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Moment 4 Life

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Wikipedia article




{{Infobox song

| name = Moment 4 Life

| cover = Nicki Minaj Moment 4 Lifej single.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Nicki Minaj featuring Drake

| album = Pink Friday

| released = December 7, 2010

| recorded = 2010

| studio =

| venue =

| genre =

| length = * 4:39

* 3:46 (Radio Edit)

| label =

| writer =

| producer = T-Minus

| chronology = Nicki Minaj

| prev_title = Raining Men

| prev_year = 2010

| next_title = The Creep

| next_year = 2011

| misc =

}}

"'Moment 4 Life'" is a song by Trinidadian-American rapper and singer Nicki Minaj featuring Canadian rapper Drake. It serves as the fourth single from Minaj's debut album 'Pink Friday' (2010). The song was produced by T-Minus and written by both artists, and samples Sly, Slick and Wicked's "Confessin' A Feeling", released in 1972. The hip hop song is inspired by a story Minaj created, in which two kids grow up together sharing the same dream of becoming famous rappers, and create this song while living out their dreams together. It peaked at number 13 on the US 'Billboard' Hot 100 and topped the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts. It also saw success internationally, becoming a top 40 hit in Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom, as well as charting in Belgium and France. The song would receive a nomination for Best Rap Performance at the 2012 Grammy Awards. As of July 2016 the song has sold 2 million copies.

Background and composition



During a session from the 'Pink Friday Diaries', Minaj discussed the song in detail, adding a background story to the original song. "Moment 4 Life : is about 2 kids that grew up on the same block. They shared their dreams of making it as rappers. They laughed together, they cried together. One day they realize that their dreams have come to fruition. Though they know all things come to an end, they celebrate. They wish that they could have this moment 4 Life." Lyrically the song is about a desire to maintain a feeling of accomplishment, as Drake follows behind Minaj and raps the same theme of enjoying the moment. "Straying away from the standard rap song construction of three verses and a hook, Nicki performs a brain-dump of sorts on the track, spitting as if she's making a speech to both her fans and detractors."[http://rapfix.mtv.com/2010/12/23/nicki-minaj-moment-4-life-compliments-ibillboardi-chart-success/ Nicki Minajs Moment 4 Life Compliments Billboard Chart Success]

Reception



Brad Wete of 'Entertainment Weekly' stated "The triumphant 'Moment 4 Life,' along with the album's two lead singles, all showcase her knack for melody while boasting lyrics chronicling her strugglesbe they professional or intimate ones of love and hurt. All of which are way more poignant than raps about how dope she is." Alexis Petridis of 'The Guardian' gave the song a negative review commenting on Minaj's tone, stating "she sounds bored rigid, which rather makes you wonder where showing off one's musical versatility ends and cravenly softening your sound for the marketplace begins." Scott Plagenhoef of 'Pitchfork' commented on the songs status on the album and how Minaj was out-shined by its collaborator, stating "Minaj is upstaged by Drake and Kanye West on "Moment 4 Life" and "Blazin'", respectively, but these tracksplus the Rihanna collaboration "Fly" and the solo ballad "Save Me"are the best examples of what 'Pink Friday' is rather than what many of us wanted it to be." Jesse Cataldo of 'Slant Magazine' gave the song a negative review on Minaj's part of the song and on the album as a whole, stating "Minaj's deranged wildness could potentially provide a foil for Drake, cutting into his tendency to work slowly and calmly on "Moment 4 Life." Instead, Minaj backs off from an early round of forcefulness, letting Drake dictate the pace of the song. It's this seeming lack of confidence, contradictory to the poise she shows elsewhere, which identifies the problems with 'Pink Friday', an often wobbly first effort that shows enormous promise."

Nick Levine of Digital Spy UK gave the track 4 out of 5 starts, commenting that "yes, the track itself - melodic and portentous(ish) midtempo R&B produced by Canadian up-and-comer T-Minus - is decent, but 'Moment 4 Life' is inevitably all about its frontline duo, arguably the most exciting male and female rhyme merchants of our times.

