![1. Back to basics, please: 'Lookin' Ass N***a' is a promising first preview of The Pink Print - Nicki's aggressive, cut-throat lyrics and delivery hark back to her early days. She's also got rid of the cartoonish wigs and silly costumes - we hope this new back-to-basics aesthetic is demonstrative of the rest of the record.]()
1. Back to basics, please: 'Lookin' Ass N***a' is a promising first preview of The Pink Print - Nicki's aggressive, cut-throat lyrics and delivery hark back to her early days. She's also got rid of the cartoonish wigs and silly costumes - we hope this new back-to-basics aesthetic is demonstrative of the rest of the record.
![2: Less guest appearances: And if there are any, let them be worthy of Nicki. Both her albums have been bloated with guest spots from underwhelming rappers who quite frankly, don't hold a candle to Nicki. We know you're close with Lil Wayne, Nicki, but let's be honest - he fell off years ago. How about some appearances from fresher, more exciting acts like A$AP Ferg or Schoolboy Q?]()
2: Less guest appearances: And if there are any, let them be worthy of Nicki. Both her albums have been bloated with guest spots from underwhelming rappers who quite frankly, don't hold a candle to Nicki. We know you're close with Lil Wayne, Nicki, but let's be honest - he fell off years ago. How about some appearances from fresher, more exciting acts like A$AP Ferg or Schoolboy Q?
![3: A pop banger is allowed, but there can't be two that sound the same: We unashamedly danced our arses off to Nicki's 'Starships' upon its release. Then it came out again, but it was called 'Pound The Alarm', and we were confused. If you're not getting our use of heavy irony here, both songs basically sounded EXACTLY THE SAME. High octane verse, breakdown for a chorus, then a mad, pumping techno instrumental. Yes, going pop is fine Nicki, but one song only. ONE SONG. And no RedOne.]()
3: A pop banger is allowed, but there can't be two that sound the same: We unashamedly danced our arses off to Nicki's 'Starships' upon its release. Then it came out again, but it was called 'Pound The Alarm', and we were confused. If you're not getting our use of heavy irony here, both songs basically sounded EXACTLY THE SAME. High octane verse, breakdown for a chorus, then a mad, pumping techno instrumental. Yes, going pop is fine Nicki, but one song only. ONE SONG. And no RedOne.
![4. No re-releasing of old albums: The Pink Print: Pink Friday: Reloaded and Re-Upped is NOT what we want. It's confusing, and we've listened to all your old material now. We'd like a standalone record, 12 tracks at the most, not with a record from 2012 tagged on the end. [NB: We realise these past decisions were probably her record label's]. Thank you.]()
4. No re-releasing of old albums: The Pink Print: Pink Friday: Reloaded and Re-Upped is NOT what we want. It's confusing, and we've listened to all your old material now. We'd like a standalone record, 12 tracks at the most, not with a record from 2012 tagged on the end. [NB: We realise these past decisions were probably her record label's]. Thank you.
![5. The line between jokey and downright stupid needs to be tread carefully: Nicki's early track 'Itty Bitty Piggy' is one of our favourites - who can forget the gleeful cry of]()
5. The line between jokey and downright stupid needs to be tread carefully: Nicki's early track 'Itty Bitty Piggy' is one of our favourites - who can forget the gleeful cry of "It's me! I win! You lose! I'm a bad bitch, I'ma I'ma bad bitch". Roman Reloaded track 'Stupid Hoe' tried to emulate that, but it was a poor imitation - just too basic. We love Nicki's zingers, but they need to be a little more complex than "You a stupid hoe. You a you a stupid hoe" repeated ten times over.
![6. A duet with Lil Kim: We know the chance of this happening are about as likely as Nicki announcing The Pink Print will be a compilation of shoegaze indie, considering the]()
6. A duet with Lil Kim: We know the chance of this happening are about as likely as Nicki announcing The Pink Print will be a compilation of shoegaze indie, considering the "beef" they have, but imagine how amazing it would be.
![7. Less of the wigs and ridiculous outfits: We totally support wearing whatever the hell you want if it takes your fancy, and no-one should tell you otherwise. This rule, clearly, applies to Minaj as well but unfortunately as a female rapper, she's had to work twice as hard to be taken seriously in a male-dominated industry, and the cartoonish wigs and outfits don't help. More importantly, we feel they overshadowed her considerable talent. We're loving this new wigless, pared down look in the video for 'Lookin' Ass N***a' - she looks fierce and amazing.]()
7. Less of the wigs and ridiculous outfits: We totally support wearing whatever the hell you want if it takes your fancy, and no-one should tell you otherwise. This rule, clearly, applies to Minaj as well but unfortunately as a female rapper, she's had to work twice as hard to be taken seriously in a male-dominated industry, and the cartoonish wigs and outfits don't help. More importantly, we feel they overshadowed her considerable talent. We're loving this new wigless, pared down look in the video for 'Lookin' Ass N***a' - she looks fierce and amazing.
