Track Review: Nicki Minaj, “Super Freaky Girl”

Eleven years after “Super Bass” launched Nicki Minaj into the mainstream pop music stratosphere, the Queens rapper is still relying on the same template for her latest single, “Super Freaky Girl.” This is equally exemplary of the cyclical nature of commercial music, the rich history of hip-hop sampling, and Minaj’s somewhat stunted ability to fully commit to her own artistic evolution.

Built around a sample of Rick James’s “Super Freak,” the new single follows two Lil Baby collaborations (“Bussin” and “Do We Have A Problem?”), the Fivio Foreign-assisted “We Go Up,” and the Coi Leray duet “Blick Blick” as Minaj’s fifth single as a lead artist this year. The subject matter is familiar: Minaj’s famous body and her self-proclaimed sexual prowess. It’s a relative pivot from the opps-focused bars of her previous 2022 releases, but it’s a pivot that dives headfirst into the abyss of nostalgia.

The song is light pop-rap fare, and it’s aware of that. From the meticulously crafted hook (which dominated TikTok for weeks before the song’s official release) to Minaj’s giddily animated vocal inflections, this is a fun tongue-in-cheek track. Hailed by many as the sequel to 2014’s landmark “Anaconda,” “Super Freaky Girl” only piques interest because of what it reminds us of, not what it actually is. Take the song’s second verse, for example. Nothing particularly interesting or impressive happens after the callback to “Boss Ass Bitch” (“'Cause, what the fuck? This ain't Chanel, nigga, custom down? / Like, what the fuck? This ain’t Burberry, custom brown”), but that taste is just enough. “Super Freaky Girl” aims to appease, not astound. Never mind the cheap production, outside of the inevitable commercial success of this track, it will undoubtedly be one of Minaj’s more forgettable singles when all is said and done.

From City Girls (“Twerkulator”) to Jack Harlow (“First Class,” Minaj even uses a similar spelling scheme in her new track) to Saweetie (“My Type”), sampling instantly recognizable megahits into danceable pop-rap tunes has been a dependable way to secure some commercial success in recent years (although the practice is decades-old). “Super Freaky Girl” fits right into that limp and forgettable template. The new Nicki Minaj single is expected to be the formal introduction to her fifth studio album. With her impending MTV Video Music Awards Vanguard honor and performance, “Super Freaky Girl” is being primed for a monster run. Ultimately, the song is her least intriguing offering of the year so far. It’s not exactly a regression, but it does feel like a frantic attempt to secure a hit single with legitimate longevity.

Score: 59