Barb is back with mixtape ‘Beam Me Up Scotty’

The female voices in modern rap are insane. Artists like Meg, Cardi B, Chika, and Tierra Whack have dropped some crazy bars recently, and as of last week, Barb is back. 

On Instagram, Nicki Minaj has been teasing her cult following, Barbz, about a new project. And while every female rapper is a badass, Nicki is an icon and has been the queen of rap for the last 10 years. So, needless to say, the Barbz were pretty hype. 

Beam Me Up Scotty is Nicki’s first mixtape that made it to streaming platforms. Originally released in 2009 on CDs and digital downloads, the 23-song tracklist is a combination of unreleased singles, remixes, and some notorious features like Drake, Lil Wayne, Gucci Mane, and more. 

The opening track “Seeing Green” features Drake and Lil Wayne. Although Nicki’s verse is arguably my favorite, Drake and Weezy are also iconic names in rap and never disappoint. Nicki actually said on an Instagram Live with Drake that he got her out of her writer’s block for the Beam Me Up Scotty reissue. 

Also, Nicki sounds fire on “Best I Ever Had Remix” with Drake, and with Lil Wayne on “I Get Crazy” and “Gotta Go Hard.” These three are the holy trinity of rap. 

“Itty Bitty Piggy” was probably THE song of 2010 for some fans. Originally sampled from Solja Boy’s “Donk,” the single made an official appearance on the new project, making Barbz very happy according to the Tweets trending about the mixtape. The track “Can Anybody Hear Me?” also took me back a couple of years.

“Fractions” is one of the singles on Beam Me Up Scotty that was not on the original mixtape. While Nicki’s lyricism is unmatched, this song came with some controversy regarding her husband, Kenneth Petty.

Nicki does not directly refer to Kenneth, but the line “accusations on them blogs and they all fictitious” have led some to believe otherwise. The song’s backlash is from Petty’s sexual assault accusations that were allegedly silenced.

Nicki’s remix to Skillibeng’s “Crocodile Teeth” was also not on the original mixtape. Bringing some more attention to this Jamaican artist, Nicki’s new verse adds a bold female voice.

The reissue of Beam Me Up Scotty came just in time for summer and I think it will do great on streaming platforms. Nicki receives a lot of hate and controversy as a rapper, but this is not new for her. Haters never seemed to bother this queen. 

Whether you have been a lifetime Barb or just enjoy Nicki’s infamous Tik Tok sounds, stream Beam Me Up Scotty for some new and old heat.