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"You can be the king, but watch
the queen conquer’

> The lyrical genius of Nicki Minaj

Jessica Berget
Staff Writer

 

icki Minaj, Onika Tanya Maraj,

Queen Nicki—this iconic female
artist has many names. But when it
comes to her gritty, exciting lyrics and
intricate word play, there is only one
thing you can call her: a lyrical genius.

“I got ‘em scared, shook, panickin.”
Nicki came into the rap/hip-hop scene as
a force to be reckoned with. Following the
commercial success of her first album Pink
Friday in 2010, Minaj has been working
non-stop, producing memorable verses,
incredible singles, and even two more
highly successful albums Pink Friday:
Roman Reloaded and The Pinkprint. Her
albums and songs have been acclaimed by
fans, critics, and even fellow musicians.

“I’m the best bitch doing it,” she
boasts in the album opener to Pink
Friday, and she’s not wrong. Other music
legends like Beyoncé and Kanye West
have commended Mingj on her talent
as an artist and her impressive lyricism.
“Even Queen Bey had to tell them I’m
the queen.” Kanye West went so far as
to call her verse in his song “Monster”
“the best hip-hop verse of all time.” He
even considered cutting it out of his
album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

 

Image via thepinkprintfragrance.com

because he thought it would overshadow
the entire album. He was right.

Nicki’s verse in “Monster” is still
fondly remembered as the best part
of the album, and for good reason.
Her lyrics are intense, they command
the attention of the listener, and the
passion with which she sings them
makes it almost ceremonial.

No guns, but glory

> ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ film review

Aaron Guillen
Staff Reporter

 

he importance of Remembrance

Day had never truly been felt on
such an enormous scale until I watched
Hacksaw Ridge. This biographical war
film, set in World War II, centres around
Desmond Doss, a man who didn’t fire
a single gunshot in battle, but received
the Congressional Medal of Honour after
saving the lives of 75 men in the Battle of
Okinawa.

Andrew Garfield as Doss captures
the essence of someone who sees the
good in everything. Doss, a Seventh-Day
Adventist (SDA), doesn’t believe in taking
someone’s life, even if he comes face-
to-face with death. Garfield’s ability to
show his emotions in only the slightest
change in facial expression is something
quite refreshing to watch. In addition, his
accent is quite convincing. He is able to
portray to the audience a man who has
a conviction strong enough to face any
power that stands before him. At one
point in the movie, his wife suggests that
he should simply bear arms and prove his
skills to complete his gun qualifications,

 

but he refuses.

As Doss finds love, experiences
hatred from his comrades, and proves his
worth on the battlefield, anyone watching
his story develop will want him to prevail.
He is the underdog. He is the one who
you are rooting for. At many times, it
seems quite impossible, but through the
conviction he holds as a religious man,
his God helps him save wounded men
time and time again.

“And I’m all up in the bank with
the funny face/and if I’m fake I ain’t
notice cause my money ain't/let me get
this straight wait I’m the rookie/but my
features and my shows 10 times your
pay?/5o0k for a verse no album out!/yeah
my money’s so tall that my Barbie’s gotta
climb it.” If you are not screaming the
rest of the lyrics in your head right now,
you probably just don’t know the words,
though you should. Her lyrics are clever,
edgy, incredibly catchy, and coupled
with her classic AABB rhyming style it’s
almost impossible not to get them stuck
in your head. No other rapper has been
able to scratch the surface of the greatness
that is this verse. This is what we live
for; she’s a motherfuckin’ monster.

Minaj’s lyrics are empowering. It
is rare that a woman sings with such
confidence in herself and her talents.

“I got bars, sentencing/I’m a bad bitch,
I'ma cunt/and I'll kick that hoe, punt/
forced trauma, blunt/you play the

back, bitch, I’m in the front.” The
determination with which she recites her
lyrics inspires confidence in any person
who listens to them, and dismantles the
self-esteem issues of every woman by
teaching them that being a bitch can

be a positive attribute and by telling
them not to worry about what other
people think of them. It’s a message the

Image from ‘Hacksaw Ridge’

Besides Garfield, the cast includes
notable actors such as Teresa Palmer,
Sam Worthington, and Vince Vaughn.
Palmer’s aura in the role of Doss’ love
interest perfectly matches the time
period. Worthington’s role as Captain
Glover appears lacklustre compared to
his other half, Sergeant Howell, played by
Vaughn. Vaughn provides the comic relief
you never knew you needed in a war film.
Notably, his chuckle-worthy moments

Of schools and suffering

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ponderings

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women of this generation need to hear.
“I employ these n--/they be
grown men but I little-boy these n--/
want the cookie, so I gotta Chips
Ahoy these n--/but I never iPhone,
Android these n--/use rubbers with
‘em, I don’t never raw these n--.” In an
industry that is so male-dominated
as the rap industry, it is refreshing to
hear a woman unapologetically sing
about her sexual agency and bodily
autonomy. She praises the “cookie” in
her songs with such liberation it sounds
less like a euphemism for a woman’s
body part than it does a metaphor for
female empowerment. In her songs she
repeatedly voices her support for all the
“boss-ass bitches” and even encourages
safe sex, a lesson well worth teaching.
“Should’ve sent a thank-you note you
little hoe/now I’m a wrap your coffin with
a bow.” Whether it be a whole album, a
song, or even a verse, Nicki dominates
every time, which is why she will go
down in rap music history. It’s been only
two years since her last album came out,
and anyone who isa fan of rap or Nicki
Minaj eagerly awaits the announcement
of her new album, and any of the songs
she will release in the future. Love her or
hate her, she is a female rap legend, and
she is not one to be underestimated.

are shown through his harsh words to his
soldiers.

The acting skills of the cast are
complimented by the cinematography
and soundtrack. In the first 10 minutes of
the film the screen pans out to show the
grandeur of a valley during an emotional
moment between Doss and the love of
his life. As the film finds Doss entering
the battlefield—the war moment that the
audience has been waiting for—it comes
with a bang, not a resounding roar. With
jump scares, jaw-dropping moments, and
heart-tugging scenes, the film keeps the
audience engaged throughout.

Hacksaw Ridge, directed by Mel
Gibson, sets the stage for gore and guts,
but in an usual way, with a man who
decides not to take lives, but instead to
save them. As a Seventh-Day Adventist
myself, I truly appreciated watching my
faith on the big screen in a manner that
didn’t divide watchers. Though the film
is war-centric, the faith that Doss had
will inspire all, religious or not, to take
a look at what they value in life and to
live by it. The gruesome reality of war
shown on-screen reminds audiences that
the sacrifice given by countless men and
women should never be forgotten.