Since the beginning of the year, Nicki Minaj has blazed across entertainment media like a supernova, all on the run up to her next album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded. Along the way, she's managed to incite controversy with vindictive misogyny in "Stupid Hoe," and used religious imagery in her Grammy performance of "Roman Holiday."
In her bid to transgress and offend for publicity, thus surpassing Lady Gaga, Minaj finally managed to offend me with her recent unimaginative single, "Starships." This track features Minaj emceeing over a European house beat as shamelessly as Flo Rida does.The pre-chorus also calls up Ke$ha's track "Your Love Is My Drug." This song is like a one-person reunion for "Right Round," with a tacky house breakdown after the chorus.
"Starships" is the latest installment of pop music's vapid treatment of space since the Black Eyed Peas ran with it. Because David Guetta's single, "Turn Me On" (also featuring Nicki), successfully appropriated a sci-fi theme for a pop song, "Starships" is that much more disappointing.
If you want hard science in your music, you'll have to stick with the popular trip-hop/science documentary mash-up videos. This starship is stuck on the launchpad.