And boy do they know it. Drake, resisting the urge to put his Maths skills to the test this time out, boasts about getting pissed and laid in the Dominican. Minaj, meanwhile, likens herself to a "heavyweight champ", David of Goliath-slaying fame and, rather less obviously, "the umpire", which for British listeners of a certain ilk can't help but invite comparisons to the legendary Dickie Bird MBE. Not that you'd try to tell her to her face."

Chart performance



The song debuted on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at number 56 and the US Hot Rap Songs at number 17 due to strong digital sales and heavy radio play, following the album's release. It became Minaj's first number-one song on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and also managed to top the Rap Songs chart. On the 'Billboard' Hot 100, "Moment 4 Life" peaked at number 13 making it her highest-charting song on the chart. As of December 2014, the single has sold 2 million copies in the US.

In the UK, the single debuted on the singles chart at number 135, in its second week it rose to 55 due to strong digital sales. On February 13, 2011, the single entered the UK top 40 at a current peak of 22, giving Nicki her second UK top 40 single (after her joint single "Check It Out" with will.i.am peaked at 11). It peaked at number 9 on the UK R&B Chart, becoming her third top 30 urban single to do so and her first top 10 UK R&B hit.

Music video



Background

A music video for the single was shot and directed by Chris Robinson. The president of Young Money Entertainment, Mack Maine, told MTV News, "We're still trying to work out the date for the next video with [Nicki] and Drake for the 'Moment 4 Life' video. That's the next project." "Moment 4 Life" is the first music video shot in a string of music videos to be released for promotion. In an interview on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show', Minaj revealed that Roman Zolanski's mother, Martha Zolanski, will make a physical debut in the music video. In an interview with 'MTV news', Minaj discussed the marriage concept of the music video between her and her label-mate Drake, stating "Obviously, Drake and I, weve played around so much with the whole marriage thing and stuff like that, so people have come to be kind of intrigued about us and it's where were shooting the video together. So I was like, there has to be some sort of romantic storyline. It's Drake and me." Drake additionally added "I mean, it's a fantasy video. Youve got a very regal environment, and youve got Nicki doing what she doesbig outfits, big everything. Yeah, I love that girl, man. Im not going to lie to you. The twist of it, the concept of it, I don't want to give it all away."

Synopsis



The video for "Moment 4 Life" premiered on January 27, 2011, at 7:54 pm ET on 'MTV' alongside an interview with Minaj. The video takes part in a type of Minaj-assisted fairy tale from a book. The video begins with Minaj sitting by a boudoir as Martha Zolanski appears as Minaj's fairy godmother. After discussing how Roman and Slim Shady have been sent to boarding school, Martha informs Nicki that this kind of fairy tale is different from ones she's seen, stating "These kinds of nights are fleeting and usually end by mid-night. But my fairy god mother senses tell me that you may have this moment for life." The song begins as Martha gifts Minaj with a special pair of heels. During Minaj's verse she is seen walking into a ballroom as she is spotted by Drake. When the two meet in a hall, Drake performs his verse with Minaj by a fireplace. During the climax of the song, Drake and Minaj walk down the aisle, where they share a wedding kiss by fireworks as the clock strikes midnight.

Critical reception

On the day of its premiere, James Montgomery of 'MTV News' gave the video a very positive review and breakdown, stating, "So it's not exactly a stretch to call 'Moment 4 Life' the most Nicki Minaj video of all time. It takes basically every aspect of her personality the fashionista, the glamazon, the princess, the badass, the cartoon character, the girly girl and crams them together into one very shiny package. And then it wraps that package with nods to her past (the British accent, the mention of her Roman Zolanski alter-ego, the consummation of her Twit-lationship with Drake) for good measure. The end result is perhaps the most complete portrait of Minaj to date... There are very few silly wigs and nary a stitch of Spandex to be seen anywhere. It is basically our first glimpse at the real Nicki: a young woman who is more than just the sum of her parts, even if those parts are pretty interesting." Chris Robinson of 'Idolator' compared and contrasted the "Moment 4 Life" wedding with other wedding music video's stating, "Were going to call it right now. As of 2018, the video has more than 200 million views.

