Be it for the good, bad, ugly, or downright shocking, 2022 was full of monumentally memorable moments!
Now, as the year draws to a close, That Grape Juice is reflecting on the occasions that rocked – and to some degree maybe even reshaped – the Urban and Pop cultural landscape as we know it.
Next, we toast to ‘Super Freaky Girl’ – the history-making Hot 100 #1 hit of Rap Queen Nicki Minaj.
*Click the thumbnails to read the stories*
With anticipation building for her long-awaited fifth studio album, the yet-titled follow-up to 2018’s ‘Queen,’ rapper Nicki Minaj kicked off 2022 in a major way with the out-of-the-box success of ‘Do We Have a Problem?’ featuring Lil Baby.
And while that song entered the Hot 100 with some of the year’s biggest first-week sales, none could have been prepared for the chart domination the diva had in store for the latter half of 2022.
Just days after it was announced she would join Missy Elliott as the only other female rapper in history to be awarded the Video Vanguard honor at the MTV VMAs, Minaj unleashed the heavily-teased ‘Super Freaky Girl‘ (August 11). Produced by Dr. Luke, the cut featured a prominent sample of Rick James’ signature hit, ‘Super Freak’ – an infectious inclusion that resonated quickly with her fans (affectionately called #Barbz) all over the globe.
The colossal success of 'Super' on streaming and digital download platforms made the tune a shoo-in for #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, a feat it later accomplished to historic measure.
Beyond marking a personal milestone for Minaj as her first solo chart-topper, the unprecedented achievements of 'Freaky' include (but are not limited to):
- Making Nicki the first female rapper to have two Hot 100 #1 debuts over her career
- Extending her record as female rapper with most Top 10, Top 20, and Top 40 hits in history
- Posting the first solo female rap song to debut at #1 on the Hot 100 this century
- ...and many more
Just two months later the tune became the fastest Platinum-certified hit of her career (as we reported here).
And despite the Christmas rush of yuletide classics that takes over the Hot 100 perennially, 'SFG' enjoyed buoyancy in the chart's top 40 well into the holiday season - making it one of her longest-running hits on the tally to date.
When it's all said and done, 'Super' may go down as Minaj's biggest hit ever - no small task for a female rapper who's over a decade into her career.