Nicki Minaj's 10 Best Guest Verses

Young Money's first lady has killed a ton of features, but these are the hottest of all.

Not Available Lead
Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

Not Available Lead

This past week, Nicki Minaj hopped on not one but three new songs: Big Sean’s “Dance (Ass) Remix,” Rick Ross’s “You The Boss,” and Willow Smith’s latest single “Fireball.” Like Ludacris and Busta Rhymes before her, Nicki’s become a guest-spot juggernaut. Her boy Drake might be the king of hooks, but Nicki's features always seem to upgrade hot songs into certified bangers. Sure, Young Money's first lady brings the heat on her solo joints, but she seems to have a special fervor for stunting on other people's records. No wonder she was getting 50K for a verse with no album out—and just imagine what she charges now! Her latest flurry of guest appearances got us thinking about all those great cameos, so it seemed like the right time to rank Nicki Minaj’s 10 Best Guest Verses.

Written by Julian Pereira (@Broadway_Jay)

10. DJ Khaled f/ Rick Ross, Busta Rhymes, Diddy, Nicki Minaj, Fabolous, Jadakiss, Fat Joe, Swizz Beatz & T-Pain "All I Do Is Win (Remix)" (2010)

Not Available Interstitial

9. Gucci Mane f/ Shawty Lo, Yo Gotti, Waka Flocka Flame & Nicki Minaj "Mi Casa, Tu Casa (Remix)" (2010)

Not Available Interstitial

Producer: Drumma Boy
Album: Trending Topics
Label: 1017 Brick Squad/Warner Bros Records
Best Line: "Money in my Polly Pocket/What you copping?/Keep that work inside my Pippi Longstocking, bitch."



This song runs more than eight minutes long, so Gucci Mane knew he'd better save the best for last. Nicki stepped into that spot and didn't disappoint. Going light on the antics and heavy on the punchlines, she settled into the Drumma Boy-produced pocket and let off bar after bar, effortlessly out-rapping all of her collaborators.

8. Usher f/ Nicki Minaj "Lil Freak" (2010)

Not Available Interstitial

7. Diddy-Dirty Money f/ Rick Ross & Nicki Minaj "Hello Good Morning (Remix)" (2010)

Not Available Interstitial

6. David Guetta f/ Flo Rida & Nicki Minaj "Where Them Girls At" (2010)

Not Available Interstitial

5. Beyoncé & Lil Wayne f/ Nicki Minaj "Sweet Dreams" (2009)

Not Available Interstitial

Producer: Jim Jonsin/Wayne Wilkins/Rico Love/Beyoncé Knowles
Album: No Ceilings
Label: YMCM
Best Line: "Get gassed, then get at me, Texaco/Shoot yourself in the leg bitch, Plaxico."



Nicki played on the “Sweet Dreams” theme of this Beyoncé remix by throwing stray shots at rival femcees and laying all competition to rest. Where lesser rappers would be happy just catchng the beat, Nicki bobs and weaves like a champ, exploiting the pocket two different ways on one verse. In the beginning, she spits quick couplets—pausing slightly before each set. Then she flips into a more fluid rhyme scheme toward the end the verse. This lengthy mixtape feature proved that Nicki had skills galore, and by keeping her animation to a minimum, she made each dart that much more poignant.

4. Drake f/ Nicki Minaj "Up All Night" (2010)

Not Available Interstitial

Producer: Boi-1da/Matthew Burnett
Album: Thank Me Later
Label: YMCM/Universal Motown
Best Line: "Which bitch you know made a million off a mixtape?"



Drizzy said get 'em, so she got 'em. The chemistry between Drake and Nicki is undeniable on this one. Barb's bars are perfectly suited to Drizzy's anthem about stunting into the wee hours of the morning. Nicki's trademark brashness and braggadocio are on full display, as is her hunger to prove herself the best female rapper in the game. Despite being on a diet, she sounds like she's ready to devour all the rap bitches on the menu, and then pop bottles to wash them down.

3. Ludacris f/ Nicki Minaj "My Chick Bad" (2010)

Not Available Interstitial

2. Trey Songz f/ Nicki Minaj "Bottoms Up" (2010)

Not Available Interstitial

1. Kanye West f/ Rick Ross, Jay-Z, Bon Iver & Nicki Minaj "Monster" (2010)

Not Available Interstitial

Producer: Kanye West
Album: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Label: Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam
Best Line: "Just killed another career, it's a mild day."



Jay-Z and Kanye West may be rap kings, but on this song even they had to watch the queen conquer. Spitting couplet after couplet about everything from the Middle Eastern climate to Giuseppe Zanotti shoes, Nicki delivers a manically energetic verse with enough different characters for a Broadway musical. 

This song isn't significant just because Nicki destroyed this verse (she's destroyed plenty). It's significant because it proved she could steal the show from even the biggest names in hip hop. "Besides Ye, they can't stand beside me," she boasts, but after this song dropped everybody was buzzing about how Nicki stole the show. Displaying massive talent and showmanship, she stepped into the spotlight, wowing fans, and silencing detractors. In other words, it was just a mild day.

Latest in Music