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Nicki Minaj is one of the best rappers in the business. For the purposes of this list, we will be including both Minaj's songs and songs in which she makes a guest appearance. In other words, any Nicki Minaj verse is eligible. We've included songs like Bottoms Up, Get Like Me, All Things Go and more!

#10: “Bottoms Up” (2010)

Trey Songz feat. Nicki Minaj




Let’s be honest here: Bottoms Up would have been nothing without Nicki Minaj. In what is otherwise quite a standard club song, Minaj comes barrelling in to save the day with an incredible verse full of stereotypical girly voices, baby talk, explosive frustration, and constant tempo and tone changes. It’s a brilliant technical performance that shows a lot of personality, not just in the variety of voices and personas she puts on, but the way she commands the beat and wills the song to her liking. Trey Songz’s name may be on the song, but “Bottoms Up” belongs to Nicki.





#9: “Up All Night” (2010)

Drake feat. Nicki Minaj

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Look, we love Drake, but Nicki steals the show here. “Up All Night” is yet another song in which Nicki upstages the headliner, and in this case, she does it with ample personality and great flow. While Drake may have set up the tone and style of the song, Nicki perfects it with her flow and creative flourishes, such as stuttering in time with the beat in the middle of her verse. Her scathing personality also shines through with some hilarious lyrics, including “I look like yes and you look like no.” It’s just another example of Nicki being one of the most charismatic rappers in the biz.





#8: “Get Like Me” (2013)

Nelly feat. Nicki Minaj & Pharrell

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There are very few songs that showcase Nicki’s unique style and personality quirks like “Get Like Me”. She opens her verse with some incredible lyricism and bizarre yet unique rhyming, such as the fantastic opening line “I’m the shizzniyee/You should follow my example – bitch i.e.” She also displays a great amount of confidence throughout the verse, and when it comes to Nicki, we think her ego is justified. She also flows over Pharrell’s wonderful beat, proving that the two have marvelous chemistry and should work together more often.





#7: “All Things Go” (Second Verse) (2014)

Nicki Minaj

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When it comes to Nicki Minaj, we usually think of material wealth, a bad girl attitude, and lots of confidence. It’s not often that we get to see her vulnerable side, which is why the second verse of “All Things Go” is so special. Nicki forgoes the usual personality flourishes and creative rhyming stanzas to morosely reflect on the death of her cousin, losing touch with her family, the troubles of fame, and popping pills. Usually her lyrics talk about her wealth and rapping skills, but with All Things Go, it’s clear that this fame and success has taken its toll.





#6: “No Frauds” (2017)

Nicki Minaj, Drake & Lil Wayne

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Here’s a lesson – don’t ever diss Nicki Minaj, because she will not let it slide. While she collaborates with both Drake and Lil Wayne, this song belongs entirely to Nicki, as she scathingly and brilliantly responds to Remy Ma’s diss tracks “Shether and “Another One”. Nicki viciously attacks on all fronts, including Remy Ma’s lackluster sales, her time in prison, her abandoning her son, and her hypocritical plastic surgery, while comparing her looks to Martin Lawrence’s character Sheneneh. No matter whose side you’re on, there’s no denying that Nicki knows how to talk some serious trash. And it is damn entertaining.





#5: “Feeling Myself” (Third Verse) (2014)

Nicki Minaj feat. Beyoncé

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Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj are a duo gifted to us by the music gods. While their “Flawless Remix” was fire, we must give the edge to “Feeling Myself” due to the sheer technicality of Nicki’s verses. The third verse contains all the usual Nicki Minaj trappings, including insane amounts of confidence, tone, time and voice changes, unique rhyming schemes, and some creative flourishes, such as the extended “laser.” In the middle of this verse, Nicki claims that she is a “rap legend,” and when she’s dropping insane verses like this one, it’s hard to argue with her.





#4: “Super Bass” (First Verse) (2010)

Nicki Minaj

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Super Bass is one of Nicki Minaj’s most popular and commercial songs, but it still contains some insane rapping. The pop production and Nicki’s flow work in tandem to create one of her most instantly recognizable and catchy verses. Nicki spits absolute fire during the first verse, rapping with incredible speed and technicality while also utilizing her gift for changing tones and flow on the fly. There are so many words and rhymes packed into this one verse that it’s a sort of challenge for any Nicki Minaj listener – if you can nail this one, you’re a true fan.





#3: “I’m Out” (2013)

Ciara feat. Nicki Minaj



While Ciara is certainly fantastic on this track, Nicki Minaj opens the song with a marvelous verse and completely upstages the headliner (again). The song simply never recovers from the onslaught that is Nicki Minaj. The rapper once again proves her talents through the sheer aggression of her rhymes. The verse has a natural progression from slow but impactful rapping to complete pandemonium as the beat picks up and Nicki’s flow follows. It’s the kind of chaotic energy that has made Nicki Minaj such a powerhouse in the rap game, and it proves that Nicki has few, if any, equals.





#2: “Roman’s Revenge” (First Verse) (2010)

Nicki Minaj feat. Eminem




You know Nicki Minaj is a great rapper when she can hold her own with Eminem. “Roman’s Revenge” is a somewhat cryptic diss track aimed towards Lil’ Kim, and it was so successful and savage that it initiated a nasty feud between the two rappers. And it’s not hard to see why. The song features a very dark and menacing pounding beat, and Nicki matches the ominous production with a rambunctious and violent delivery aimed squarely at her competitors. Nicki is the best in the biz when it comes to attacks, and “Roman’s Revenge” mixes production and vocal tone to brilliant, and personal, effect.





Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.



“Boss Ass Bitch (Remix)” (2013)

Nicki Minaj feat. PTAF





“I Luv Dem Strippers” (2012)

2 Chainz feat. Nicki Minaj





“MotorSport” (2017)

Migos, Nicki Minaj & Cardi B





#1: “Monster” (2010)

Kanye West feat. Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Bon Iver & Nicki Minaj

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There’s simply no competition. Not only is Nicki’s verse on Monster the best of her career, but it’s arguably one of the best rap verses of the entire decade. Nicki upstages the best in the business, including Jay-Z and Kanye West; her rhyming is impeccable, and her aggression is contagious. The lyrics and wordplay present throughout her verse are borderline God-like (and arguably even better than Kanye’s), and as usual, she completely alters her flow and vocal tone throughout the verse to thrilling and entertaining effect. There are a lot of fantastic Nicki verses out there, but this one is iconic.

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