Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded

Nicki Minaj | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 3, 2012)
• Original Release Date: 2012
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Universal Republic
• ASIN: B006PTZNSY
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (178 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,592 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #85 in Music > Rap & Hip-Hop > Pop Rap

Editorial Reviews

2012 sophomore album from the R&B/Pop sensation. Minaj worked on the album with a variety of producers such as Hit-Boy, Dr. Luke, Ester Dean, Rico Beats, RedOne and Oak. Includes the singles 'Starships', 'Roman In Moscow' and 'Stupid Hoe'. Nicki's debut album, Pink Friday, achieved commercial success quickly, peaking at #1 on the Billboard 200 and being certified platinum a month after its release. Nicki became the first female solo artist to have seven singles on the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time. Since the release of her debut, Nicki Minaj has become a true superstar, accumulating massive amounts of awards and accolades in the process.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

70 of 87 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Diversity April 3, 2012

By Omar

Format:Audio CD

The biggest problem with people & Nicki Minaj is that they feel like she's a sellout because she went from rap to pop. Truth is, she is both & that's okay. I will never understand why artists aren't allowed to venture out into new genres, why we want to keep artists in a box. The woman is doing something that no female rapper has ever done, she's a cross over female rapper & she's gone to levels female rappers never went before. This album proves that she can have the best of both worlds, she is very talented, her diversity and fearlessness is something to be admired. Most artists wouldn't dare leave their comfort zone especially a rapper. But she ventured out & did an amazing job while doing it.

52 of 67 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars It is what it is April 3, 2012

By DM

Format:Audio CD

A small dose of rap, an overdose of pop. That being said, 95% of these songs are quite addictive and I foresee the majority of them peaking within the Top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Nicki possesses some very decent emceeing skills and the too-short rap portion of 'Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded' left me craving more of that. Once "Starships" comes along though, the album takes a turn to pop of the extremely sweet and bubbly sort. Not necessarily a bad thing, just slightly disappointing for the hip-hop fan.

This album is not going to help or hinder Nicki Minaj in any way; I think it's very fun (it has "summer" written all over it), but ultimately forgettable, unfortunately. I could be wrong though - if many of the tracks this album has to offer end up blowing up on the charts, she could have a monstrous hit on her hands.

Be aware of what you're getting yourself into before you buy it. If you're coming for hip-hop, I'd suggest looking elsewhere first. 90% of 'Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded' is radio-friendly pop. Very upbeat and it will undoubtedly lift your spirits, but it sounds identical to everything else that all "hit music" radio statins are spinning right now. Nothing new or different.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars I am the ultimate Svengali/ You b*tches can't even spell that May 5, 2012

By ikirkwood62

Format:Audio CD

Nobody knows how to polarize a fan base a well as Nicki Minaj does. Somehow, she manages to group all of her fans into two main camps, while retaining both of them, at least for now. There are the old adopters of Nicki (2007 era), who appreciate her hardcore and mixtape-style rap songs, and there are the modern Nicki Fans who listen to her poppy, zany stuff.

The title of my review is a lyric that I thing represents Nicki and her style well. It is a reference to the old, old, old novel Trilby, mainly a character in it named Svengali, who was a pro at hypnotizing people. It has since become a vernacular, idiomatic term (although I bet no one here has read the novel, myself included). But that's really what Nicki is doing with her sophomore effort: teasing her older fans with cool rap and pleasing her new-found fans with some pop tracks. And, this whole time she is managing to convince everyone that she has, at the same time, remained the same Nicki *and* grown into something new... Roman Zolanski, if you will.

But Nicki's battling personalities aren't always as entertaining as they think they are, and often times, the reason everyone is here, the music, gets lost in the crossfire.

This album is basically split into two halves. If it were a tape, A side would be all rap songs and B side would be comprised of pop anthems. I almost wish it was presented in a two disc format. That would make things less conflicting. But I digress, let us continue.

The album starts off with "Roman Holiday", which Nicki performed at the Grammys.... Say what you will about the controversial performance ( I appreciated it, personally, but it was not in everyone's taste), but I do appreciate this song a lot. My title lyric is from it. But the problem is, if you heard the live version, you will be jarred. The recorded track becomes amazing over repeated playings, but initially, it does not stand up to the grammy counterpart.