Live performances



Minaj first performed the song at a Thanksgiving Party hosted by Hot 97 with Drake, and later performed their other song "Up All Night". Minaj also performed the song on the Lopez Tonight show as her alter ego Rosa without the assistance of Drake. While performing on VH1 Divas Support the Troops, Minaj performed the song for the men and women of the military without Drake again. During the performance, Minaj wore a fluffy white wig, turquoise tights, elongated heels and a super-snug, orange and blue mini-dress. Minaj performed the song for the holidays on many occasions, including a Christmas concert for Hot 97.[http://www.rap-up.com/2010/12/26/nicki-minaj-spends-christmas-in-concert/ Rap-Up.com || Nicki Minaj Spends Christmas in Concert] During the Christmas special, Minaj wore a leopard-print bodysuit wrapped in a black cloth cage. Minaj additionally performed the song on a Manhattan rooftop during a pre-taped New Year's event on 'NBC's New Year's Eve with Carson Daly'.[http://www.rap-up.com/2011/01/01/video-nicki-minaj-kicks-off-new-year-with-carson-daly/ Rap-Up.com || Video: Nicki Minaj Kicks Off New Year with Carson Daly] Minaj performed the song with the assistance of Drake at the New Year's celebration "All Pink Everything Belvedere Vodka" she also hosted.[http://www.rap-up.com/2011/01/01/nicki-minajs-new-years-moment-in-miami/ Rap-Up.com || Nicki Minaj's New Year's Moment in Miami] During the performance, Minaj wore black and gold piece with multi-colored hair. Minaj most recently performed the song on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show', minus Drake, in a black cocktail dress, blonde hair, and signature "Barbie" chain. Minaj performed the song on her first appearance on 'Saturday Night Live', where she wore a colorful full bodysuit and performed the song minus Drake. The rapper performed the song on her first headlining tour, the Pink Friday Tour. She has also added this song to her Pink Friday: Reloaded Tour, The Pinkprint Tour and to The Nicki Wrld Tour. During her concert at 2014 iHeartRadio Music Festival, Minaj also performed the song. On May 30, 2015, Minaj also performed the song on the iHeartRadio Summer Pool Party 2015 in Las Vegas.

Track listing



*'UK Promo CD single'

#"Moment 4 Life" (Clean Radio Edit) - 3:46

Credits and personnel



Credits are taken from 'Pink Friday' liner notes.

*Vocals (Rap and sung by): Nicki Minaj, Drake

*Writing: O. Maraj (Nicki Minaj), A. Graham (Drake), T. Williams, N. Seetharam

*Recording: Ariel Chobaz & Noah "40" Shebib

**Assisted by: Lyttleton "Cartwheel" Carter & Noel Cadastre

*Mix engineer: Ariel Chobaz

**Assisted by: Lyttleton "Cartwheel" Carter

*Producing: T-Minus

Charts and certifications



Weekly charts

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"

|+Weekly chart performance for "Moment 4 Life"

!scope="col"|Chart (201011)

!scope="col"|Peak
position

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!scope="row"| Netherlands (Dutch Tipparade 40)

|style="text-align:center;"| 9

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!scope="row"| Romania (Romanian Top 100) 'Note: User may download the podcast named "Romanian Top 100 22 mai 2011 partea1" by clicking on 'Download' on the side menu.'

|style="text-align:center;"|91

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Year-end charts



Certifications



Release history



References



Category:2010 singles

Category:Nicki Minaj songs

Category:Drake (musician) songs

Category:Songs written by Nicki Minaj

Category:Songs about dreams

Category:Songs written by Drake (musician)

Category:Song recordings produced by T-Minus (record producer)

Category:Cash Money Records singles

Category:Music videos directed by Chris Robinson (director)

Category:Contemporary R&B ballads

Category:2010 songs

Category:2010s ballads

Category:Songs written by Nikhil Seetharam

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