The Singles Jukebox

Not a good day for Nicki. Will her third attempt be any better?

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[3.00]

Hannah Jocelyn: Nicki, round 2; apparently, this is the second of the verses that caused Remy to release “shEther”. Just as importantly, David Guetta’s still around and managed to adapt his melodic-uplift style to today’s incredibly dark musical climate. I kind of like it, though that’s probably because I’ve always had a soft spot for Guetta’s maximalism and it works better than it has any right to on this song. Yeah, it sounds like “Dark Horse” and “E.T.” at different points, but Guetta, Minaj, and even Carter’s energy make this a minor success.
[6]

Will Adams: David Guetta creates his own “Dark Horse,” three years late, and strings Nicki along for a decent verse and some strained, inconsistent singing. Meanwhile, I have no idea what the fuck Lil Wayne is doing.
[2]

Thomas Inskeep: Nicki Minaj: she raps! She sings! David Guetta: he still makes boring “club” music! Lil Wayne: he cashes checks for some bars off the top of his head! And yet somehow, the sum of this is still less than its middling parts. 
[3]

Alfred Soto: By the time it hits the chorus hook I was already shoveling ash on these embers. Minaj is at most colorless when she affects kumbaya for the sake of a hit. With Guetta’s name in the credits, I’m not sure who’s doing whom a favor.
[2]

Katherine St Asaph: Ester Dean rhyming “wet dream” with “wet dream” and “once in a lifetime” with “once in your lifetime” over her usual verse melody; Nicki asking “get it?” about an obvious pun, Lil Wayne sounding barely defrosted, David Guetta and Afrojack having credits: if it weren’t for the Remy Ma drama I’d assume this was shelved, with reason, since 2012. I’m still not convinced everything past the first few lines isn’t.
[1]

Ryo Miyauchi: Guetta branches out of his comfort zone of EDM 1.0 to take on Baauer-like bass, and it somehow makes him sound more anonymous. The faceless-ness just means less distraction to showcase Nicki, then, who handles just about every role imaginable needed for chart-seeking single. What irks are the shallow pop metaphors, and explaining of said shallow metaphors, but those only come with the territory of a Nicki Minaj song.
[5]

Micha Cavaseno: Guetta does a Jack-U song 2 years too late, and while it’s certainly no better/worse than the rest of the formula, I’ve never been a huge fan of the Dr. Luke/Afrojack style of non-rap dudes mistaking the minimalism of rap production for rinky-dink and simplistic. Wayne is desperately insisting he’s outmoded; Nicki is desperately assuming a command that more and more feels to have escaped her. Life goes on.
[2]