Nicki Minaj has been more active lately than she has been in a while. After mostly disappearing in the disappointing wake of her 2018 album, Queen, she made sporadic appearances on breakout tracks like Doja Cat’s “Say So” and Tekashi 69’s “Trollz,” but this year, she’s been even more productive, collaborating with Lil Baby on “Do We Have A Problem?” and “Bussin,” as well as Coi Leray on “Blick Blick.” Today, she continued that trend with the release of a new song featuring emerging New York rapper Fivio Foreign, “We Go Up.”
In this instance, Nicki dips into Fivio’s production pool, utilizing a drill beat that highlights a choppy flow from the Queens rapper laden with punchlines dissing an unnamed rival and celebrating her success. There’s nary a mention of bitches being her sons, either — always a plus, because it means Nicki is trying and when that happens she always delivers. Fivey’s verse is also pretty solid, which will certainly help fuel anticipation for his upcoming debut album, B.I.B.L.E. The chemistry here is immaculate; sticking together two New Yorkers, their collaboration crackles with the Big Apple’s natural flair and brash energy.
Nicki’s recent spate of single releases has also fueled speculation that she intends to drop an album soon, but thus far, she has yet to make any announcements to that end. If she does, though, her recent releases are a promising sign of a return to form, which bodes well as the Queen re-enters a rap arena where she’s no longer the only go-to option for the feminine perspective in hip-hop.
Listen to “We Go Up” above, and stay tuned.