.

Nicki Minaj

"Roman's Revenge"

Rolling Stone: star rating
Community: star rating
5 3.5 0
November 15, 2010

It's a match made in battle-rap heaven! On this single from Minaj's upcoming debut, two motormouths – both of whom know their way around a punch line, love goofy voices and suffer from severe cases of multiple personality disorder — team up for nearly five minutes of back-and-forth word-hurling. They rhyme like they're playing hot potato with a live grenade, and Swizz Beatz's hushed, chugging production throws the microphone viciousness into jarring relief. The common theme is anger toward female haters: Minaj tears into a "has-been" femcee who needs to "hang it up" (presumably Lil' Kim, with whom she's been beefing for months). Eminem, meanwhile, rails against a woman who may be a metaphor for life itself. It's hard to say exactly why he's so mad at her — but he threatens to pee on her. Twice.

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