Everybody (Nicki Minaj song) explained

Everybody
Type:single
Artist:Nicki Minaj featuring Lil Uzi Vert
Album:Pink Friday 2
Released:January 9, 2024
Recorded:2023
Genre:
Length:3:00
Label:
Producer:
Chronology:Nicki Minaj
Prev Title:Last Time I Saw You
Prev Year:2023
Next Title:FTCU
Next Year:2024

"Everybody" is a song by rapper Nicki Minaj featuring American rapper Lil Uzi Vert, from the former's fifth studio album Pink Friday 2 (2023). It was released on January 9, 2024 to US rhythmic contemporary and contemporary hit radio through Young Money and Republic Records, serving as the album's fourth single. Produced by DJ Smallz 732 and Tate Kobang, the song contains samples of "Move Your Feet" by Junior Senior. The solo version of the song features on the physical version of Pink Friday 2.

Background

Nicki Minaj explained how she wrote the song in a post on X:

Composition

The song heavily samples "Move Your Feet",[2] with the sampled word "body" used to end every line.[3] Stylistically, the song incorporates elements of Jersey club.[4]

Critical reception

The song received generally positive reviews. Frazier Tharpe of GQ wrote "'Everybody' has all the makings of a party pleaser: high energy, an earworm of a sample, and deceptively simple lyrics, with Nicki and Uzi punching each line in on Junior Senior's all-too-familiar mewl of 'Everybody-y-y.' It's the kind of song where a casual listener doesn't need to know what the hell Nicki's talking about to have fun, but the rest of us can appreciate the demented thrill of her spitting things like 'We gon' spin and kill [Everybody!]'—threatening drive-bys, by way of one of early-aughts club music's most earnest feel-good hits." Nick Levine of NME described the song as a "frantic banger" and commented "It's the quirkiest moment on an album where Minaj is generally more restrained than in the past."[5] Clash's Robin Murray stated "There's a heartening element of familiarity here, too, with Nicki assembling some crowd-pleasing samples. Just check out 'Everybody' – a Junior Senior aided throwback – to see what we mean. It's fun as hell, and deliciously entertaining."[6] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian wrote the song "is both a potential hit and annoying enough to make Barbie World sound understated – but they feel like outliers on an album less reliant on immediately recognisable hooks than moody atmospherics, creative production and Minaj's considerable skills on the microphone."[7] Pitchfork's Julianne Escobedo Shepherd regarded the song as a "grower".[8] Reviewing Pink Friday 2 for The New York Times, Jon Caramanica stated "In the last couple of years, instantly recognizable references have become cheat codes for pop and rap stars, but obvious sampling has also been a staple in emergent drill and club music scenes", before writing that on the song "Minaj is toying with the way those two approaches aren't so dissimilar. It's one of the most invigorating performances she gives here, because she is an elastic enough rapper to both rough up pop sheen and smooth out underground rowdiness at once."[9] Maura Johnston of Rolling Stone commented that "Move Your Feet" "gets chopped up enough that it's made frantic on the Lil Uzi Vert-assisted gasconade 'Everybody'".[10] Nick Malone of PopMatters wrote "Interpolating Junior Senior's 'Move Your Feet' into an infectious and endless string of 'body' punchlines, it's uncharted territory for Minaj and dancefloor gold. (It's worth noting that despite the sample-heavy beat, it avoids the stench of thirsty radio bait present on 'Super Freaky Girl'.)" Ben Devlin of MusicOMH stated the song "may be a blatant attempt to cash in on Just Wanna Rock, but its formula works and the Junior Senior chops are great fun, darting in between the booming Jersey Club beats courtesy of DJ Smallz 732."[11]

In popular media

“Everybody” was played in an advertisement for Minaj’s Roblox game “Nicki Minaj’s Gag City”. The song was also used in a Gatorade commercial.

Charts

Chart (2023–2024)! scope="col"
Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA)[12] 30
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[13] 4
Nigeria (TurnTable Top 100)[14] 51

Release history

Region! scope="col"
DateFormatLabel
United StatesJanuary 9, 2024Contemporary hit radio[15]
Rhythmic contemporary radio[16]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Please Allow Nicki Minaj and Lil Uzi Vert to Provide the Soundtrack to all Winter Functions . . Tharpe . Frazier . December 8, 2023 . December 19, 2023.
  2. Web site: Horvath . Zachary . Nicki Minaj's "Everybody" With Lil Uzi Vert Has Viral Written All Over It . . 19 December 2023 . December 11, 2023.
  3. News: Nicki Minaj review, Pink Friday 2: Queen of rap rests on her laurels instead of proving why she still deserves the crown. The Independent. Smith. Nadine. December 8, 2023. December 19, 2023. December 9, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231209024809/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/pink-friday-2-nicki-minaj-tracklist-b2460820.html. live.
  4. Web site: Malone . Nick . Nicki Minaj Reigns on 'Pink Friday 2' . . 19 December 2023 . December 12, 2023.
  5. Web site: Nicki Minaj – Pink Friday 2 review: blockbuster sequel lives up to the hype. NME. Levine. Nick. December 8, 2023. December 19, 2023. December 8, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231208125138/https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/nicki-minaj-pink-friday-2-review-tracklist-lyrics-3555287. live.
  6. Nicki Minaj – Pink Friday 2 Reviews. Clash. Murray. Robin. December 8, 2023. December 19, 2023. December 8, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231208161252/https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/nicki-minaj-pink-friday-2/. live.
  7. News: Nicki Minaj: Pink Friday 2 review – 'You're never far from a glowing endorsement of her own vagina'. The Guardian. Petridis. Alexis. Alexis Petridis. December 8, 2023. December 19, 2023. December 8, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231208173440/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/dec/08/nicki-minaj-pink-friday-2-review-glowing-endorsement-of-her-own-vagina. live.
  8. Web site: Nicki Minaj: Pink Friday 2 Album Review. Pitchfork. Shepherd. Julianna Escobedo. December 11, 2023. December 19, 2023. December 11, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231211072703/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/nicki-minaj-pink-friday-2/. live.
  9. News: Caramanica . Jon . Nicki Minaj, a Role Model for Herself, and Others . 20 December 2023 . . December 11, 2023.
  10. Web site: Johnston . Maura . Maura Johnston . Nicki Minaj Gets Serious on ‘Pink Friday 2’ . . 20 December 2023 . December 11, 2023.
  11. Web site: Devlin . Ben . Nicki Minaj – Pink Friday 2 . . 20 December 2023 . December 14, 2023.
  12. Web site: IRMA – Irish Charts. Irish Recorded Music Association. December 30, 2023.
  13. Web site: NZ Hot Singles Chart. Recorded Music NZ. December 18, 2023. December 20, 2023.
  14. TurnTable Nigeria Top 100: February 9th, 2024 - February 15th, 2024. TurnTable. February 21, 2024. February 21, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240221211548/https://www.turntablecharts.com/charts/1. live.
  15. Web site: Your Radio Add Recaps. Hits. January 9, 2024. January 9, 2024. January 9, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240109234506/https://hitsdailydouble.com/news&id=339106. live.
  16. Web site: Your Radio Add Recaps. Hits. January 9, 2024. January 9, 2024. January 9, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240109235200/https://hitsdailydouble.com/news&id=339107. live.