Nicki Minaj

Fine, I Guess It Is Time to Stop Taking Potshots at Jason Mraz [Update: RIP Zach Sobiech]

[Editor's note: In the time since this post was published this morning, Zach Sobiech has succumbed to his illness. May he rest in peace, and may his family find comfort in these sad times.] Anyone who has either been to a wedding or a funeral in their life knows from that fortunate/unfortunate eve ... More >>

The Ten Weirdest Members of Congress

Slideshow: The 10 Weirdest Members of Congress

Sorry, But Kanye Is the GOAT

Kanye West is the greatest hip-hop artist of all time. He's made the best albums and changed the game the most, and his music is the most likely to endure. One thing before we get going: This isn't one of those arguments meant to piss people off or "start a conversation." I really mean it. And, co ... More >>

Dating 101

The Six Most Absurd Pop Songs Of 2012

Editor's Note: The end of 2012 is upon us, so we thought we'd put a cap on things by sharing some of our personal favorite shows, albums, events and general shenanigans. Join us as we indulge in some navel-gazing! To wrap up the end-of-year coverage for Nitpick Six, here are the six most absurd pop ... More >>

Getting Bored and Angry at Lamb of God: Review and Photos

Lamb of God | Hatebreed | In Flames | Sylosis The Pageant November 7, 2012 Before I start trashing one of the most popular metal bands on the planet, let me offer my credentials: In 1989, I saw Sepultura at the Bridgeton Soccer club at just nine years old. I got in trouble for spray painting the S ... More >>

The 15 Most Ridiculous Band Promo Photos

Here at RFT Music HQ we see literally one shitload of press photos every week. Many of them stick to a template: Gather all band members together, shoulder to shoulder. Make sure no one smiles, ever. Have the artists try to look thoughtful, but also like they are not trying to look like anything. Th ... More >>

My Morning Jacket and Band of Horses at the Peabody: Review, Photos and Setlist

My Morning Jacket | Band of Horses August 8, 2012 Peabody Opera House Jim James does not have hair. He has a mane, and it is his single best asset as a showman. Better than his sleeved cape (his morning jacket, proposes RFT Managing Editor Chad Garrison), better than his drum pad chain, better even ... More >>

Nicki Minaj at the Peabody Opera House: Photos

Nicki Minaj brought her Roman's Revenge tour to the Peabody Opera House (14th St. and Market St) last night with opener 2 Chainz. It was a big day for the MC -- she was nominated for a couple VMA's and released the video for her new single, "Pound the Alarm," where she gets feathery in Trinidad. L ... More >>

VMA Awards 2012: Handicapping the Video of the Year Nominees

The 2012 VMA nominees are out, and while there are certainly plenty of big names and obvious choices, there are a few surprises buried in there. Frank Ocean gets a nod, as do A$AP Rocky, Jack White and Regina Spektor. But those are curiosities -- Rihanna, Drake, Katy Perry et. al. get the lion's sha ... More >>

Out Every Night: The Best Shows From July 30 to August 5

Time constraints occasionally preclude us from being able to preview every single great show in town. There's only so many hours in the week, and we have to keep the trains running on time in addition to writing up these recommendational blurbs. That said, a couple of shows early this week warrant y ... More >>

What's Really Wrong with Hip-Hop?

Editor: Tef Poe is an artist from St. Louis City. Through powerful imagery and complicated honesty, he has earned a reputation as one of the best rappers telling the story of St. Louis, which is about much more than one place. Poe has been featured in music publications such as XXL and Urb Magazine. ... More >>

Nicki Minaj, My Morning Jacket, Joseph Arthur and More in This Week's New Show Announcements

Here again: every newly announced show for the week! On page one you'll find a quick list of shows that particularly caught our attention, followed by embedded Youtube videos with which you can check out some of the artists you may not be familiar with. Page two contains our complete listing of new ... More >>

The Best of SXSW Music: Thursday 3/15/2012

If you're familiar with chaos theory, which in its basic form is the attempt to find patterns in the random acts of shit on Earth, then you may understand the difficulty that comes with describing a full day at SXSW. To break down the bright, scintillating chaos, Village Voice Media's roving music e ... More >>

