When Nick Minaj and her music became “mainstream” a few years ago, she was quickly known for her over-the-top personality, theatrics, and racy image. Along with that, she easily climbed popularity charts as she made cameos in several famous rappers’ songs, such as Trey Song’s “Bottoms Up” and Kanye West’s “Monster”. Since then, much of Nicki’s rap has focused on her many achievements and boasting of success, inadvertently carving out a space for a female rapper in the male-dominated rap industry. Although she is known for making many features in others’ songs, her own media still delivers a powerful and often controversial punch. One of them being her 2014 single “Anaconda”.
Besides the fact “Anaconda” is so catchy and was even a nominee for …show more content…
The background is plain white, bringing up another point how a woman asserting her sexuality should be a simple and clear concept like the album art shows. Also, the choice of hot pink as the text’s color translates that even though Nicki is expressing her sexual dominance explicitly, which could be traditionally considered as masculine, she still chooses to use a “feminine” color to show how regardless how “girly” something is, she can still be powerful and assertive at the same time. That theme often reoccurs in Nicki’s song lyrics and videos. For example, in one of her verses, “Gun in my purse, bitch, I came dressed to kill” she claims to be ready to resort to violence, which is traditionally masculine, and she does it while wearing cute …show more content…
The protocol for lyrics in most modern day hits are about everyday life. Minaj’s song can be read as an interruptive statement championing women’s self-esteem, body confidence, and sexual agency. Unlike some hip-hop videos in which female bodies only exist for the male gaze, Minaj creates a female-dominated world where she both controls and enjoys her sexuality. For example, Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby got Back”, was remixed and sampled for her own song. The lyrics of the original song focused on how his “Anaconda don’t want none unless she got buns”, obviously sexualizing someone else’s body in a voyeuristic way, which is not unusual for most rap music. Nicki turned it around and used the line to focus on herself by her own terms. Comparing the two perspectives show how it is a bit wrong to objectify a woman’s body when she is unwilling or oblivious to the
Besides the fact “Anaconda” is so catchy and was even a nominee for …show more content…
The background is plain white, bringing up another point how a woman asserting her sexuality should be a simple and clear concept like the album art shows. Also, the choice of hot pink as the text’s color translates that even though Nicki is expressing her sexual dominance explicitly, which could be traditionally considered as masculine, she still chooses to use a “feminine” color to show how regardless how “girly” something is, she can still be powerful and assertive at the same time. That theme often reoccurs in Nicki’s song lyrics and videos. For example, in one of her verses, “Gun in my purse, bitch, I came dressed to kill” she claims to be ready to resort to violence, which is traditionally masculine, and she does it while wearing cute …show more content…
The protocol for lyrics in most modern day hits are about everyday life. Minaj’s song can be read as an interruptive statement championing women’s self-esteem, body confidence, and sexual agency. Unlike some hip-hop videos in which female bodies only exist for the male gaze, Minaj creates a female-dominated world where she both controls and enjoys her sexuality. For example, Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby got Back”, was remixed and sampled for her own song. The lyrics of the original song focused on how his “Anaconda don’t want none unless she got buns”, obviously sexualizing someone else’s body in a voyeuristic way, which is not unusual for most rap music. Nicki turned it around and used the line to focus on herself by her own terms. Comparing the two perspectives show how it is a bit wrong to objectify a woman’s body when she is unwilling or oblivious to the