Beam Me Up Scotty (mixtape)

Beam Me Up Scotty
Mixtape by Nicki Minaj
Released April 18, 2009
Genre Hip hop
Length 75:18
Label Trapaholics
Producer DJ Holiday and The Trapaholics
Nicki Minaj chronology

  • Beam Me Up Scotty
  • (2009)

Beam Me Up Scotty is the third mixtape by American recording artist Nicki Minaj; it was released on April 18, 2009 by Trapaholics Records. It features guest verses from rappers Bobby V, Brinx, Busta Rhymes, Drake, Gucci Mane, Gudda Gudda, Jae Millz, Lil Wayne, Red Café, Ricky Blaze, Rocko, Ron Browz, and Shanell. Its production was overseen by DJ Holiday and The Trapaholics. Beam Me Up Scotty received favorable reviews from contemporary music critics, and is also largely credited with establishing Minaj's fan base. One of its tracks "I Get Crazy" respectively charted at numbers 20 and 27 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs component charts.

Background

Beam Me Up Scotty was recorded after Lil Wayne noticed Minaj's appearance on Queens-based underground rap label Dirty Money Records on "The Come Up" DVD series.[1] He is credited with mentoring Minaj as she recorded Beam Me Up Scotty, two years after her appearance on "Don't Stop, Won't Stop", a track from Wayne's acclaimed 2007 mixtape Da Drought 3 that sampled "Can't Stop, Won't Stop (Young Gunz song)" by Young Gunz.[2] Minaj says of her time on tour with Lil Wayne: "It made me hungry. That's what inspired me and the music for the Beam Me Up Scotty tape — the I Am Music Tour."[3]

Minaj credits Beam Me Up Scotty with re-focusing her on her music at a time when much of her career efforts were associated with her image:

I was OK, but I wasn't focusing on the music. I was doing pictures and stuff like that, so people knew me more for pictures than my music. But with the Beam Me Up Scotty mixtape, they have to take me seriously as an artist. So, I would say maybe a year ago, I started sharpening my skills. Recently, I've been singing more. Now it's official – it's going down like 'Town Julie Brown.[4]
—Nicki Minaj

Promotion

"I Get Crazy", featuring Lil Wayne, charted on the U.S. R&B charts due to heavy airplay.[5] A music video for the song "Itty Bitty Piggy" was released for the song due to popular demand.[6] The video is shots of Nicki performing the song live at a club concert and behind the scenes of the Beam Me Up Scotty photo shoot. The video was premiered on Hoodaffairs on Demand who also had a part in shooting the clip.[7] "Go Hard", featuring Lil Wayne, was promoted with a music video shot by director Koach K. Rich.

Critical reception

Beam Me Up Scotty was well received by critics and fans alike receiving an average score of 78.[8] MTV's Mixtape Daily chose Beam Me Up Scotty as its weekly pick on May 4, 2009, giving the album positive reviews: "Yeah, you are going to hear a bunch of more-than-just-friendly shout-outs to the ladies – Nicki says she loves the girls and has no problem surrounding herself with "bad bitches." Mixtape Daily favored tracks such as "I Get Crazy (feat. Lil Wayne)", "Kill the DJ" & "Envy".[9] Beam Me Up Scotty is credited with helping distinguish Nicki Minaj as an excellent lyricist in a male-dominated genre.

BET.com's SoundOff TV gave Minaj a positive review on her mixtape while commenting on impressions of Minaj herself: "I’m not going to front, when Nicki first hit my 'new rapper radar' I immediately hit the 'I’ll pass' button since the parallels between her and Lil' Kim were extremely similar. Dark skin thick girl rapping about explicit issues we only talk about behind closed doors – yeah, I’d say she was a carbon copy. But after removing the stubborn sticker from my forehead, I sat down and dissected shorty’s material and the parallels didn’t exist like I once thought."[10]

In his consumer guide for MSN Music, critic Robert Christgau gave Beam Me Up Scotty an A- rating,[11] indicating "the kind of garden-variety good record that is the great luxury of musical micromarketing and overproduction. Anyone open to its aesthetic will enjoy more than half its tracks".[12]

