Guest appearances by L’il Wayne (“Sex in the Lounge”), as well as Drake and Nas (“Champion”) mark Minaj’s eagerness to boost her trademark rough style with fellow top-tiered performers. And we even recognize her vulnerability, thanks to the nicely layered “Marilyn Monroe.” But when she taps abuser Chris Brown and the infamously homo-hating Beenie Man (“Gun Shot”) for support, she loses us. What would Madonna do, Nicki? Universal Republic (universalrepublic.com). — Nancy Ford
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