Nicki Minaj Wiki
Register
Advertisement

Pink Friday track listing
"Roman's Revenge" is track number 2.
Previous track
"I'm the Best"
Next track
"Did It On'em"

"Roman's Revenge" is a song by Nicki Minaj featuring Eminem from her debut studio album Pink Friday. The song is the first and only promotional single off the album. It was written by Minaj, Kaseem Dean, Eminem, Q-Tip, Bryan Higgins, James Jackson, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Busta Rhymes, Phife Dawg, Jimi Hendrix, Jack McDuff, and Ryan Tedder and was produced by Swizz Beatz. It was released exclusively on October 30, 2010 through the US iTunes store, as a promotional release preceding the album's release.

Nicki performs the song as her alternate persona, Roman Zolanski, along with Slim Shady (Eminem's alter ego), who is dissing fellow female rapper, Lil' Kim whose response was a song called "Black Friday." Even though the song was not released as an official single from Pink Friday, the song charted within the Billboard Hot 100.


  • Writers: O. Maraj, M. Mathers, K. Dean, K. Fareed, B. Higgins, J. Jackson, Ali S. Muhammad, T. Smith, M. Taylor, J. Hendrix, J. McDuff, R. Tedder
  • Producers: Swizz Beatz
  • Recorded by: Ariel Chobaz
  • Recording Assistant: Lyttleton “Cartwheel” Carter
  • Mixed by: Ariel Chobaz
  • Mix Assistant: Lyttleton “Cartwheel” Carter
"Roman's Revenge" is a song by Nicki Minaj featuring Eminem from her debut studio album Pink Friday. The song is the first and only promotional single off the album. It was written by Minaj, Kaseem Dean, Eminem, and T. Smith and was produced by Swizz Beatz. It was released exclusively on October 30, 2010 through the US iTunes store, as a promotional release preceding the album's release. Nicki performs the song as her alternate persona, Roman Zolanski, along with Slim Shady (Eminem's alter ego), who is dissing fellow female rapper, Lil' Kim whose response was a song called "Black Friday." Even though the song was not released as an official single from Pink Friday, the song charted within the Billboard Hot 100.

Background[]

On October 31, Nicki Minaj talked about the track with MTV: "We went out on a whim and put it in the air like, 'It'd be great if he would collaborate with us,' " Minaj said."I remember I kept talking about it, and I thought, 'It can't hurt.' I sent him one record, and he didn't love it. He didn't say, 'I don't love it'; he just said, 'Can you send me something that's a little more me?' I sent him an e-mail and thanked him for that, just having enough respect. Sometimes people don't respond. He had the respect, at least, to treat me like a peer."[1] On November 17, Minaj talks more about the "supposedly" diss she made to Lil' Kim at The Wendy Williams Show: "When you put out records, only the guilty ones feel like you're talking about them," Minaj said. "If you have nothing to worry about, if you never came out saying stuff, if you never came out saying your ungrateful bullshit, then you wouldn't worry about it."[2] The official remix, which features her mentor Lil Wayne, was released as the albums fourth single on January 19, 2011 as a digital download. Another remix with Busta Rhymes was also released.

Composition[]

Roman's Revenge begins with ominous strings and the weighty knock of the drums and bass line. The song features a dark beat and intense, heavyweight energy.[1]

Live performance[]

Nicki performed the song in all her performances at the Femme Fatale Tour. It was the first song of the set. It is also the first song on her Pink Friday Tour set in Europe, the Philippines, and North America.

Credits[]

Recording:

  • Recorded at: Glenwood Place Studios, Burbank, CA
  • Mixed at Glenwood Place Studios, Burbank, CA

Personnel:

  • Writers: O. Maraj, M. Mathers, K. Dean, T. Smith
  • Producers: Swizz Beatz
  • Recorded by: Ariel Chobaz
  • Recording Assistant: Lyttleton “Cartwheel” Carter
  • Mixed by: Ariel Chobaz
  • Mix Assistant: Lyttleton “Cartwheel” Carter

Others

The credits for "Roman's Revenge" are adapted from the liner notes of Pink Friday.[3]

Charts[]

Chart (2010) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart[4] 125
UK R&B Chart[5] 29
US Billboard Hot 100[6] 56
US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[6] 85
US Billboard Rap Songs[6] 23

