Nicki Minaj Recruits Skeng, Skillibeng, And Samples Dave Kelly, Beenie Man On New Album ‘Pink Friday 2’

Trinidad-born rapper Nicki Minaj released her Pink Friday 2 album on Friday, featuring Dancehall artists Skillibeng and Skeng on the track Forward From Trini.

The track is produced by Jamaican Emelio ‘Melio Sounds’ Lynch and German producer Bas Beats. It’s unclear why Forward From Trini also gives songwriting credits to veteran producer Dave Kelly, but the ‘crowd noise’ and chants from his Stink (1996) and Showtime (1997) riddims are heard during the track.

The album’s final track, Just The Memories, credited Beenie Man and American soul singer Jerry Butler after it interpolated the chorus from Beenie’s classic hit Memories (Stop Live In A De Pass) (1995), which itself had interpolated lyrics from Butler’s Memories Don’t Leave Like People Do (1973).

Memories, produced by Lynford Marshall and Colin ‘Bulby’ York, appeared on Beenie’s 1995 album, Blessed, which had also featured the hit songs Slam, World Dance, Modelling, and Tear Off Mi Garment.

Kanye West previously sampled the track in his 2013 song, Send It Up with King Louie.

On Forward From Trini, Skillibeng handles the first verse before the rapper shows off her Caribbean pride and later joins Skeng in the final verse. Notably, the song also includes a sample of Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness’s voice, uttering the words “fully dunce” from Skeng’s Likkle Miss.

This is not the first time Minaj has collaborated with Jamaican artists. In May 2021, she tapped Skillibeng for the Crocodile Teeth Remix, which climbed to No. 99 on the Billboard Hot 100. Last year, she joined forces with Skeng on the Likkle Miss Remix.

A sequel to her debut album, Pink Friday (2010), Pink Friday 2 is Minaj’s first studio album in five years following the release of Queen (2018).

She previously collaborated with Beenie Man on the track Gun Shot off her Pink Friday Reloaded (2012) project.

The 22-track Pink Friday 2 also includes the previously released Red Ruby da Sleeze, which sampled Lumidee’s Never Leave You (Uh Oooh, Uh Oooh) on Steven ‘Lenky’ Marsden‘s Diwali riddim.

The album also features J. Cole on Let Me Calm You Down, Drake on Needle, Lil Uzi Vert on Everybody, Tasha Cobbs Leonard on Blessings, and Future on Nicki Hendrix.