According to Rob Molster of The Cavalier Daily, Beam Me Up Scotty "garnered [Minaj] a reputation for delivering vicious lyrics with a fresh style...[and] also revealed Minaj to have a knack for invoking alternative personalities, adding another layer to her already complex persona."[5] The recording is credited with helping to create Minaj's fanbase.[13] Shortly after its release, Minaj, along with other Cash Money/Young Money artists, appeared on MTV.com's Mixtape Daily to discuss the recording.[3][14]

Track listing

Beam Me Up Scotty [15]
No. Title Length
1. "Intro"   1:04
2. "I Get Crazy" (featuring Lil Wayne) 3:41
3. "Itty Bitty Piggy"   4:07
4. "Kill da DJ"   3:01
5. "Mind on My Money" (featuring Brinx and Busta Rhymes) 4:31
6. "Nicki Minaj Speaks"   0:19
7. "Slumber Party" (featuring Gucci Mane) 3:30
8. "Shopaholic" (featuring Bobby V and Gucci Mane) 5:32
9. "Go Hard" (featuring Lil Wayne) 5:56
10. "Nicki Minaj Speaks"   1:12
11. "Best I Ever Had" (Remix) (featuring Drake) 5:26
12. "Handstand" (featuring Shanell) 3:08
13. "Keys Under Palm Trees"   2:51
14. "Get Silly"   1:30
15. "Easy" (featuring Gucci Mane and Rocko) 4:05
16. "Five-O" (featuring Jae Millz and Gudda Gudda) 4:18
17. "Envy"   3:43
18. "Can Anybody Hear Me?"   3:26
19. "Still I Rise"   3:09
20. "I Feel Free" (featuring Ron Browz, Red Café, and Ricky Blaze) 4:32
21. "Outro"   1:39
22. "Beam Me Up Scotty"   3:59
Notes

Release history

Country Date Format Label Ref.
Worldwide April 18, 2009 Digital download N/A [15]
United Kingdom September 6, 2010 CD Trapaholics [16]

References

  1. ↑ Lipshutz, Jason S (August 10, 2009). "Nicki Minaj Catches Eyes On Lil' Wayne's Young Money Tour". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
  2. ↑ "Nicki Minaj red-hot as 'Pink Friday' lands". Los Angeles Times. November 26, 2010. Archived from the original on December 6, 2010. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Mixtape Daily (video)
  4. ↑ Shaheem Reid; Rahman Dukes (May 4, 2009). "Lil Wayne Introduces Nicki Minaj". MTV. MTV. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Molster, Rob (December 2, 2010). "Minaj makes statement with debut ‘Pink Friday’". Retrieved December 12, 2010.
  6. ↑ “” (September 1, 2009). "By Popular Demand!!! Itty Bitty Piggy Video!!!!". YouTube. Archived from the original on September 28, 2010. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
  7. ↑ "Blog Archive » Nicki Minaj – Itty Bitty Piggy". Hood Affairs On Demand. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
  8. ↑ "Music: Bad B**** Mentality From Minaj – Arts and Entertainment". Media.www.rwcactivist.com. May 28, 2010. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
  9. ↑ 5/8/09 (May 4, 2009). "Lil Wayne Introduces Nicki Minaj – Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
  10. ↑ "SoundOff TV: One On One With LowKey & Nicki Minaj | Sound Off | BET.com". Blogs.bet.com. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
  11. ↑ Christgau, Robert (January 18, 2011). Girl Talk/Nicki Minaj. MSN Music. Archived from the original on January 18, 2011.
  12. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1990–). CG 90s: Key to Icons. Robert Christgau. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
  13. ↑ Ziegbe, Mawuse (November 28, 2010). "Nicki Minaj Uncovers Onika Miraj, Embraces Fame In 'My Time Now'". MTV News. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
  14. ↑ Mixtape Daily (text)
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Nicki Minaj - Beam Me Up Scotty Hosted by DJ Holiday & The Trapaholics". DatPiff. April 18, 2009. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Beam Me Up Scotty: Presented By DJ Holiday". Amazon.co.uk. Archived from the original on October 12, 2010. Retrieved November 14, 2010.