Madonna is Coming to the Scottrade Center: Pre-Sale and Ticket Information [Update]

Madonna, fresh off a Super Bowl appearance and more aware of how to capitalize than possibly anyone in pop music, has just announced a massive 2012 tour. And just days before Madonna 2012 World Tour goes out in (presumably) a blaze of infinite production value in Miami, she'll make a stop here in St ... More >>

The Six Most Absurd Pop Songs of 2011

​The old model of popular music: dumb it down to the lowest common denominator and make it go down easy. Reviewing the Billboard and iTunes charts of this past year, the tides have obviously changed. In days when nobody is buying, the flashiest, loudest, weirdest thing sells -- how else can yo ... More >>

Nicki Minaj Makes Chicken the Next Meat Fashion Statement

Move over, Lady Gaga. Red meat is so 2010. With the beefy meat dress now taxidermidied and encased at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it's time to move on to other meat-based fashion. Nicki Minaj has obliged, sporting a hot-pink fried-chicken-wing necklace at the IHeartRadio Festival on September 24 ... More >>

Fashion Week Music: The Highlights, The Appearances And The Odd Soundtracks

Richard GuatyAnna Wintour eyeballing Nicki's tights. Oh, to peek inside the mind of the Vogue editrix in chief in this moment.​Thank science Fashion Week is over. Isn't it just torture? If there's something worse than not being in New York City for the circus that is Mercedes Benz Fashion Week ... More >>

"It Was A Complete, Complete Bust." What Happened At The Missouri Muzic Festival?

An early poster for the Missouri Muzic Festival. Nicki Minaj was removed from the lineup months ago.​On Saturday afternoon, the organizers and operations management of the Missouri Muzic festival stood watching a weather forecast for Sunday predicting more storms. It was raining hard and the w ... More >>

Summerfest 2011: What to Expect, What to See and More

​Billed as the "World's Largest Music Festival," Summerfest in Milwaukee is more like an epic feel-good concert series. The festival has the same good-natured and down-to-earth vibe of a city fair, packed with tens of thousands of people proud of their city. Make the half-day drive not for a t ... More >>

Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj at the Scottrade Center, April 10: Review

Todd Owyoung​ Lil Wayne/Nicki Minaj/Rick Ross/Travis Barker/Mix Master Mike The Pageant April 10, 2011 Better Than: Whatever the hell else went on last night. They came in jacked-up ghetto cruisers and sensible Hondas; they came in glute-hugging tube dresses, crisp white T's and homemade sh ... More >>

The Ten Best Things To Do This Weekend in St. Louis: April 8 to 10

​It's FRIDAY, FRIDAY! Gotta get down on FRIDAY! Here's where you can find this weekend's FUN, FUN, FUN and partyin', partyin' (yeah), starting with locals Bikini Acid at Floating Laboratories and ending with Lil' Wayne and a few of his famous friends.

Nicki Minaj/Lil Wayne/Rick Ross/Travis Barker/Mix Master Mike

7 p.m. Sunday, April 10. The Scottrade Center, 1401 Clark Avenue.

Interview: Sandra "Pepa" Denton of Salt-n-Pepa on Nicki Minaj, Telemarketing with Martin Lawrence and Breaking into the Music Business

Courtesy of It Is Done Communications​Following the success of last year's Fresh Fest concert tour, rap icons Salt-n-Pepa are making the rounds once again and bringing with them some of the finest names in vintage hip-hop. The Queens, New York, duo gained notoriety in the mid-'80s with its deb ... More >>

Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj and Rick Ross Definitely Playing St. Louis

Todd Owyoung​That alleged Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj and Rick Ross show on April 10 at the Scottrade Center we told you about? Totally on. Ticket prices are TBA, and are on sale February 19 at 10 a.m.

Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj and Rick Ross Allegedly Playing St. Louis

Todd OwyoungLil Wayne at the Chaifetz Arena in 2009​Yesterday, Pitchfork published a list of tour dates for a Lil Wayne headline tour, which included a Sunday, April 10, stop in St. Louis at the Scottrade Center. Keep in mind that the venue hasn't yet confirmed this show (although that date is ... More >>

Ten Girl Talk Mashups That Should Exist

Tonight, Girl Talk returns to the Pageant for what will inevitably be a sweaty, calorie-burnin' good time for those who possess an affinity for pop culture and a lack of attention span. In light of this event, A to Z was contemplating the (debatable, perhaps illegal) art of the mashup, and came up w ... More >>

Review: Ms. Lauryn Hill at the Pageant in St. Louis, January 16

Todd Owyoung​Ms. Lauryn Hill's difficult reputation precedes her. She shows up for most shows way past the scheduled start time. (And that's if she shows up at all.) She's been known to berate crowds which heckle her -- and she's radically reinvented many of her best-known songs, so much so th ... More >>

Gregg Gillis talks about the continuing popularity of his mashup project, Girl Talk

Video: Kanye West, "Monster" -- The Muppet Remix

All hail an elusive crew called the Galaxy World, who just unleashed this spectacular video splicing together footage of the Muppets with Kanye West's "Monster." The clip has everything, including Miss Piggy vamping and doing her best Nicki Minaj impression. A . View the video below -- and watch it ... More >>

New Release Highlights For December 21: Keri Hilson, Keyshia Cole, Duran Duran and More

(New albums are typically released on Tuesdays, i.e., today. What can you spend your hard-earned pennies on this week? Find out below.) Avant's The Letter​*Avant, The Letter The Urban Music Scene review says of Avant's latest album, "The Letter is a solid effort. There may not be anything tha ... More >>

2010: The Year In Music

Top Sellers at Area Record Stores: Week of December 6-12, 2010

* = local, = coming to town ​Vintage Vinyl 1. T.I.---No Mercy 2. KANYE WEST---My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy 3. CHARLIE WILSON---Just Charlie 4. ERIC BENET---Lost In Time* 5. QUINCY JONES---Q: Soul Bossa Nostra 6. NICKI MINAJ---Pink Friday 7. TEMPTATIONS---Give Love At Christmas 8. ANGEL ... More >>

Top Sellers at Area Record Stores: Week of November 29 through December 5

* = coming to town, = local ​Euclid Records 1. Shelby Lynne - - Merry Christmas 2. Various Artists - - A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector 3. Mavis Staples - - You Are Not Alone 4. Doors - - Live in Vancouver 1970 5. Norah Jones - - Featuring Norah Jones

Top Sellers at Area Record Stores: Week of November 22-28, 2010

* = coming to town, = local ​Vintage Vinyl 1. KANYE WEST---My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy 2. THE NATIONAL---High Violet (Expanded Edition) 3. NICKI MINAJ---Pink Friday 4. RIHANNA---Loud 5. LATIMORE---All About The Rhythm & The Blues 6. NELLY---5.0 7. LIL WAYNE---I Am Not A Human Being 8. ... More >>

New Release Highlights For November 22: A Special Monday Edition

(New releases come out on Monday this week. What can you spend your hard-earned pennies on? Find out below.) The Alchemist and Oh No join forces as Gangrene​*Gangrene, Gutter Water Gangrene is a collaboration between the Alchemist and Oh No. Pitchfork gave Gangrene a 6.7, saying "the rapping ... More >>

Live-Blogging Nelly's Debut as Drive-Time Host on Hot 104.1 FM

As we reported yesterday, St. Louis hip-hop icon Nelly has accepted a new gig as drive-time host at Hot 104.1 FM. No word on how long this stint will last, but the St. Lunatic is already two hours into his first shift. We thought we'd listen in and see how Nelly rocks the mic in a different way.4:4 ... More >>

Drake and Clipse Announce a Show at the Fabulous Fox

Raise your hand if you saw this one coming: Hip-hop phenom Drake, with special guests Clipse, will be at the Fabulous Fox on Tuesday, October 12. Tickets are $62.75 and $42.75 and are on sale this Saturday morning at 10 a.m. Here's Drake performing "Bedrock" with Nicki Minaj (can she please be added ... More >>

New Album Release Highlights: Tuesday, June 15

(New albums are typically released on Tuesdays, i.e., today. What can you spend your hard-earned pennies on this week? Find out below.) amazon.comCowboy Junkies' latest release, Renmin Park, is part one of a three-part series. ​*Cowboy Junkies, The Nomad Series Volume 1: Renmin Park In the ... More >>