Nicki Minaj Reminds Us That She’s Still The Queen of Rap: Review

Nicki Minaj turned Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse into a Barbie Dreamhouse as she brought her Pink Friday 2 World Tour to The Land last night. The Barbz – a nickname given to her loyal fanbase – were taken on a pink and whimsical journey through her AI-generated universe “Gag City.”

Throughout her 15-year career, the Trinidanian-born rapper has taken the music industry by storm, breaking boundaries beyond music. Her bright, colorful fashion statements influenced a generation. Her witty, sharp lyricism set the tone for the next generation of female rappers as she dominated the hip hop game. Not only did she take over the hip hop game, but was the first female rapper to experiment with pop music — and successfully created the duality between hip hop and pop.  

Pink strobe lights bounced off every corner of the crowd, fans danced and faithfully chanted for Nicki’s arrival. It felt as if the concert began before the actual performance, as the show opened with a set from DJ Boof, playing classics like Young Money’s “Bedrock.” The crowd warmed up after two hours of excitement and dancing. 

The crowd roared as the screens on the stage flashed images of an AI-generated Nicki driving into “Gag City,” with elements from some of her classic songs such as “Chi-raq” and “Shanghai,” leading into her song “I’m The Best,” which is from her 2009 debut studio album Pink Friday. 

Minaj made the stage her home as she journeyed through 32 songs, playing classics such as “Right Thru Me,” ”Roman’s Revenge” and “Anaconda.” And even new hits like “Barbie Dangerous” and “FTCU.”

Even through controversy, which Minaj has been the face of over the past few years, her fans remain fiercely loyal to her. From rap feuds with new female rappers like Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, to moral questioning about her husband and father of her child — who is a convicted sex offender — the Barbz still somehow manage to show up.

There are very few musicians who have a fanbase as erratic and loyal as Nicki’s. With such dedicated fans, the love Barbz has for her exceeds beyond music. You could feel the love and the chemistry more than you could see it. 

“It’s easy to hate her, but it’s easy to like her,” one fan told me. 

The Pink Friday 2 World Tour is a reflection of her almost-two decade long career, a celebration of her evolution. And despite complicated feelings, nothing could compare to the energy she received last night. 

SETLIST:

Intro

I'm the Best

Barbie Dangerous

FTCU

Beep Beep

We Go Up

Big Difference

Pink Birthday

Cowgirl

High School

Needle

Fallin 4 U

Right Thru Me

Save Me

Let Me Calm Down

Nicki Hendrix

Ganja Burn

Chun-Li

Red Ruby Da Sleeze

Truffle Butter / Black Barbies

Barbie World (Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice with Aqua cover)

Roman's Revenge

Monster (Ye cover)

Super Freaky Girl

Anaconda

Itty Bitty Piggy

Slumber Party 

Kill Da DJ

Sweet Dreams (Lil Wayne cover)

Roger That (Young Money song) (with Tyga)

Your Love

Mamita

Super Bass

Moment 4 Life

Starships