Nicki Minaj has delivered her first verse of 2023 on Machel Montano and Destra’s “Shake The Place (Remix)” – and she’s made sure to represent her Trini roots.
The Queen rapper surprised fans with the new track on Friday (February 17), which hears her collaborate with Trinidadian stars. Because of this, it only made sense for her to rep her homeland in her verse.“
Trinidad my country, the greatest carnival of all time,” Nicki kicks off the track. “I’m reppin’ that red, that white, that black/ I’m reppin’ my real flag.”Listen to “Shake The Place (Remix)” below
Nicki has remained relatively low-key with her musical output in recent months, having last appeared on the 2022 World Cup theme song “Tukoh Taka” alongside Maluma and Lebanese singer Myriam Fares in November.
Prior to that, she released her “Super Freaky Girl” single over the summer – which led to her breaking a major record.On New Year’s Day, Nicki Minaj broke Missy Elliott’s record as the longest-charting female rapper on the Billboard Hot 100 when “Super Freaky Girl” hit its 20th week on the chart. The song also made chart history upon its release, becoming the first female solo rap song to debut at No. 1 on the Hot 100 since Lauryn Hill’s 1998 hit “Doo Wop (That Thing).
As for a new album, Nicki asserted in a November interview that her fifth LP would be arriving “soon.” The project will follow 2018’s Queen, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 185,000 album-equivalent units sold in its first week.“
I feel like whenever I’m happy, I deliver the best music,” Nicki told City Girls rapper JT for i-D. “And in order for me to deliver the best music for my album – which is coming out soon – I have to tap back into the essence of Hip Hop.”
Elsewhere in the conversation, Nicki hinted her fifth studio album is on her priority list, giving fans hope it can be released sometime soon.
