Beam Me Up Scotty (mixtape)
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''Beam Me Up Scotty'' is the third
mixtape In the modern music industry, a mixtape is a musical project, typically with looser constraints than that of an album or extended play. Unlike the traditional album or extended play, mixtapes are labeled as laid-back projects that allow artists mo ...
by Trinidadian rapper
Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as the "Queen of Rap" and one of the most influential rappers of all time, she is noted for her ...
, released on the 18th of April, 2009 by
Young Money Young may refer to: * Offspring, the product of reproduction of a new organism produced by one or more parents * Youth, the time of life when one's age is low, often meaning the time between childhood and adulthood Music * The Young, an America ...
and Aphilliates. It is produced by DJ Holiday and the Trap-a-Holics, and features guest appearances from rappers Brinx,
Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after National Football League, NFL and Canadian Football Lea ...
,
Drake Drake may refer to: Animals and creatures * A male duck * Drake (mythology), a term related to and often synonymous with dragon People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family ...
,
Gucci Mane Radric Delantic Davis (born February 12, 1980), known professionally as Gucci Mane, is an American rapper. He is credited, along with fellow Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Jeezy, with pioneering the hip hop subgenre trap music for mainstream a ...
,
Mack Maine Jermaine Anthony Preyan (born January 15, 1982), better known by his stage name Mack Maine, is an American record executive, songwriter, and rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana. He was named president of Lil Wayne's record label Young Money Enter ...
,
Gudda Gudda Carl Eugene Lilly Jr. (born March 11, 1983), better known by his stage name Gudda Gudda, is an American rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana. He performed on Young Money Entertainment's 2009 single "BedRock", which peaked at number two on the ''B ...
,
Jae Millz Jarvis Antonio Mills (born September 11, 1983), better known by his stage name Jae Millz, is an American rapper from Harlem, New York. He is best known for his performances on Young Money Entertainment's 2009 singles "BedRock" and " Every Girl, ...
,
Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. He is often regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation, as well as one of the greatest rappers of all ...
,
Red Café Jermaine Alfred Denny,, Konvict Music. Accessed October 10, 2011. (born September 19, 1976), known professionally as Red Café, is a Guyanese-American rapper. He formed the short-lived hip hop group Da Franchise in the late 1990s, who signed w ...
,
Rocko Rocko Rama is the main protagonist of the animated television series ''Rocko's Modern Life'', the Netflix special '' Rocko's Modern Life: Static Cling'', and the comic book series of the same name. Carlos Alazraqui provided the voice of Rocko. Co ...
and
Ron Browz Rondell Edwin Turner (born December 6, 1982), better known by his stage name Ron Browz (), is an American rapper, singer, and record producer from Harlem, New York. He gained major recognition for his production work on fellow New York rapp ...
, as well as vocals from singers
Ricky Blaze Ricardo Lloyd Johnson Jr. (born August 3, 1988), also known as Ricky Blaze, is an American DJ, producer, singer, and songwriter. He has done production work in the dancehall music space and the trancehall subgenre. He has produced and collaborated ...
,
Bobby V Robert Marcel Wilson (born February 27, 1980), better known by his stage name Bobby V (formerly known as Bobby Valentino), is an American R&B singer. Born in Jackson, Mississippi and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, he first joined the R&B group Mi ...
,
Shanell Shanell Lynn Woodgett (born November 15, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. She is best known for her guest appearance on Lil Wayne's 2009 single "Prom Queen (Lil Wayne song), Prom Queen", which pe ...
. The mixtape received favorable reviews from music critics, and is also largely credited with establishing Minaj's fan base. Minaj reissued ''Beam Me Up Scotty'' on May 14, 2021, released by
Republic Records Republic Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Based in New York City, it was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially ...
with three bonus tracks ("Fractions", a remix of "Crocodile Teeth" with Skillibeng, and a remix of "
Boss Ass Bitch "Boss Ass Bitch" ( edited for radio as "Boss Boss Chick") is a song by American hip hop girl group PTAF. It was first released on May 6, 2012 as a music video on YouTube, following which it went viral online in 2013. The song was also remixed by ...
" with
PTAF PTAF (acronym of ''Pretty and Taking All Fades'') is an American hip hop crunk girl group from Los Angeles consisting of Kandi, K'Duce, and Alizé. They are most known for their viral song "Boss Ass Bitch", which gathered the attention of the p ...
). It debuted at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200, making it the highest-charting re-released mixtape by a rapper and the highest-debuting mixtape by a female rapper in history. Four tracks charted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 when the reissue released, the highest-charting being "Seeing Green", which debuted at number 12 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, alongside hitting five other 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. 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 ''Da Drought 3'' is the seventh mixtape by Lil Wayne, released on April 13, 2007. Background This is the third in the trilogy of mixtapes in ''Da Drought'' series. Released in 2007, the mixtape was delayed slightly as a result of Wayne's last-m ...
'' that sampled " Can't Stop, Won't Stop" by
Young Gunz Young Gunz is an American hip hop duo from Philadelphia, composed of rappers Young Chris (born Chris Ries in March 9, 1983) and Neef Buck (born Hanif Muhammad in March 30, 1983). The group is part of Beanie Sigel's State Property collective ...
. 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 The I Am Music Tour, was a concert tour headlined by American rapper Lil Wayne. The tour was following his Grammy Award-winning album '' Tha Carter III''. The tour concluded with America's Most Wanted Tour featured Wayne's record label, Young ...
''." 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:


