Beam Me Up Scotty (mixtape)
Encyclopedia
Beam Me Up Scotty is the third mixtape by American recording artist Nicki Minaj
. It was released on April 18, 2009 by Young Money Entertainment
and Dirty Money Entertainment. The mixtape includes guest appearances by Lil Wayne
, Gucci Mane
, Busta Rhymes
, Bobby Valentino, and other Young Money artists like Drake
and Jae Millz. Shortly after its release, Minaj—along with other Cash Money/Young Money artists—appeared on MTV.com's Mixtape Daily to discuss the recording.
(the track sampled "Can't Stop, Won't Stop" by Young Gunz
). The tape is credited with helping to create Nicki Minaj's fan base. Despite the impressive list of collaborators on the tape, Minaj "remains in the foreground" of the tape. Minaj herself 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
."
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:
", featuring Lil Wayne, charted on the U.S. R&B charts due to heavy airplay. 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.
'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
(feat. Lil Wayne)", "Kill the DJ" & "Envy". Beam Me Up Scotty is credited with helping distinguish Nicki Minaj as an excellent lyricist 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 were extremely similar. Dark skin thick girl 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." In his consumer guide for MSN Music
, critic Robert Christgau
gave Beam Me Up Scotty an A- rating, indicating "the kind of garden-variety good record that is the great luxury of musical micromarketing and overproduction. Anyone open to its aesthetic will enjoy more than half its tracks". According to Rob Molster of The Cavalier Daily
, Beam Me Up Scotty "garnered [Minaj] a reputation for delivering vicious lyrics with a fresh style...[and] also revealed Minaj to have a knack for invoking alternative personalities, adding another layer to her already complex persona."
Nicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj , better known by her stage name Nicki Minaj; ), is a Trinidadian-born American recording artist...
. It was released on April 18, 2009 by Young Money Entertainment
Young Money Entertainment
Young Money Entertainment is an American record label founded by rapper Lil Wayne. Young Money's president is Lil Wayne's lifelong friend Mack Maine. The label is an imprint of Cash Money Records and is distributed by Universal Republic Records...
and Dirty Money Entertainment. The mixtape includes guest appearances by Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included...
, Gucci Mane
Gucci Mane
Radric Davis , better known by his stage name Gucci Mane, is an American rapper. He debuted in 2005 with Trap House and followed with albums such as Hard to Kill in 2006, Trap-A-Thon and Back to the Trap House in 2007. In 2009, his second studio album The State vs. Radric Davis was released...
, Busta Rhymes
Busta Rhymes
Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes...
, Bobby Valentino, and other Young Money artists like Drake
Drake (entertainer)
Aubrey Drake Graham , who records under the mononym Drake, is a Canadian recording artist and actor. He originally became known for playing Jimmy Brooks on the television series Degrassi: The Next Generation....
and Jae Millz. Shortly after its release, Minaj—along with other Cash Money/Young Money artists—appeared on MTV.com's Mixtape Daily to discuss the recording.
Background
Beam Me Up Scotty was recorded after Lil' Wayne noticed Nicki Minaj's appearance on Queens-based underground rap label Dirty Money Records' "On the Come Up" DVD series (Dirty Money Records is not to be confused with Diddy-Dirty Money). Wayne 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 3Da Drought 3
- 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-minute decision to add songs to the album's second disc. The album is available as a free legal download. It contains mostly remixes of...
(the track sampled "Can't Stop, Won't Stop" by Young Gunz
Young Gunz
The Young Gunz is an American rap duo from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania composed of Young Chris and Neef Buck . The group is part of Beanie Sigel's State Property collective and was signed to Roc-A-Fella Records...
). The tape is credited with helping to create Nicki Minaj's fan base. Despite the impressive list of collaborators on the tape, Minaj "remains in the foreground" of the tape. Minaj herself 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
I Am Music Tour
The I Am Music Tour, was a concert tour headlined by American rapper Lil Wayne and with special guest Nicki Minaj. The tour was following his Grammy Award-winning album Tha Carter III....
."
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
"I Get CrazyI Get Crazy
"I Get Crazy" is a song by American-rapper Nicki Minaj, featuring Young Money label-mate Lil Wayne. The song was included on Minaj's Beam Me Up Scotty mixtape, finding minor success on the U.S. Rap charts and R&B/Hip-Hop charts...
", featuring Lil Wayne, charted on the U.S. R&B charts due to heavy airplay. 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.
Reception
Beam Me Up Scotty was received positively by fans and critics alike. MTVMTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
'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
I Get Crazy
"I Get Crazy" is a song by American-rapper Nicki Minaj, featuring Young Money label-mate Lil Wayne. The song was included on Minaj's Beam Me Up Scotty mixtape, finding minor success on the U.S. Rap charts and R&B/Hip-Hop charts...
(feat. Lil Wayne)", "Kill the DJ" & "Envy". Beam Me Up Scotty is credited with helping distinguish Nicki Minaj as an excellent lyricist in a male-dominated genre. BET.com
Bet
Bet or BET may refer to:* A wager in gambling* Basic Economics Test * Bet , the second letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Aramaic, Hebrew, Phoenician and Syriac* Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm. See BET_theory...
'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 were extremely similar. Dark skin thick girl 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." In his consumer guide for MSN Music
MSN Music
MSN Music was a part of the MSN web services. It delivered music news, music videos, spotlights on new music, artist information, and live performances of artists. In 2004, Microsoft created an MSN Music download store to compete with Apple's iTunes Music Store, though its sales in comparison were...
, critic Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
gave Beam Me Up Scotty an A- rating, indicating "the kind of garden-variety good record that is the great luxury of musical micromarketing and overproduction. Anyone open to its aesthetic will enjoy more than half its tracks". According to Rob Molster of The Cavalier Daily
The Cavalier Daily
The Cavalier Daily is the fully independent student-run newspaper at the University of Virginia, founded in 1890. It is the oldest daily college newspaper in Virginia and the oldest newspaper in Charlottesville, Virginia...
, Beam Me Up Scotty "garnered [Minaj] a reputation for delivering vicious lyrics with a fresh style...[and] also revealed Minaj to have a knack for invoking alternative personalities, adding another layer to her already complex persona."