Hate it or love it…well, actually you have no choice not to love it or appreciate it. The likelihood of a female rapper captivating the nation’s interest with their every last move has the same probability of them having sextuplets. Not too achievable but Nicki Minaj has become the regnant queen in the position everybody covets in record-setting fashion. Like most females before her, the physical attributes preceded anything that came out of her mouth, yet, the Trinidadian beauty’s ability to juggle R&B anchors and split hairs with her male counterparts all the same bore witness to a visible sexpot not having to settle for being solely written off as one. Quirky in her rhymes schemes, highlighted by studio vocal afflictions presented from the wackiest costumes this side of Lady Gaga, her ascension to the top capped out with her presiding as the leading lady for Lil Wayne’s Young Money outfit with anticipation building for the debut album.

The ensuing months were like textbook for the buzzworthy artist: a half dozen tour dates here, drop a failed and #1 single there–all as the final countdown ticks away. In the case of Nicki’s monumental timeline, her clock’s hands rest at 3:45 with her marginally disappointing grand entrance, Pink Friday. A record whose unevenness still documents the ongoing breakout of a future star.

Pink Friday’s pitfalls mirror the burdens the music industry faces in a time where profit is more crucial than ever; even when the revenue stream isn’t necessarily there. The pressure to be an overnight success has become demanded instead of anticipated and Pink Friday boasts several instances where Nicki hits her growth spurts prematurely. Overproduced fluff in “Fly” and “Last Change” don’t brandish any real musicianship or chemistry with the respective songs’ co-stars Rihanna and Natasha Bedingfield, whose presence seemingly only looks to bring in record sales off the strength of name recognition. Even more confusing is the semi-believable soulsearcher, “Dear Old Nicki.” A musing piano chord provide by Kane Beatz is all Roman Zolanski needs to openly admit her contradictions of mainstream acceptance versus promoting the girl the entire world fell in love with.

Although a predominately contrived effort, Pink Friday does award commission to Nicki’s talents as a songwriter. The decision to preach to a broader audience results in contagious soundbytes like the groovy “Your Love” and über-Pop attempt in the will.i.am-designed “Check It Out.” The former especially hits its mark with a sparkling finger snapping, unsuspecting bassline that makes for a cute puppy love soundtrack, if not a substantial song all together. And despite the fact no rapping is involved, “Save Me” stands as the album’s most complete offering where harmony and melody find a common accord while the blithe rhythm allows rap’s heroine to break out the singing chops.

“Old Nicki” does make a few appearances, most notably on “Roman’s Revenge,” to settle a festering score with a particular female member in Hip-Hop hierarchy who hasn’t been too happy with the arrival of another bird in the hen house. In just under five minutes of a Swizz Beatz minimalist snare drum inferno, Nicki proceeds to lyrically snatch out Lil Kim’s weave with arrays of intended disrespect: “Look at my show footage/how these girls be spazzin’/So f*ck I look like gettin’ back to a has been?…yeah I said it, has been…” The track, also complimented with verbal snipes from Eminem, serves as a clear-cut exhibition of the Nicki Minaj allure where yammering like “Right Thru Me“—which attempts to display the material girl’s vulnerable side—humbly fall short.

Pink Friday is by no means a failure even with a great deal of the content amounting to be lifeless as the dolls to which she borrows her caricature. By being contiguous to such a large marketing machine and heavy dependent on stilted punchlines (lines like “Go against me nowwwwwwww/I dare you…Bambi” take on levels of silliness of their own), Nicki Minaj hampers her own chances of winning on top a solidified victory unlike similar instances such as Get Rich Or Die Tryin’, Thank Me Later and ironically, Hard Core. With potential acting as the key benefactor however, Nicki looks to be well on her way to nestling comfortably in her appointed throne.