Following "Roman Holiday" there are a few similar Rap songs: "Come on a Cone", "I Am Your Leader", "Beez in the Trap", and "HOV Lane" (pronounced /hove/). "Come on a Cone" is often compared to Pink Friday's Did it On 'Em, and with good reason. It is the usual "I'm so great" minaj rhymes. "I Am Your Leader" has a fun hook, but can get a bit contrived at points. "Beez in the Trap", which just released a music video, is pretty fun, too. "HOV Lane" has a killer beat and I like to bump to it.

Then there's the title track "Roman Reloaded" which is very mixtape-ey, but Lil Wayne (the featured artist) steals a bit of Nicki's thunder. Its a great song.

The Rap half ends with three fantastic tracks, "Champion", which is comparatively serious to everything else on the CD, "Right By My Side" with Chris Brown, which is really R&B, and "Sex in the Lounge" which is fantastic except for the fact that Nicki Minaj isn't really even in it.

And now, onto Pop!

The Pop arch begins with the previously released "Starships", which, let's be honest, you should have heard by now. Then, two similar, but awesome, tracks, "Pound the Alarm" and "Whip It", which I want to dance to in a club. They are cool followups to Starships.

Tracks 13 and 14 are both kind of blunders, to be honest, but I still appreciate them. "Automatic" seems like it was written for Britney Spears and "Beautiful Sinner" is just missing... something. Nice effort though.

Next comes "Marilyn Monroe", which is an interesting take on the icon and her personality. I dig it.

Then we have " Young Forever", which is one of the most stand-out tracks on the CD. I really like it. Really Really Really. It's also a "serious" song, but the loud drum beat and neat melody pull it along.

Things go bad though with "Fire Burns", which is too sad and slow and sappy for my tastes. I kind of wish it wasn't included.

Track 18 is called Gun Shot, which I may have listened to once, but honestly could not tell you anything about it. Forgettable and meh.

And we end with the other previously released track, "Stupid Hoe" which bookends the CD with some more Roman rap. I'm okay with this track.

The Bonus Tracks are all outstanding. Everyone's probably heard "Turn Me On" with David Guetta, so it was really just included as a courtesy. But "Va Va Voom", which was almost the album's lead single instead of "Starships" is fantastic. DOWNLOAD IT. "Masquerade" is strangely addicting, too.

In whole, the songs are all kind of hit-or-miss. I don't find myself in either the rap camp or the pop camp of Nicki's fanbase, but I admire her attempts in both musical stylings. It's just that this album really lacks focus... which the original Pink Friday [Explicit] did not. Nicki is doing more of the same, but this time, she's no longer fighting to make it with a huge debut album, she's just kind of rapping and dropping beats. Which is fine, but it needs the extra oomph to get it going.

BEST SONGS:
- Young Forever
- Va Va Voom
- Right By My Side
- Champion
- Come on a Cone

WORST SONGS:
- Automatic
- Gun Shot
- I Am Your Leader (this isn't "bad", just not the best" Read more ›

27 of 36 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Awful! April 4, 2012

By TheSkeletonWoman

Format:Audio CD

I like Nicki. I believe she has a lot of potential. She has the voice, but her lyrics...make her sound like...a "stupid hoe".
Her first album was impressive. It was HER story: her career, love, and just life.
This album is just a DISS album. Rapping about your haters through out the CD is definitely a bad idea. She has to be better than that. I seriously don't care about the beef she has with Lil' Kim or anyone else. One song about how haters bring you down, okay, I can deal with it. But not like this! She's become a hater herself!

19 of 25 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A Mixed Affair... April 4, 2012

By Michael Brent Faulkner, Jr. VINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

After an incredibly interesting Grammy Awards performance of "Roman Holiday," one new that Nicki Minaj's follow-up to Pink Friday would be a manic, left-field one. Sure enough, Pink Friday ... Roman Reloaded (Deluxe Version) [Explicit] is `all over the place.' Where Pink Friday was more `user friendly' (excluding "Roman's Revenge" of course), Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded is less accessible, over-stuffed, and lacks `balance.' That isn't to say there are no good or even great songs, but Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded feels as if it would have been better served to have been condensed, reordered, or turned into a double album. Minaj dedicates most of the first portion on the album to rap while the second half is devoted to pop, contemporary R&B, and techno-infused dance-pop.

