Nicki Minaj’s “Only (feat. Chris Brown, Drake & Lil Wayne)”: Review Revue

Bradley Stern | October 28, 2014 11:55 am

To be fair, it wasn’t going to be easy for Nicki Minaj to trump her rump-shaking smash “Anaconda.” The hype for a follow-up to her Sir Mix-A-Lot-sampling hit was already at a fever pitch — but did she deliver with a worthy follow-up? Well.

The return-to-roots rap track “Only,” the third single off of the newly pushed-back The Pinkprint — certainly has its fair share of scandal-heavy lyrics worth talking about, as well as a simple, menacing beat courtesy of Dr. Luke. Was it enough to sway the critics — or the Twittersphere? Check out all the reviews, as well as some choice tweets, after the jump.

:: The New York Daily News found it hard to muster a lot of enthusiasm for the new track, but did see some positives: “You couldn’t call the song catchy and it’s clearly overlong, at a leisurely 5-plus minutes. But it does serve to bolster Minaj’s accent on verbiage, however jokey and low.”

:: Consequence Of Sound was similarly meh, but ultimately praising: “It’s not the strongest effort these three have been attached to, but it’s a great display of how their separate and distinct personalities can still play off one another nicely.”

:: Entertainment Weekly noted Nicki’s dominance on the track: “It starts with her refuting the long running rumors that she traded sex for support from Wayne and Drake, then uses a hypothetical menage á trois to assert sexual dominance over both of them, seeming to claim the alpha spot on the Young Money/Cash Money roster, and neither one of her teammates can do much to change that perception.”

:: Music Times found the track refreshing in its simplicity: “‘Only’ proves that Minaj doesn’t have to whip out her Barbie voices or Roman to command a presence, she can do it just by being herself.”

:: FADER found it to be a bit lazy, but remained hopeful: “Minaj has always been able to wield her vivacious body as a weapon of sorts, with a look but don’t touch fierceness that undercut rap’s alpha male gaze. But on ‘Only,’ Nicki’s Young Money cohorts toss claims to her body back back and forth, while Minaj delivers sleepy lines like ‘these hoes couldn’t test me even if their name was pop quiz.’ It comes off a bit desperate, but we’re still rooting for Pinkprint, if and when it drops.”

:: And Noisey decided Nicki still sits comfortably at the throne as the Queen: “Yes, Drake spends like half of his verse rapping about how he likes BBWs. Yes, Lil Wayne’s verse is great here, but yes, Nicki Minaj continues to rap laps around the competition and there’s no indication that that’s going to change any time soon. Nicki’s The Pink Print will drop December 15th, and when it does may God have mercy on our souls.”

What do you think of the track? Sound off below.