Minaj banks on Boi-1da

TRINIDADIAN-BORN rap star Nicki Minaj gets personal on All Things Go, her latest song, which is produced by Jamaican-born Matthew Samuels, better known in music circles as Boi-1da.

All Things Go features lyrics that address a range of challenges Minaj has faced, including strained relationships with her family and the murder of her cousin Nicholas Telemaque in 2011. She reflects on the relationship with her own child and refers to an abortion she had when she was a teenager.

The song is the fifth release from the 31-year-old Minaj’s third studio album, The Pinkprint, which will be out on December 15 on Young Money/Cash Money/Republic Records. The previous singles from the set are Pills N Potions (which peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100), Anaconda (which became her highest charting single in the US, reaching number two), Only (which peaked at number 27), and Bed of Lies.

Her previous albums, Pink Friday and Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, have each sold over one million copies.

Born in Kingston, the 27-year-old Samuels lived in Braeton, Portmore, before moving to Toronto, Canada, at the age of three. He is an in-demand producer, having worked with a number of A-list hip hop and rhythm and blues stars.

He has worked with Canadian rapper Drake, whose Grammy-winning album Take Care and hit single Over he produced; Eminem’s album Recovery and single Not Afraid (which both won Grammys); as well as tracks by Jay Z, Kanye West, 50 Cent, Kendrick Lamar, Kardinal Offishall, Lil Wayne, Nicole Scherzinger, Canadian pop band Down With Webster, and Keri Hilson.

Boi-1da has been making music since he was 15.

“I was in high school, and always interested in music, sounds and especially beats,” he recalled. “During a discussion with my friend trying to figure out how music was constructed, he told me about a computer programme called FL Studio that allows you to put together beats. I got extremely curious and went home and downloaded it and the rest is history,” he told the Sunday Observer earlier this year.

His first project was a mix tape for a teenaged actor named Drake.

“It was called Room for Improvement. This took place in a time where Drake wasn’t as popular as he is now for his music, but more for his role on (Canadian television show) Degrassi High. I produced two tracks, City is Mine and Do What You Do,” Boi-1da said

BY KEVIN JACKSON Observer Writer

www.jamaicaobserver.com