Music Review: Nicki Minaj "Anaconda"

Nicki Minaj

Anaconda

Album: The Pinkprint

Year: 2014

            Nicki Minaj’s favorite part of her body is her butt in the stylized  “Anaconda”

             In the pre-chorus, a line from Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Baby Got Back.” is cut short several times, setting a  brisk tone. (“My anaconda don't, my anaconda don't/My anaconda don't want none unless you got buns, hun.”)

              She says she had a boyfriend who lived right on Palmer Woods in Detroit, Michigan. He gave her access to his one of his credit cards, saying he had set aside a fashion budget for her. Her choices were all from couture designers.  Living well didn’t make her soft. She still travels with her handgun but now it’s in a Prada bag and not stuffed in her bra. She has to be careful, though. He is known in the city and rivals are trying to kill him. He also has potent pills. She only has to take a half and she’s too far gone to concentrate on anything. She sleeps with him in her car before she goes out shopping. He said he prefers women with some meat on them. It only made her want him more. (“Boy toy named Troy used to live in Detroit/Big dope dealer money, he was gettin' some coins/Was in shootouts with the law, but he live in a palace/Bought me Alexander McQueen, he was keeping me stylish/Now that's real, real, real/Gun in my purse, bitch, I came dressed to kill/Who wanna go first? I had them pushing daffodils/I'm high as hell, I only took a half a pill/I'm on some dumb shit, by the way, what he say?/He can tell I ain't missing no meals/Come through and fuck him in my automobile/Let him eat it with his grills and he tellin' me to chill/And he telling me it's real, that he love my sex appeal/Say he don't like 'em boney, he want something he can grab/So I pulled up in the Jag, and I hit him with the jab like/Dun-d-d-dun-dun-d-d-dun-dun.”)

            The pre-chorus is sung again.

            In the chorus, she references the intro from “Baby Got Back.” (“Oh my gosh, look at her butt/Oh my gosh, look at her butt/Oh my gosh, look at her butt (Look at her butt)/Look at, look at, look atLook, at her butt.”)

             She was once involved with a well-endowed biker named Michael. They had some kinky sex. He was actually her cocaine dealer, which is why she kept him around. In order to have some leverage, she spent his money on more couture (this by French designer, Balmain). (“This dude named Michael used to ride motorcycles/Dick bigger than a tower, I ain't talking about Eiffel's/Real country-ass *****, let me play with his rifle/***** put his ass to sleep, now he calling me NyQuil/Now that bang, bang, bang/I let him hit it cause he slang cocaine/He toss my salad like his name Romaine/And when we done, I make him buy me Balmain/I'm on some dumb shit, by the way, what he say?/He can tell I ain't missing no meals/Come through and fuck him in my automobile/Let him eat it with his grills, and he telling me to chill/And he telling me it's real, that he love my sex appeal/He say he don't like 'em boney, he want something he can grab/So I pulled up in the Jag, Mayweather with the jab like/Dun-d-d-dun-dun-d-d-dun-dun.”)

          The pre-chorus and chorus are sung again.

           In the bridge,  the “Baby Got Back” final section is referenced.  (“Little in the middle but she got much back/Little in the middle but she got much back/Little in the middle but she got much back (Oh my God, look at her butt.”)

         The pre-chorus is sung twice.

          The chorus is sung again.

          In the final section, she outright says she has a huge butt but she’s proud of it. (“Yeah, he love this fat ass, hahahahahahahaha!/Yeah! This one is for my bitches with a fat ass in the fucking club/I said, where my fat ass big bitches in the club?/Fuck the skinny bitches! Fuck the skinny bitches in the club!/I wanna see all the big fat ass bitches in the ********* club/Fuck you if you skinny bitches, what?! Kyuh/Hahahaha RRRRRR/I got a big fat ass (ass, ass, ass...)/Come on!”)

      Minaj’s dizzying rap dishes her sexual exploits , giving specifics in less than a paragraph. She is able to make them distinctive with enough description to get the point across. It was surprising to see a Michigan reference, though. California, Florida, and New York are the usual ones to get mentioned. Granted, it’s crime-related but at least it’s not in a derogratory manner.

      To call it sampling would be too light and a ripoff would be too harsh. It’s an update of “Baby Got Back” with lyrics from a woman’s point of view. She’s accepted her curves. She doesn’t need a man to let her know he approves.

     The  vamping “Anaconda” maintains the upper hand.