Song Review: "Pills N Potions" by Nicki Minaj

Gosh it has been a long time since Nicki Minaj last cracked the CDS Music Chart Hot 50. Her most recent featured track, "Love Me" (Chris Brown), last appeared on the issue dated November 21st, 2013; about 27 weeks ago. Her most recent track as a lead artist, "High School (feat. Lil Wayne)", appeared at #50 for a single week on the chart dated April 18th, 2013; 58 weeks ago. Now those are pretty lengthy gaps for the Nicki, considering she's the most chart artist in CDS Music Chart's short 2 year history (with 18 so far).

Now, she's finally back and ready to chart.

Her new track, "Pills N Potions", samples her upcoming 3rd studio album and has generated quite the buzz. But why? Because it isn't what you'd expect from an artist like Nicki Minaj. It's not quite a pop song, it's not quite a rap song. It's a subtle mixture; a potion.

Starting off with a swinging drum beat, the track gives off a "Boss A** B****" vibe for a few seconds before Nicki's whisper-like pop vocals clash against the backbeat. The track quickly progresses, as Nicki declares "I still love, I still love, I still lu-uh-uhhv". At this point, the fast rapped verses that Nicki made famous take over, but in a more peaceful way than ever before. Tambourines start to play as we head into the heart pounding bridge that finds Nicki's graceful vocals dancing in circles.

Overview: "Pill N Potions" is easily one of Nicki's greatest tracks to date - and I'm not just saying that. It mixes up lots of elements, themes and imagery into one explosive (yet calm) shot of adrenaline. It contains elements of signature Nicki rap tracks ("Moment 4 Life", "Did It On 'Em") and more) as well as elements of her more recent pop styled endeavors ("Starships", "Super Bass"), though both are definitely tuned down a few notches. The corn syrup (auto-tune) laced choruses of "Starships" and "Super Bass" are traded in for more natural, soothing vocals and the hard core raps of her early days are there but feel more calmed and relaxed. I'm glad that these changes were made. The singing is much more appealing and soulful, and the rapping still has the same effect but you can actually tell what she's saying without having to look up the lyrics. A great return! I hope I see more of this.

Rating: 8.5/10

Listen to "Pills N Potions" below and tell me what you think.