S. Samuel
Young Money's Nicki Minaj has discussed her pen game and why she prefers to ink her own rap rhymes when composing records.
In addition to her own raps, Nicki also explained her ‘Saxon’ song she wrote for Rihanna‘s Rated R album.
“I am so territorial, that [from the start] I just felt like whatever I was gonna do I was gonna write it myself,” she says in the new Fader Magazine. “it’s my personal preference to always be in control of everything I do in life…This [Rihanna song] wasn’t supposed to come out in the world with Nicki Minaj on it. This was written for someone else, and I felt so f*cked up behind it. But I thought the beat was very different, and I wanted to write something for Rihanna that showed like, I already shut that sh*t down.” (Blogxilla)
Cash Money Records’ Birdman recently addressed speculation of Drake writing Lil Wayne‘s raps.
“C’mon, man,” Baby said when asked if Drake writes for the rapper. “Wayne don’t even write, man. Honestly Wayne don’t write. I don’t know how he do that sh*t he do, but don’t no n*gga do it for him. Wayne don’t play that shit, he never did. We ain’t with that sh*t. That’s cheatin’ to me, when you’re trying to be great. When you’re just an artist that wants a hot record, that’s something different, but when you’re trying to be great you ain’t bout to let no n*gga write for you, cause you don’t wanna lose none of the credit. Wayne wants to be the best to ever do it. To be the greatest ever takes your skillful thoughts, not another person’s.” (Ozone Magazine)
Last month, Drizzy talked about writing hit R&B records.
“With R&B, I know my sound. I know I make records to f*ck to,” he explained in an interview. “The way Jay and Wayne write rap, I write R&B. I don’t write lyrics down on paper. The other day, I was in the studio with Alicia Keys, and I wrote two songs just speaking to her. I wish I could write that way for rap. With my rap songs, there’s so much of me I have to give that I don’t know if I could ever just flow. The thing is, I’m a great rapper. There’s two elements to rap: having the thoughts, and then being a great rapper. I can really rap the sh*t that I write. My tone, my inflection. When I listen to myself on records, I don’t feel like I don’t belong there. When I listen to ‘Forever,’ with three of my heroes, I fit right in.” (Complex)
In Fall 2009, producer Kia Shine claimed he co-wrote Drake’s “Best I Ever Had.”
“maan i am not a hater, if someone is blessed with something i commed them and encourage, not discourage,” he wrote earlier this week. “for all the nob believers here is the pic taken from Sept.10th’s Bm1 awards in NY where I won 3 awards for my publishing share of ‘BEST I EVER HAD’…this message is for all the non-believers YES kia shine OWNS 25% OF THE DRAKE SONG ‘THE BEST I EVER HAD’ 3 BMI AWARDS FOR THE SONG GOING #1 ON 3 BILLBOARD CHARTS. GO BUY HIS EP TODAY! MY FAMILY APPRECIATES IT! … its all there! can’t make sh*t like this up.” (Kia Shine’s Twitter)
Check out a past Nicki Minaj freestyle below:
