Toppa Top 13: Nicki Minaj’s Most Caribbean Moments

Words by LargeUp Crew

There’s no missing the fact that Nicki Minaj is an island gyal. Born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, and raised in the heavily Caribbean community of Jamaica, Queens, NYC, she’s flavored her lyrics with Trini and yardie dialect and signifiers since her days hustling mixtapes.

Since breaking through to the mainstream circa 2010, her love of reggae and dancehall has manifested itself in collaborations with Gyptian and Mavado as well as with similarly bashment-minded Jamaican-American artists like Busta Rhymes and Sean Kingston. While we’ve yet to hear her on some soca, she’s waved her Trini flag in other ways, like the all-out Carnival vibes of her video for “Pound the Alarm” (seen above).

In celebration of her continued celebration of her roots—and in hopes she’ll continue—here’s a look at some of the “most Caribbean” moments in Nicki’s illustrious career.

Gyptian—“Hold Yuh (Remix)” (2010)

Nicki was just starting to make her ascent into pop stardom in spring of 2010 when Gyptian’s “Hold You” became that year’s must-play reggae anthem. Now, us ladies love us some Gyptian and the fellas were already loving the type of moves that were being done to this track, but when you added Nicki’s opening verse on the remix, it just solidified the crossover appeal of “Hold You”. And while we’re used to hearing Nicki use terms like bad gyal and nuff, the use of a phrase as classic as gyal inna bungle—famously used in Beenie Man’s popular 1996 track “Nuff Gyal”—let us know just how versed she is with her reggae. —Tishanna Williams

Sean Kingston feat. Nicki Minaj — “Letting Go (Dutty Love)” (2010)

One of Nicki’s first major collaborations after coming to fame was this dutty but radio-friendly collaboration with island-pop star Sean Kingston. For her part, Nicki laces her verse with patois phrases like “Yuh dun know” and “True seh,” ending things with a quixotic “Rastafari!” It’s the video, which was shot outside Jack Ruby’s Bar & Grill in Ocho Rios, Jamaica (named for the famed reggae producer and grandfather of Sean Kingston) and features cameos from an assortment of dancehall stars including Shaggy and Leftside, that really won us over with this one. Director X, the Canadian-Trini lensman known for his polished but authentic depictions of Jamaican culture, captured the lively vibes of Jamaican synchronized dance routines in a classic bashment party reminiscent of his work for Sean Paul and Foxy Brown. It’s hard not feel nostalgic for the late ’90s and early aughts watching this one. —Richard “Treats” Dryden

Nicki’s verse on Kanye’s “Monster” (2010)

Most hip-hop fans seem to agree that Kanye West’s 2010 album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, was one of the better albums to come out in the last five years. Adding to its greatness, “Monster” is probably one of the more lyrical commercial singles to come out in that same time frame. Ross, Kanye, and Jay all did their thing lyrically, but Nicki, still relatively new to the commercial scene, definitely delivered the most lyrical and animated verse on the track. For some, this was the moment where they first took notice of Nicki’s lyrical prowess.

After going off for a few bars with a hybrid flow that sounds like a mixture of several countries with a little bit of Jamaica, Queens on the top, Nicki respectfully pays homage to her Caribbean roots by shouting out Mr. Tooonnnnnnyy Mattttttterhorrrn (Apologies for the King Addies flashback) and his popular hit single, “Dutty Wine.” For those that don’t know, the Dutty Wine was a popular dance that lead to numerous neck injuries. Possibly the reason for half of the bruk neck women in the official “Monster” video below. —Echo Slim

Headlining Reggae Sumfest 2011


Jamaicans have been known to embrace American pop and R&B acts of all levels of fame as long as they meet certain standards of quality, but only rappers of larger than life stature (circa ‘98 DMX, Rick Ross) have ever been able to draw in JA, regardless of talent. Nicki was only a year into her career when she was tapped as a headliner on Sumfest’s International Night in 2011, but there was no way she was going to fail. She owned the crowd from jump (picking up a summons for cursing in the process), ensuring that whenever she next decides to make her way to JA, the demand will be that much greater.—Jesse Serwer

“Gun Shot” featuring Beenie Man (2012)

We can’t front: “Gun Shot” was a miss. Nicki and Beenie together sounded promising on paper, and the track title had us thinking of some gully bashment business. But the duo shot blanks on the poppy, and forgettable, number from Roman Reloaded. This is one flop that deserves a sequel, though, so how about a do-over? Zagga!  —Jesse Serwer

“Pound the Alarm” video (2012)

Nicki flew to her homeland in 2012 to shoot the video for “Pound The Alarm,” a dance pop single taken from her second album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded. The clip featured Carnival footage, shots of Port of Spain from the hills of Laventille, Blue Devils, Machel Montano and, of course, Nicki in a red, white and black costume. You can’t get more Trini than that! It’s worth special mention that she shot in urban, street areas rather than focusing on the sun and beaches that we normally observe in Caribbean videos. —Tishanna Williams

Live Dancehall Medley (2012)

No matter how high Nicki Minaj’s career has peaked, her regional acceptance, specifically amongst people with Caribbean heritage, has to be counted among her greatest achievements. When she took the stage at 2012’s Barclaycard Wireless Festival in London, she was welcomed with open arms by an audience clearly versed in the same set of Caribbean music touchstones she did coming up in New York. Not to be outdone by fellow island gyal Rihanna (who performed her own rude gal anthem “Man Down” at the same fest), she brought an all-out dancehall medley that sandwiched bits of Tony Matterhorn’s “Dutty Wine” and Beenie Man’s “Who Am I” with her “Hold You” freestyle, and her verse on Sean Kingston’s “Letting Go (Dutty Love),” rapped a capella along with the island crew in the audience. —Richard “Treats” Dryden

My Time Now MTV documentary (2013)

Often, an artiste whose career hinges not only on talent but on the creation of an entire persona may shy away from giving the audience a peek into their personal life. But you don’t get more personal than underwear shopping. A no-holds-barred look at her life and roots, Nicki’s MTV documentary My Time Now saw the Queen of Hip Hop visiting her family in West Trinidad, taking them on a shopping trip which included getting bras for some of the younger girls. We saw a family embrace her with love, as Onika, and also got a full view of the heritage that birthed the phenomenon that became Nicki Minaj. With a new MTV documentary, My Time Again, set to air, we wait to see what pieces of her this Trini girl will give us this time. —Tishanna Williams

French Montana feat. Nicki Minaj — “Freaks” (2013)

If a new hip-hop song samples dancehall, as a fan of Nicki Minaj, you’re hoping she jumps on the remix. There was no waiting for Minaj to grace “Freaks,” she stole the spotlight right from French Montana on the original version of own record. It’s as if the stars were aligned for Nicki Minaj because Vicious, who made the original “Freaks” sampled on the hook, along with Doug E. Fresh, also made a name for himself on another single about a girl named “Nika”—no relation to Onika Maraj. Knowing her history, Nicki Minaj paid homage to Vicious by continuing the storyline of Nika (who Vicious first introduced as Onika in a line on the original “Freaks”) on her own version of “Freaks.” —Richard “Treats” Dryden

Busta Rhymes— “Twerk It” feat. Nicki + Tosh Alexander (2013)

You’re not going to get more Caribbean in a hip-hop track and than this one, with Busta Rhymes and Tosh Alexander each representing Jamaica by way of Brooklyn and Miami, respectively, and Nicki Minaj repping T&T by way of Queens. (You can also throw in Director X, a Trini from Toronto, and our own dance master Sir Ledgen, the recipient of a slow-motion reverse Charlie Murphy slap in the song’s video). Combine these West Indians together on one project, and you must get vibes. Tosh sets the track off by chatting up a storm in the intro, and Busta starts rhyming in patois with a big smile on his face, something hat I always enjoyed back from his Leaders of the New School days. Paying homage again to her Caribbean heritage, and to her love of reggae music, she shouts out three of dancehall’s top deejays—Vybz Kartel, Beenie Man, and Bounty Killer, in consecutive order, then goes on to big up “Trinidad, and not James she a chat bout.” Another solid verse full of patois vibes from Nicki. —EchoSlim

Mavado feat. Nicki Minaj—”Give It All To Me” (2013)


As much as she reps T&T, Nicki Minaj sure loves to affect Jamaican patois. It seems to come just as natural to her as slipping into Trini dialect. Mavado’s 2013 single “Give It All To Me” marked her first appearance on a track from a dancehall juggling riddim (though it wasn’t her first collab with Mavado, technically—the Gully Gad appeared on the official remix to “Freaks”), and she showed she fit right from jump with her intro: Long time mi nuh see nuh badman like you, zeen? We would have thought the heavyweight pairing of Nicki and Mavado would have made more waves than it did, but “Give It All To Me” was a quality summertime single that breathes life into any party where it plays. —Jesse Serwer

Viral Jamaican Accent Video (2014)

Unlike some of her other personas—like, say, Roman Zolanski— Nicki Minaj’s yahdie voice comes from a real place.

Whatever Nicki Minaj sipped prior to hitting the record button on this video that went viral got her drunk enough to utter “Me nuh vex, but mi baby fadda a vex yuh… mi daughta a vex unu bloodclot” and “you know ’bout blood clot Pine-Sol? You get dat at dolla store, so you know ’bout dat!”

As a result of the clip starting mid-conversation, and the cutaway at the mid-point, we have to speculate that Minaj played a classic game of Mockingbird with a twist of Telephone. Someone said something in a Jamaican accent, and she repeats what they say, then adds on Pine Sol, for a kicker. Each non-sequitur is hilarious, leaving us eager for more phrases to be thrown her way. — Richard “Treats” Dryden

“Trini Dem Girls” feat. Lunch Money Lewis (2014)

Weh di hot gyal dem? Like each of her prior albums (“Muny” on Pink Friday and “Gun Shot” on Roman Reloaded), Nicki’s latest, The Pinkprint, features a rap/pop hybrid with a Caribbean tinge. One of five Dr. Luke-produced tracks on the album, “Trini Dem Girls” is a fun, fast-paced and danceable break from the album’s dichotomy of boisterous, flame-singed bars and vulnerable reflection on Nicki’s very public break up. Filled with lots of talk about pum pum, “Trini Dem Girls” shouts out all of the key cities and nationalities (Brixton and Queens, Jamaican and Trini) to connect with the Caribbean massive. It also features the services of Lunch Money Lewis, a relative unknown among A-list The Pinkprint guests like Beyonce and Ariana Grande.

While Lewis’ name might conjure mystery and conjecture among Nicki fans, it’s one we know well here at LargeUp. The son of Inner Circle’s Ian Lewis (co-founder and bassist for the Jamaican reggae legends), Lunchy has been making waves on the Miami rap scene for a few years, and first appeared here in 2012 with his “Jah Army” freestyle. —Scott Brown