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Moment 4 Life

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"Moment 4 Life"
Song

Moment 4 Life is a song by Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj featuring Canadian rapper Drake. It serves as the third single from Minaj's debut album Pink Friday. The song was produced by T-Minus and written by both performing artists. The song is inspired by a story Minaj created, in which two kids grow up together sharing the same dream of becoming famous rappers, and create this song while living out their dreams together.

The song garnered mixed reviews by critics, most of which commented on the status of the song on the album and the tone of both rappers.

Background & composition

The song features twinkling keyboard notes. Minaj begins her first verse talking about recent success, from before her debut album. Lyrically the song is about a desire to maintain a feeling of accomplishment, as Drake follows behind Minaj and raps the same theme of enjoying the moment.[2] "Straying away from the standard rap song construction of three verses and a hook, Nicki performs a brain-dump of sorts on the track, spitting as if she’s making a speech to both her fans and detractors."[3]

During a session from the Pink Friday Diaries Minaj discussed the song in detail, adding a background story to the original song.[4] "Moment 4 Life : is about 2 kids that grew up on the same block. They shared their dreams of making it as rappers. They laughed together, they cried together. One day they realize that their dreams have come to fruition. Though they know all things come to an end, they celebrate. They wish that they could have this moment 4 LIFE."[5]

Reception

The song garnered mainly mixed from critics. Brad Wete of Entertainment Weekly stated "The triumphant 'Moment 4 Life,' along with the album’s two lead singles, all showcase her knack for melody while boasting lyrics chronicling her struggles–be they professional or intimate ones of love and hurt. All of which are way more poignant than raps about how dope she is."[6] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian gave the song a negative review commenting on Minaj's tone, stating "she sounds bored rigid, which rather makes you wonder where showing off one's musical versatility ends and cravenly softening your sound for the marketplace begins."[7] Scott Plagenhoef of Pitchfork Media commented on the songs status on the album and how Minaj was out-shined by its collaborator, stating "Minaj is upstaged by Drake and Kanye West on "Moment 4 Life" and "Blazin'", respectively, but these tracks-- plus the Rihanna collaboration "Fly" and the solo ballad "Save Me"-- are the best examples of what Pink Friday is rather than what many of us wanted it to be."[8] Jesse Cataldo of Slant Magazine gave the song a negative review on Minaj's part of the song and on the album as a whole, stating "Minaj's deranged wildness could potentially provide a foil for Drake, cutting into his tendency to work slowly and calmly on "Moment 4 Life." Instead, Minaj backs off from an early round of forcefulness, letting Drake dictate the pace of the song. It's this seeming lack of confidence, contradictory to the poise she shows elsewhere, which identifies the problems with Pink Friday, an often wobbly first effort that shows enormous promise."[9]

Music video

According to MTV, there are plans to shoot a music video for the single. The president of Young Money Entertainment, Mack Maine, told MTV News, "We're still trying to work out the date for the next video with [Nicki] and Drake for the 'Moment 4 Life' video. That's the next project."[10][11] Stills of the music video were released, depicting Minaj and Drake sharing a kiss and Minaj entering a ballroom in a blonde bun.[12] "Moment 4 Life" is the first music video shot in a string of music videos to be released for promotion.[13]

Performances

Minaj first performed the song at a Thanksgiving Party hosted by Hot 97 with Drake, and later performed their other song "Up All Night".[14] Minaj also performed the song on the Lopez Tonight show as her alter ego Rosa without the assistance of Drake.[15] While performing on VH1 Divas Support the Troops, Minaj performed the song for the men and women of the military[16] without Drake again. During the performance, Minaj wore a fluffy white wig, turquoise tights, elongated heels and a super-snug, orange and blue mini-dress.[17] Minaj performed the song for the holidays on many occasions, including a Christmas concert for Hot 97.[18] During the Christmas special, Minaj wore a leopard-print bodysuit wrapped in a black cloth cage.[18] Minaj additionally performed the song on a Manhattan rooftop during a pre-taped New Year's event on NBC’s New Year’s Eve with Carson Daly.[19] More recently, Minaj performed the song with the assistance of Drake at the New Year's celebration "All Pink Everything Belvedere Vodka" she also hosted.[20] During the performance, Minaj wore black and gold piece with multi-colored hair.[20]

Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from Pink Friday liner notes.[21]

  • Vocals: Nicki Minaj, Drake (rap)
  • Writing: O. Maraj, A. Graham, T. Williams, N. Seetheram
  • Recording: Ariel Chobaz & Noah "40" Shebib
    • Assisted by: Lyttleton "Cartwheel" Carter & Noel Cadastre
  • Mix engineer: Ariel Chobaz
    • Assisted by: Lyttleton "Cartwheel" Carter
  • Producing: T-Minus

Charts

The song debuted on the U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at number 56 and the U.S. Hot Rap Songs at number 17 due to strong digital sales and heavy radio play, following the albums release.[22]

Chart (2010) Peak
position
US Hot Rap Songs[23] 10
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[23] 24
US Hot 100[23] 63

Release history

Country Date Type
United States December 7, 2010[24] Rhythmic airplay

References

  1. ^ Nicki Minaj Goes From Relative Unknown To VMA Performer | Video | MTV
  2. ^ Posted on Dec 1st 2010 5:22PM by Scott Shetler (2010-12-01). "Nicki Minaj, 'Moment 4 Life' Feat. Drake - New Song". AOL Radio Blog. Retrieved 2010-12-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Nicki Minaj’s ‘Moment 4 Life’ Compliments Billboard Chart Success
  4. ^ http://www.mypinkfriday.com/users/teamminajtrini/blogs/728871
  5. ^ http://www.mypinkfriday.com/users/teamminajtrini/blogs/728871
  6. ^ Wete, Brad (2010-11-22). "Nicki Minaj's 'Pink Friday': Read EW's review | The Music Mix | EW.com". Music-mix.ew.com. Retrieved 2010-12-25.
  7. ^ Alexis Petridis. "Nicki Minaj: Pink Friday | CD review | Music". The Guardian. Retrieved 2010-12-25.
  8. ^ "Album Reviews: Nicki Minaj: Pink Friday". Pitchfork. 2010-11-24. Retrieved 2010-12-25.
  9. ^ "Nicki Minaj: Pink Friday | Music Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2010-12-25.
  10. ^ Crosley, Hillary (2010-12-09). "Nicki Minaj, Drake Set To Shoot 'Moment 4 Life' Video - Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV. Retrieved 2010-12-25.
  11. ^ "Nicki Minaj to Shoot Video With Drake for 'Moment 4 Life'". The Boombox. 2010-12-10. Retrieved 2010-12-25.
  12. ^ http://hiphopconnection.com/story.php?Nicki-Minaj-amp-Drake-Share-a-Kiss-In-Moment-4-Life-Music-Video-53
  13. ^ http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1653369/nicki-minaj-shes-euphoric-over-pink-friday-sales.jhtml
  14. ^ "Nicki Minaj Celebrates Thanksgiving With Help From Kanye, Rihanna And Drake | Music News, Reviews, and Gossip on". Idolator.com. 2010-11-26. Retrieved 2010-12-25.
  15. ^ "Nicki Minaj Introduces New Alter-Ego". Rap-Up.com. Retrieved 2010-12-25.
  16. ^ "Video: Nicki Minaj Reports for 'Diva' Duty". Rap-Up.com. Retrieved 2010-12-25.
  17. ^ Ziegbe, Mawuse (2010-12-05). "Nicki Minaj Drives Soldiers Crazy At 'VH1 Divas' - Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV. Retrieved 2010-12-25.
  18. ^ a b Rap-Up.com || Nicki Minaj Spends Christmas in Concert
  19. ^ Rap-Up.com || Video: Nicki Minaj Kicks Off New Year with Carson Daly
  20. ^ a b Rap-Up.com || Nicki Minaj’s New Year’s Moment in Miami
  21. ^ Pink Friday (Media notes). Young Money, Cash Money, Universal Motown. 2010.
  22. ^ Up for Discussion Jump to Forums (2010-12-21). "Moment 4 Life - Nicki Minaj". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2010-12-25.
  23. ^ a b c "Top 100 Music Hits, Top 100 Music Charts, Top 100 Songs & The Hot 100". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2010-12-25.
  24. ^ "Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Arbitron Ratings, Music News and more!". FMQB. Retrieved 2010-12-25.
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