Over the past few weeks, Nicki Minaj has promised that she would return to her hip hop roots and strip away some of the pop exterior that helped her crossover, on her new album The Pinkprint. With her recent singles “Yass B*tch Yass” and “Chiraq”, she continued steaily down that path, trading in her pink wig for darker street anthems.  Her new single, “Pills & Potions”, our first taste of The Pinkprint, is an interesting mix of both.  The hook is sung–a la “Save Me”–but the verses, each of which feature Nicki talking extensively about specific personal issues that have plagued her since we last “officially” heard from her, are rapped, and Nicki remains true to the form we’ve seen her in all year.  There are certainly scattered pop elements, but its clear Minaj plans to air on the side of caution when it comes to incorporating her crossover power, and on “Pills & Potions”, she does so tastefully.  Here’s to her new album cycle.

Jimi (@Nativejimi)