"Roman Holiday" turns out to be one of the better cuts of Roman Reloaded, but is certainly off-putting upon initial listen. Minaj begins singing the hook of the song in a British Accent, playing off her alter ego of `Roman,' not unlike "Roman's Revenge" from her first album. The hook is bizarre and upon it's completion, Minaj raps `harder' than she's ever rapped before. Oscillating between overt rhymes and manic vocals on the hook, the most bizarre part might be the bridge section in which Minaj lifts off the popular Christmas carol "O Come All Ye Faithful." Yikes! As crazy as it is, "Roman Holiday" does showcase the artist being creative and thinking outside of the box. With successive listens, "Roman Holiday" even manages to grown on you.

"Come On A Cone" taps Hit-Boy for a minimalistic rap production, incorporating a repetitive synth.... Nicki continues an overt rap-centric approach, delivering rather frank, `unladylike' rhymes. Regardless weather you're offended or not, Minaj is at her best on this effort when she does not hold back. Even better is the follow-up, "I Am Your Leader," which features Cam'ron and Rick Ross. Hit-Boy again delivers a dynamic, odd-ball production. Minaj raps through two stellar verses, leaving the last two verses for Rick Ross and Cam'Ron. "I Am Your Leader" turns out to be one of the album's best cuts, if for no other reason than the catchy, simple hook ("I am your leader, yes I am your leader/you're not a believer..."). "Beez in the Trap" features up-and-coming rapper 2 Chainz. On the cut, in her own dirty fashion, Minaj addresses haters talking about her, etc. The message is nothing new, but Minaj manages to execute it creatively.

"HOV Lane" is less stellar than the previous four cuts, but is still solid. On this cut, Nicki Minaj crowns herself as being in the same league as Jay-Z (HOV), who is largely considered a "God" in rap music. "Roman Reloaded," featuring Lil Wayne is quite enjoyable, continuing portray a harder-edged Minaj, accentuated by the nastiness of Lil Wayne. "Champion" comes off as a rap festival, featuring rhymes from Nas, Drake, & Young Jeezy. The result is a solid, though not exceptional track. Aside from Minaj, Nas's verse (verse 4) is definitely the strongest.

At this point, the sound of the album begins to change. "Right By My Side" features Chris Brown and possesses more of a pop/R&B sound. Nicky sings the first verse and hook, though she raps the final verse of the song. While the collaboration should yield `fire,' it is luke warm. "Sex in the Lounge," featuring Lil Wayne and Bobby V, is merely average. The main issue is the fact that there is nothing new brought to the table. The theme of the song is rather corny as are the lyrics making the song just clumsy. The album then delves into techno-/Euro-styled pop, which yields mixed results. The best is hit single "Starships," which manages to successfully combine aggressive raps and singing by Minaj over RedOne's production. After that, there are three more successive RedOne productions which seems overindulgent and lackadaisically conceived. "Pound the Alarm" and "Whip It" bring nothing new, while "Automatic" is better but not great.

Alex Da Kid takes the production reins on "Beautiful Sinner," but despite a killer synthesized line, another dance-savvy cut does nothing to reinstate momentum after so much `sameness.' Thankfully, J.R. Rotem's "Marilyn Monroe" changes the pace, finding Nicki Minaj singing a ballad surprisingly convincingly. Dr. Luke's contribution on "Young Forever" is not too bad, but certainly does not `reinvent the wheel.' "Fire Burns" and "Gun Shot," featuring Beenie Man are misses and are `skippers.' "Stupid H**," the final cut on the standard edition is eccentric, but ends up being one of the better cuts overall. If nothing else, it ends the album with the crazy energy that Minaj opened the album with. The Deluxe version does little to atone for a higher price, delivering David Guetta produced "Turn Me On," "Va Va Boom," and "Masquerade," all of which add little to the overall album.

Essentially,Pink Friday ... Roman Reloaded (Deluxe Version) [Explicit] is everybody's own call. The album is overstuffed and even when Minaj is her most eccentric, sometimes it is a bit `too much.' While Pink Friday was safe, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded is too manic and could be better constructed. Even so, there are some good songs. Read more ›