Pink Friday 2 is out now and Nicki Minaj remains one of the best female rappers in the game. This continuation, or rather a throwback to her 2010 album Pink Friday, has bangers that go just as hard as her older music. “Everybody” is fun, upbeat, and danceable. The catchy chorus makes me want to run STR (straight to Ricks) for a night out.
This song is also off of Pink Friday 2 and pays tribute to Cyndi Lauper’s 1983 song “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.” I was so happy to see that Minaj sings on this song, overlaying her voice with the sample to create a new but perfect ode to the original. I can’t stop listening.
This melodic song is from J Hus’s 2023 album Beautiful and Brutal Yard. The song is about the British rapper’s love of dancing despite being what he says, a “gangster.” The chorus is one to remember, with lyrics such as “Who told you bad man don’t dance? / Who told you gangsters don’t dance?” Drake comes in and reminds us all of why we like him. In an era where women are shamed for going to clubs, having casual sex, and not wanting to sit home with their significant other day in and out, Drake reminds us that people need to let loose once in a while, “I want you to touch road with the girls-dem, and socialize.”
“Frisky” is from Dominic Fike’s 2023 album Sunburn. The song is slower and less upbeat than the previous songs on this list. However, it brings a touch of indie rock that also pays homage to Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ song “Scar Tissue.” I’ll let you listen to the song and find out how, but Fike does it perfectly. The song is otherwise about getting frisky with someone you like and letting go for a little while.
This list wouldn’t represent me if I didn’t add a country song. Old Dominion’s song brings an upbeat and fun sing-along about a casual romantic encounter that the singer looks back on fondly. Even though “Hotel Key,” from the album “Happy Endings” is from 2017, the song still works for me. I get it’s been seven years, but with the rise of the country/western theme as a popular trend, I think it fits.