Promotion

A music video for the song "Itty Bitty Piggy" was released for the song due to popular demand. 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. " 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. 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", "Kill the DJ" & "Envy". ''Beam Me Up Scotty'' is credited with helping distinguish Minaj as a popular female figure 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 Kimberly Denise Jones (born July 11, 1974), Those giving 1974 include: * * * * * better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper. She was born and raised in New York City and lived much of her adolescent life on the streets after ...
were extremely similar. Light skin cutie with long hair 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." Writing for ''
MSN Music ''MSN Music'' was a part of MSN's web services. It delivered music news, music videos, spotlights on new music, artist information, and live performances of artists. The website also served as a digital music store from 2004 to 2008. History ...
'' in 2011, critic
Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...
identified ''Beam Me Up Scotty'' as the release that convinced "hards" that Minaj "was street enough", noting her "highly unsisterly, rabidly materialistic" persona on the mixtape. According to Rob Molster of ''
The Cavalier Daily ''The Cavalier Daily'' is an independent, student-run daily news organization at the University of Virginia. Founded in 1890, under the name ''College Topics'', ''The Cavalier Daily'' is Virginia's oldest collegiate daily and the oldest daily n ...
'', ''Beam Me Up Scotty'' "garnered inaja reputation for delivering vicious lyrics with a fresh style... ndalso revealed Minaj to have a knack for invoking alternative personalities, adding another layer to her already complex persona." The recording is credited with helping to create Minaj's fanbase. Shortly after its release, Minaj, along with other Cash Money/Young Money artists, appeared on MTV.com's ''Mixtape Daily'' to discuss the recording.Mixtape Daily (video)
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Retrospective analysis

In a 2021 review of the mixtape's reissue, ''
The Daily Californian ''The Daily Californian'' (''Daily Cal'') is an independent, student-run newspaper that serves the University of California, Berkeley, campus and its surrounding community. History 20th century ''The Daily Californian'' became independent fro ...
'' writer Kelly Nguyen noted that back in 2009 when the tape was first released, "Minaj's rise as ruler of rap was sensational" and that her "clear talent was matched with her copious charisma—all wrapped up in the bait-and-switch of her personas". She added that the "nostalgia of Minaj's throwback mixtape is the reason why the album's release reignited Barbz and TikTok youth to stream it". She went on to say that beginning from this album, Minaj went "full throttle into a vertiginous verse that's built to make you feel like a Barbie-level boss. But then she's casual and carefree ..It's how she's stayed relevant since the age of Justin Bieber prepuberty bowl cuts and Kanye's MTV VMA coup d’état. As much as the world tried to pare her down to its level, she chewed it up and spit it out, just to repeat the process on the next verse." ''
Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
'' writer Trace William Cowen also noted that "fans and industry watchers alike have pointed to the unique circumstances surrounding" the album's number two debut, "commending Minaj for bagging such a strong opening week with a project that's effectively (new cuts aside) a little over 12 years old". In an analysis of the reissue, ''
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...
'' writer Ana Clara Ribeiro stated that "Minaj might not have been a pioneer of women in rap" but it also does not "make sense anymore to describe her as a 'female rapper' when she is one of the best alive and a serious candidate to best of all time". ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' writer Mankaprr Conteh stated that with the re-release, Minaj revisited a "distant golden age". He went on to say that Minaj's ascent with the mixtape "came as rap made by women seemed to be on the decline. The number of women signed to major labels reportedly went from more than 40 to just three between the late eighties and 2010; after her arrival, Minaj became a singular figure in music for almost a decade". He went on to say that this mixtape "paved the way for that accomplishment". On the mixtape content, he stated Minaj "brought a more down to earth humanity to her persona with revealing spoken interludes". Conteh went on to say that,
"Twelve years after ''Beam Me Up Scotty'', there are many more women making popular rap music and there's no doubt that Nicki Minaj's success has inspired the variety and competition that exists now ..Women across rap explore the contours of their voices, building on a framework established by inaj They complement their raps with delicate singing. They have tapped into her over-the-top wardrobe and wigs. Many came up remaking inaj'ssongs and at their most fortunate, they've been able to collaborate with her".


