5 Reasons Why Last Night's Nicki Minaj Concert Was Awesome

Image via Complex Original

After the drama surrounding the Summer Jam cancellation, Nicki had no other choice but to pull out all the stops for last night's show. She pulled off pop tracks like "Starships" with ease, but this show was about her rapping. "Y'all bringing out the ratchetness in me," she said at one point. She proceeded to kill her verses on songs like "Did It On 'Em" and "I Get Crazy" with the authority of a pro, and left no questions lingering about whether her hip-hop finesse is intact or not.

When Nicki dropped out of Summer Jam, she tweeted that the she had a "HELL of a lineup" planned, so when she took the Roseland stage, cameos were expected. It felt like the audience was on edge every time Nicki started any song with a guest appearance.

After kicking the show off with "Roman's Revenge," Minaj went into "I Am Your Leader" and none other than Cam'ron ran to the stage to perform his part. It was brief, but the tone was set for the night. She made sure to hit Killa with a quick "I love you" before he left the stage.

The Barbz cheered at the backdrop of Nicki's dollhouse for nearly an hour before she hopped on stage. Of course, hit singles like "Moment 4 Life" got the crowd amped, but what she called the "male bashing portion" might been the most well-received. During emotional album cuts like "Save Me" and sleeper single "Fly," the sound from the audience was almost deafening.

Even when Nicki took it back to her acclaimed mixtape, Beam Me Up Scotty, the crowd knew every word. "Bless my fans for sticking with me through everything," she screamed. "I just want my fans here, 'cause I don't want people to come and observe me. If you didn't come here to have a good time, go home!"

After running through tracks from Beam Me Up Scotty, Nicki introduced her next guest as someone "who has influenced me the most out of every female in the rap game." For a second, it seemed like the perfect opportunity for Minaj and Lil Kim to squash any kind of beef between them but alas, Minaj shocked the crowd by bringing Foxy Brown to the stage.

A scantily-clad Foxy performed "Oh Yeah" and "Tables Will Turn" while Nicki stood off to the side, somewhat in awe. "I wanna thank you for being one of my biggest influences in the game," she continued. "There isn't a female rapper in the world who has opened more doors for me than you." The two hugged on stage and Foxy slapped Nicki's ass to wrap up her appearance.

When Drake didn't grace the stage during "Moment 4 Life," fans figured he wasn't in the house. But after Foxy performed, Drake came out to "Up All Night" and the Barbz (and everyone else in the crowd) went wild. Their chemistry onstage is indisputable. Nicki joked that Drake turned her Barbz into "little hoes" and that he was the worst kind of man, but the "best fucking kind at the same time."

The two went on to perform "Make Me Proud," but Nicki upped the ante even more by bringing out the "man who singlehandly changed her life" and that was Lil Wayne. Weezy took the stage for "Take It To The Head" and joined Drake on "The Motto." His response to Nicki's praise? "I just be chilling."