Dancehall music got a major boost this week when female deejays Pamputtae, Spice, Dovey Magnum, and Lisa Mercedes joined an all-star cast of soca artistes Destra Garcia and Patrice Roberts, plus Bronx rapper London Hill and British rapper Lady Leshurr on a new remix of ‘Likkle Miss’ by Nicki Minaj.
The all-star team, all women, contributed to the new Nicki Minaj project, dubbed the ‘Fine Nine’ remix, which was released on Wednesday, October 5.
On September 19, Dovey Magnum had disclosed that the megastar Nicki Minaj had sent her a DM (direct message) on social media.
“Mi nearly drop down,” the enigmatic ‘Bawl Out’ artiste told Loop News.
The DM asked: “Hi mama. I wanted to know if you’d want to put a verse on this remix I’m doing. It would [need] to be done in the next 2-3 days. If you can’t do it, it’s ok. No pressure.”
“I said I am on my way to the studio. No pressure? Wah do Nicki man? Mi can get a DM from you and say ‘no pressure’…wah happen to you? If me did have to sell mi f—-t fi get money fi studio time, mi ah go a studio,” she joked.
Dovey Magnum said she did the verses that same night and sent it to the ‘Pills and Potions’ megastar rapper.
“Nicki said, ‘You bodied that verse just like how I thought you would’, then she come back again and go so boom, and she ask for my number and mi give her my number and she called me and she just a gwaan wid herself,” Dovey Magnum said.
“She love me, and she say mi bad, ray ray ray, and she do research and see how they fought me and she told me they fight her and do her the same thing, but don’t give up, let the talent speak,” recounted Dovey Magnum. “She is so nice; it come in like me and her a friend long time.”
Since that time, Nicki Minaj has been singing Dovey Magnum’s verse on the song, including on Instagram Live, as she drummed up promotion when the track released on October 5.
“I just have to say big up to her for choosing me and all the fantastic talented women of the Caribbean and from Britain on this remix. It’s a true pleasure to be one of the Fine Nine,” Dovey Magnum told Loop Entertainment.
The ‘Fine Nine’
Nicki Minaj has had a long history of bigging up her Caribbean roots. In August, she hailed the Caribbean and the people of Jamaica during her acceptance speech for the Video Vanguard Award at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), giving special mention to Beenie Man and Skeng.
“All my Caribbean people, Beenie Man, thank you for everything and all of Jamaica,” said Minaj.
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“Skeng, wha a gwaan?” said the rapper, hailing dancehall artiste Skeng with whom she recently collaborated with on the remix of his ‘Likkle Miss’ single.
Born Onika Miraj in Port of Spain, Trinidad, and raised in Jamaica, Queens (NYC), Nicki Minaj has always paid homage to her West Indian heritage with pride.
The ‘Super Freaky Girl’ also showed love to Jamaica when she teamed up with Gyptian (Hold Yuh [Remix]) and later with Sean Kingston (Letting Go” [Dutty Love]) in 2010.
She interpolated the Filthy Riddim for 2019’s MEGATRON, did a Beenie Man collaboration (Gunshot) on Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded in 2012. She hooked up with Lunch Money Lewis on The Pinkprint with Trini Dem Girls in 2014.
More recently, Nicki Minaj scorched radio with her remix of Skillibeng’s ‘Crocodile Teeth’, which appears on the digital release of her Beam Me Up Scotty mixtape. Also, who can forget the’ Touch Down’ remix with Stylo G and Vybz Kartel? Dancehall aficionados will also recall the ‘Give It All To Me’ collab with Mavado.
Nicki Minaj has always said that she is a true “island gyal”.
