

Rhyming double and triple time - often in the same verse - she proved candy-coated hip-hop can still deliver rap prowess. But as much as "Super Bass" gives a wink to the pop world, Nicki didn't sacrifice her punchlines and similes in the process.

The message is playful enough that it can be censored down to a PG level and the hook makes use of catchy, cute onomatopoeia so virtually anyone, regardless of age or native language, can sing along. "Super Bass" was co-written by Ester Dean, Roahn Hylton and Kane Beatz (the song's producer) to sugarcoat Nicki's signature raunch just enough to appeal to the radio and beyond. But this bonus track became a sleeper hit and Nicki's sonic catapult to international stardom. And although she's fully established herself in the canon of hip-hop crossover stars, it's almost funny to recall that it was less than 10 years ago that she was busting down music industry expectations.Ĭoming off the success of her debut album, Pink Friday, no one expected a deep cut mixing pop, EDM and rap to eclipse the initial release. She has redefined what a successful female rapper is capable of. Onika Maraj, best known to the masses as Nicki Minaj, has been one of rap's greatest chameleons.
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More: Read Jesmyn Ward on "Formation" on Code SwitchĬlaire Boucher's third album as Grimes was like a Big Bang at the foundations of pop - fuel for the fire that has continued burning down the borders between the mainstream and underground, between genres in general.

Released early in a year when overt racism and misogyny bum-rushed American politics, "Formation" remains the radical apex of a sui generis career. In this case, that meant a music video dense with references to Hurricane Katrina, racist policing and the resilience of black communities, followed a day later by dancers in Black Panther berets flanking Beyoncé at a Super Bowl performance.
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Though it finds her croon flawless, the song shines when she shifts to a raspy rap and deploys a series of lethal one-liners, culminating in a masterful parting shot: "You know you that bitch when you cause all this conversation." It's a brilliant single, but Bey transcended the sonic realm with her self-titled album in 2013, and every track she's recorded since is inseparable from the imagery rolled out to accompany it. Like the album itself, "Formation" is a defiant celebration of black womanhood and the singer's Southern heritage. Beyoncé's two great obsessions - love and power - combine on her personal-is-political masterpiece, 2016's Lemonade.
