redeeming qualities: no acute wordplay, no interesting flows, imagery, storytelling, wit/cleverness or, really, any redeemable musical quality. Honestly, the song itself seems to just serve as a meme.
Nicki’s lyrics on “Bust Down Barbiana” are equally as cringeworthy as the title itself. Nicki pushes her “Barbie” brand, while attempting to rhyme words with “Thotiana” throughout her 25+ bar verse. She name-drops heavy-hitters such as Teyana Taylor, Ariana Grande and even Manny Pacquiao and the Yves Saint Laurent brand, in what would appear to be an attempt to receive support for a song foundation built on attention-seeking, much like internet memes.
VERDICT
★1/2: Weak; unrecommended for anyone but major fans of the style and/or artist.
While ambitiously attempting to rhyme “Thotiana” throughout an extended verse, the execution falls flat. Nicki simply tacks on “-iana” to the end of every bar, resulting in an immature sequence of braggadocios content. The entire effort feels like a one-take rush job to beat her now arch-rival, Cardi B, to the punch (Cardi is allegedly featured on the official remix), and not the work of a seasoned veteran.
More lyrics:
“You look like Nicki now, still you tacky-ana
To keep it 100, bitch you wacky-ana“
The corn displayed throughout this verse has even inspired corporate entities like Wal-Mart to join in on the wreck.
This song might be for the kids. With that said, we’ll keep our hopes high for the alleged official “Thotiana” remix out of Cash Money West, featuring: YG, French Montana, and Cardi B.
Rating Categories:
★★★★★: Best in show; pinnacle release from an all-time great artist.
★★★★1/2: Stellar example of genre; peak potential.
★★★★: Excellent; recommended to all fans of artist or genre.
★★★1/2: Very good; a few bland songs or minor flaws throughout.
★★★: Good; fans of the artist will find value here.
★★1/2: Average; does little to establish the artist or maintain quality.
★★: Unexceptional; a few highlights but otherwise bland.
★1/2: Weak; unrecommended for anyone but major fans of the style and/or artist.
★: Seriously flawed; very poor work but relatively listenable.
1/2: Terrible; a true embarrassment and akin to audio masochism.