Commercial performance

In 2009, " I Get Crazy" charted at number 20 on the US
Hot Rap Songs Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by '' Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stat ...
chart and number 37 on the
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...
chart. The 2021 reissue of the mixtape debuted at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling over 80,000 copies in its first week. It became the "highest-charting re-released mixtape by a rapper and the highest-debuting female rap mixtape in history". The opening track of the reissue, "Seeing Green", debuted at number 12 on the
Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), ...
and ranked as the week's best-selling song in pure sales. "Fractions" debuted at number 52, "Itty Bitty Piggy" at 82, and "Crocodile Teeth" at 100. With three new entities on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, Minaj extended her record as the female artist with the most songs charted. She also surpassed
Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreogr ...
as the woman with the second-most songs to reach the top 10 of the chart, with "Seeing Green" debuting at number 8.


Track listing


2021 reissue


Background

On May 11, 2021 after a three-month hiatus from social media, Minaj shared a series of pictures on
Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
teasing the release of music on Friday, May 14th. She confirmed the release of music on Instagram Live confirming that ''Beam Me Up Scotty'' would be released "on major streaming services, and would include a fresh track" called "Seeing Green" featuring rappers
Drake Drake may refer to: Animals and creatures * A male duck * Drake (mythology), a term related to and often synonymous with dragon People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family ...
and
Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. He is often regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation, as well as one of the greatest rappers of all ...
. Drake also joined the broadcast saying,
"It didn't feel right, you not being on it. Nobody does this shit better than you. We miss your presence, we miss your bars".
On May 14, 2021, Minaj re-released the mixtape on all streaming services along with a new cover and three new songs. ''Billboard'' described the new mixtape artwork as Minaj going "full-retro for the revamped ''
Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...
''-themed artwork". In 2021, as she teased the reissue of the mixtape, Minaj posted a picture of herself wearing hot pink Croc shoes. According to ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' and ''The Sole Supplier'', "the look caused a whopping 4,900% spike in sales of pink Crocs and the retailer's website also crashed."


Content

In addition to "Seeing Green", the reissue includes two new tracks titled "Fractions" and a remix of "Crocodile Teeth" with Skillibeng. The mixtape also included her 2014 tracks "Chi-Raq" and "
Boss Ass Bitch "Boss Ass Bitch" ( edited for radio as "Boss Boss Chick") is a song by American hip hop girl group PTAF. It was first released on May 6, 2012 as a music video on YouTube, following which it went viral online in 2013. The song was also remixed by ...
" with
G Herbo Herbert Randall Wright III (born October 8, 1995), better known by his stage name G Herbo (formerly Lil Herb), is an American rapper. He signed with the Chicago-based record label Machine Entertainment Group in 2011, at the age of 16. His debut ...
and
PTAF PTAF (acronym of ''Pretty and Taking All Fades'') is an American hip hop crunk girl group from Los Angeles consisting of Kandi, K'Duce, and Alizé. They are most known for their viral song "Boss Ass Bitch", which gathered the attention of the p ...
respectively. The 2009 mixtape was also included but several tracks did not make the final cut due to sampling issues including: "I Feel Free," "Mind on My Money," "Handstand," "Five-O" and "Outro."


Track listing


Personnel

Credits adapted from the back cover of ''Beam Me Up Scotty''. * Debra Antney – executive producer * Onika Maraj – executive producer * waeone@aol.com – cover art


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Release history


References

{{Nicki Minaj 2009 mixtape albums Albums produced by Ron Browz Nicki Minaj mixtape albums Young Money Entertainment mixtape albums Republic Records mixtape albums