Nicki Minaj can claim many titles: hip-hop chameleon, stalwart businesswoman, powerhouse rapper, pouty sex kitten, versatile songstress and ambidextrous wordsmith to name just a few. Her trajectory across the many music charts has been colorful, meteoric and entertaining, to say the least, with “Red Ruby Da Sleeze (Acapella)”, her latest, recently reaching #1 song on iTunes.
Nicki Minaj Made History With Her Song 'Blick Blick'
Looking back through her musicology, however, her 2022 milestone must be acknowledged when her song "Blick Blick" topped the iTunes chart, making her the rapper with the most No. 1 songs in the history of US iTunes, a title Nicki Minaj seized by elbowing Drake aside. The candy-striped video featured her in her many wings as she dueted with Coi Leray, proving that she can more than hold her own in a male-dominated genre. It is worth noting that this song peaked at number one within hours of its release.
Thus far, Nicki Minaj has had 16 #1 hits on iTunes, from "Hot Girl Summer" to "Anaconda" to "Move Ya Hips", proving her status as the ultimate GOAT in the art of Hip-Hop domination. However, it was "Super Freaky Girl" that debuted at the top of the Billboard charts on August 22, 2022, marking her third No. 1 overall and her first as an unaccompanied artist. It was also a score as it made her only the second hip-hop female artist to debut at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 since Lauryn Hill in 1998. At the time, Billboard had also announced that the song garnered 4.6 million radio airplay audience impressions, and sold 89,000 digital downloads in its first week. After thanking her fans - whom she affectionately calls the Barbz - she shared an Instagram post that commented on the historical significance of her win.
The song was her first release in 3 years, and it titillated fans by sampling Rick James' 1981 "Super Freak". Lyric wise, Nicki Minaj immediately treated fans to her style of self-affirmations - all sass, all glam, no apologies - as she trotted through the video like Malibu Barbie with a bit of southern charm, rapping, "I got a princess face, a killer body, samurai mind".
The Rapper Has Done So Many Collaborations
In 2020, Nicki Minaj collaborated with Dojo Cat in the number-one hit song, "Say So." A huge fan of Minaj, Dojo Cat professed in an interview that the collaboration happened thanks to several years of pushing for it, and doing everything possible to help the stars align.
Another 2020 chart topper was "TROLLZ" with Tekashi 6ix9ine. The video is a rainbow-kissed celebration that marked 6ix9ine homecoming from jail, and both he and Nicki Minaj taunt haters with the line, "I know you don't like me, you wanna fight me/You don't want no problems at your party, don't invite me".
Going back to her treasure chest of No. 1's on iTunes Charts, the list is long and spectacular, with a host of collaborations that remind listeners why Nicki Minaj has staying power where other artists have faded after mere moments sunbathing in the limelight. Among her favorites are: "Hey Mama", a David Guetta headliner that also featured Bebe Rexha (though with a delayed credit) & Afrojack, "Make me Proud", which she had done with Drake, And "Anaconda" one of her earlier iTunes No. 1's from 2014.