Lyrics[]

Remixes[]

Lil Wayne Remix[]

Roman's Revenge cover
Nicki Minaj
Pink Friday
Features Lil Wayne
Released January 19, 2011
Format Digital download
Length 3:49
Label Young Money, Cash Money, Universal Motown
Writer Nicki Minaj
Lil Wayne
Swizz Beatz
T. Smith
Producer Swizz Beatz
Single information
Single release January 19, 2011
Video release
←Last single
"Moment 4 Life"
Next single→
"The Creep"
British Pink Friday Re-Release track listing
"Roman's Revenge" is track number 15.
Previous track
"Girls Fall Like Dominoes"
Next track

The official remix of "Roman's Revenge" is included on the UK re-released edition of Nicki Minaj's debut album Pink Friday, but not on the same UK re-release which features "Super Bass". It features guest vocals by rapper Lil Wayne. Although "Roman's Revenge 2.0" is not the track's official title, it was nicknamed that by Lil Wayne and is popularly referred to that title by Team Minaj to distinguish from the original. It's worth mentioning that Weezy only has one verse even though in the original Eminem has two verses. Also there is now a hook beetwen the second and third verse, which wasn't the case in the original.

Critical Reception[]

The song garnered positive to mixed reviews by critics, most of which found it refreshing to find Wayne working with Minaj after his jail-sentencing, but were in favor of the original Eminem-track instead. During the songs release, Rap-Up described Wayne's verse "hungry." Chris Ryan of MTV Buzzworthy gave the song a positive review calling the song thrilling to listen to, and appreciating Wayne's addition stating that his earlier prison sentencing did not affect Wayne's "lyrical acumen or his culinary tastes." Ryan additionally appreciated the collaboration between both label-mates. Jayson Rodriguez of MTV stated that after Wayne's jail-sentencing, he "made up" for his absence by assisting Minaj on a remix of one of her best cuts off Pink Friday.[7]

Reviewing Wayne's lyrical content of the remix, Latifah Muhammad of The Boombox stated that Wayne delves "in between one explicit metaphor after another" as he quickly reclaims his position at the top of the "rap game." While callings Wayne's addition to the song "wild-eyed," Karen Civil of Idolator favored the original song over the remix of the track. Opposite of Civil, Tom Breihan of Pitchfork Media enjoyed Wayne's addition and complimented the remix as "a definite upgrade in every way." Breihan continued to compliment Wayne as a perfect gentleman in comparison to the original with Eminem, and stated that Wayne "sounds unbelievably happy to be on a track again," as every other rapper should feel nervous with Wayne back.[7]

Remix lyrics[]

Busta Rhymes Remix[]

Roman's Revenge cover
Nicki Minaj
Pink Friday
Features Lil Wayne
Released January 19, 2011
Format Digital download
Genre Hardcore hip hop, dirty rap
Length 3:49
Label Young Money, Cash Money, Universal Motown
Writer Onika Maraj, Dwayne Carter, Kaseem Dean, T. Smith
Producer Swizz Beatz
Single information
Single release January 19, 2011
Video release
←Last single
"Moment 4 Life"
Next single→
"The Creep"
British Pink Friday Re-Release track listing
"Roman's Revenge" is track number 15.
Previous track
"Girls Fall Like Dominoes"
Next track

The Busta Rhymes remix of "Roman's Revenge" was relased on 17 December, 2011. The remix was made because the hook of the song interporlated one of Busta Rhymes lines on the on the song "Scenario" by A Tribe Called Quest.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Nicki Minaj, Eminem Get Rowdy On 'Roman's Revenge' Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  2. Nicki Minaj Hints Lil' Kim Is 'Roman's Revenge' Target Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  3. Digital booklet of Pink Friday
  4. Official Singles Chart for the week ending 4 December 2010, Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  5. Top 40 R&B Singles Archive: 4th December 2010, The Official Charts Company Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Top 100 Music Hits, Top 100 Music Charts, Top 100 Songs & The Hot 100, Billboard.com Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  7. 7.0 7.1 Wikipedia: Roman's Revenge - Critical Reception Retrieved July 30, 2012


Pink Friday logo
Advertisement