For the second Saturday afternoon in a row, I finally decide to give a listen to a much hyped brand new track that seems to have the internet abuzz with excitement. Last week, it was Cee-Lo Green, and this week, begrudginly, it’s Kanye West. Well, Kanye West plus a few million other cool people. But for me, the most interesting part about this star-studded track is that, surrounded and unintimidated by the hip-hop powerhouses all around her (not to mention indie powerhouse Bon Iver who, honestly, I wouldn’t have recognized in this track were it not for the song title), Nicki Minaj takes the reigns and is the real star of this track. It’s no surprise they give her the (technically?) final verse, which she handles like the best of them. It’s no surprise in the graphic above that her name is bigger than all the rest. Not gonna lie, I never really listened to anything Nicki Minaj, maybe because I always assumed she was a cheesy pop star with a little bit of edge, but one that I still wouldn’t be a fan of. But now, it’s clear to me that she’s anything but. She’s a mothafuckin monster.

Kanye West – Monster ft. Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj & Bon Iver