Nicki Minaj, pills n potion

English

Introduction:

Hello, Luna and I decided to choose a female rapper. We really think that female rappers are usually marginalize so we decided to make you discover pill and potion by Nicky Minaj. Before doing a study of the lyrics, I will introduce you to Nicky Minaj and the context of writing the song

I/ Short biography

Nicki Minaj, whose real name is Onika Tania Maraj, is an American and Trinidadian rapper singer, born on December 8, 1982 in Port-of-Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago, from a family of Indian and Afro-Trinidadian origin.

She had a difficult childhood: a father who drank a lot and was violent towards her and her mother. She got into hip-hop and took a liking to rap and singing. She is nicknamed "The Queen Of Rap".

The song we will present you is "pills n potion",  from the album Pinkprint released in 2014.

II/ Paroles + figure of speech

A/ Refrain :

“Pills and potions” + I still love

 🡺 “Pills and potions” stand for all the different ways we medicate ourselves – whether it’s literal medicine, illicit drugs and alcohol, or just any coping mechanism on an emotional level. It’s something we cling to when we’ve been wronged by those who love us, something we get high on to forget the pain and anger.

But in the end, love transcends all of that. Love continues to exist past the hurt and past the O.D. of pills and potions we use to mask it.

B/ 1st Verse

Ayo, they could never make me hate you

Even though what you was doin' wasn't tasteful

Even though you out here lookin' so ungrateful

I'ma keep it movin', be classy and graceful

She talks about those who betrayed her without naming them : « They could never make me hate you/Even though what you was doin' wasn't tasteful/Even though you out here looking so ungrateful/Imma keep it movin' be classy and graceful ». Nicki explains that she forgives and forgets the traitors, even though she knows they are jealous of her success.

Even though is an Anaphora  that the emphasizes the errors that Nicky past friends did. Even though they were jealous of her, she is still trying to found excuses for her friend.

She also uses repetition with « ful »  on “tastful, ungrateful and graceful”. Nicky with these word wants to highlight the fact that even though her friends did her wrong, she still move forward and is still graceful

All the bridges you came over, don’t burn that yet

“Don’t burn your bridges” is a metaphor used as a  popular saying, meaning if you get mad at someone or leave something, you shouldn’t ruin your entire relationship with them/it on your way out because you may need their help in the future.

In this case, after all the bridges and trials that this guy crossed in order to be with Nicki, she’s hoping he will stick with her and won’t throw their entire relationship away over a small bump

Niggas want respect, but niggas ain't earn that yet

Self-righteous and entitled but they swearin' on the Bible

That they love you when, really, they no different from all your rivals

This line is about Scaff Beezy’s ( her ex) disrespectful behavior. To be more specific, she explains that this relationship was only adding more problems for her to deal with. Her ex is no different than others who have had a negative effect on her life. Even though he claims he is not like them.

This is hypocrisy in her view, because he often says he cared for their relationship, yet used her for his own gain. Even with his deception, he still has the audacity to say, he should be respected.

In order to demonstrate this, she uses the common practice of swearing upon a Bible. When someone does to testify in a court or after being elected to political office, it’s assumed that person will keep their oath. People make promises all the time, they don’t mean anything unless in her words

But I still don't wish death on 'em, I just reflect on 'em