A few years ago, Nicki Minaj was just a multi-colored wig in crazy costumes with an unnaturally large backside. With songs such as “Super Bass”, “Beez in the Trap”, and “Starships”, some critics found it hard to take her seriously, but at the end of last year, a new era of the Harajuku Barbie entered the world. Released by Young Money, Cash Money, and Republic Records, and produced by even bigger names, such as Birdman, Lil Wayne, and Minaj herself, The Pinkprint was sure to be a hit.

Minaj gave her fans sneak peaks of the album on her Instagram page before it was released on Dec. 12 and once it was released, it became clear that this was a side of Minaj her fans had never heard before. From Minaj’s surprisingly amazing vocals to the iconic features (Ariana Grande, Drake, Lil Wayne, Skylar Grey, and Beyoncé), The Pinkprint takes the prize as Minaj’s best album yet. However, as much as we want to call this the Flawless Remix Part 2, some tracks still managed to fall flat, bringing down the album’s fierceness.

Although fans were greatly anticipating The Pinkprint’s release, nobody was prepared for Minaj’s amazing voice to come through (who knew Barbie could sing?). “I Lied”, the second track on the album, is the first time Minaj allows us to hear her voice and it definitely left us wanting more.

Another surprise on The Pinkprint was the emotional rollercoaster that the album took us on. Minaj let down her emotional guard through songs such as “Bed of Lies” and “The Crying Game”, but it was the first track, “All Things Go”, where the emotions really flowed. In the song, Minaj describes denying marriage proposals, her hopes of starting a family, losing her cousin to gang violence, and the tough decision to have an abortion.

Born as Onika Maraj in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago, the rapper’s life was not always an easy one. She was born to a drug-addicted father with a violent temper, who attempted to kill Minaj’s financial-executive mother by burning down their house. Minaj lived with her grandmother until the age of five, when she moved to Queens, New York with her mother. After a failed attempt at an acting career, Minaj focused on her music, going on to become the highest selling female rapper, with 65 million copies of her singles sold worldwide since 2010.

Despite the fame, Minaj still remembers where she came from. The 11th track, “Trini Dem Girls”, brings us back to the fun Barbie we’ve grown to love through its Caribbean-style beats. Minaj references her island roots many times throughout the song with lyrics such as “he in love with the girl from the islands” and “them island girls is the baddest”.

We also see more of cocky-Nicki in her duet with Beyoncé, “Feeling Myself”, where the rapper claims to be a rap legend, and if you want to question that, she dares you to “go ask the kings of rap”. This collaboration, along with other chart-toppers such as “Get On Your Knees” with Ariana Grande, “Truffle Butter” featuring Drake and Lil Wayne, and “Anaconda”, which sampled Sir Mix A Lot’s 1992 hit song “Baby Got Back”, made the album complete.

However, not every feature on the album seemed necessary. “Only” featuring Drake, Lil Wayne, and Chris Brown had strong verses from each of the rappers, but it was Brown’s vocals in the chorus that ruined the song’s flow. Maybe it wasn’t a coincidence that he was left out of “Truffle Butter”.

“Only” wasn’t the only weak collaboration. “Buy A Heart” with Minaj’s rumored boyfriend, Meek Mill, fell flat. The verses on their own were decent, but once again, the chorus, failing to keep up with the emotions or confidence of the rest of the album, killed the song. Lacking Minaj’s usual lyrical genius, the chorus just came out to be annoying, with both of the rappers repeatedly asking if anybody wants to buy a heart. (We don’t.)

While we may not want to buy a heart, we certainly are rushing out to buy The Pinkprint. With over half a million copies sold since it’s release and two #1 spots secured on the charts, we have to give Minaj’s album an A. While it wasn’t perfect, we have to commend the Harajuku Barbie for revealing her softer side. She’s come a long way since her days on the island, and we can’t wait to see what she’ll bring us next.