| "Beez in the Trap" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single byNicki Minaj featuring2 Chainz | ||||
| from the albumPink Friday: Roman Reloaded | ||||
| Released | May 29, 2012 (2012-05-29) | |||
| Recorded | 2011 | |||
| Studio | Conway, Hollywood, California | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:28 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriters |
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| Producer | Kenoe | |||
| Nicki Minaj singles chronology | ||||
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| 2 Chainz singles chronology | ||||
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"Beez in the Trap" is a song by rapperNicki Minaj, featuring American rapper2 Chainz. It was released on May 29, 2012, byYoung Money,Cash Money, andUniversal Republic as the third single from Minaj's second studio album,Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2012). It was written by both artists, alongside producer Kenoe.
Musically, "Beez in the Trap" is primarily anelectro-hop andhardcore hip hop song which features aretro1980s gangsta rap production and elements ofdubstep,grime, andtrap. The song peaked at No. 48 on theBillboard Hot 100 and No. 7 on the hot rap charts. An accompanying music video for the track was released onVevo on April 6, 2012.
"Beez in the Trap" was written by Minaj, Maurice Jordan, and 2 Chainz, while production was handled by Kenoe. It was recorded at Conway Studios in Los Angeles, California by Ariel Chabaz and Finis "KY" White with assistance from Jon Sher. Mixing of the song was done by Chabaz with additional help from Sher at Conway Studios.[1] Originally, Kenoe began sending both pop and hip-hop songs to Minaj when he heard that production of her second album had begun. Later that same day, Minaj's A&R Mack Maine informed him that she was looking for "some rap shit", so he submitted more aggressive, urban songs in hopes of inclusion on the record. Kenoe said that the song's musical concept was simplicity as he didn't want "a million and one things going on in it", and credited it as being distinctive from the others included on the album.[2] The song premiered on DJ Flex's radio show atHot 97 on March 20, 2012.[3] In an interview withGraham Norton, Minaj stated "It just means, 'I am always...' you know, that's our slang way of saying, 'I beez doing such-and-such-and-such.' So it's really like, 'I am always in the trap.' Now, the trap, ladies and gentlemen, relates to anywhere where you get your money."[4]
"Beez in the Trap" is a hypnoticelectro-hop,hardcore hip-hop,southern hip hop andtrapslow jam set incommon time, with elements ofdubstep andgrime music.[a] The music is built around aspacious and echoed beat,[11] consisting of sparse, hollow, "bubble-pop" drums with finger-snaps, a "growling"sub-bass, ricocheting sonar blips, and synthesized drips.[8][10][12][13] Theminimalism is that of the 1980s origins ofgangsta rap,[14][12] devoid of anyhooks and often veering on nothing but empty space.[14][15] While still girlish and cheeky,[16] Minaj's delivery deviates from theschizophrenic rhyme style of her Roman character present on the rest ofRoman Reloaded for a more mellow, talkative style.[11]
The song received generally positive reviews. Although he felt that the song "lack[ed] real substance", Adam Fleischer ofXXL praised "Beez in the Trap", calling it a "memorable moment" ofPink Friday: Roman Reloaded; he also complimented the "unique energy and distinct personality" Minaj displayed in the song.[17] Ryan Dombal ofPitchfork Media described "Beez in the Trap" as an "effortless, pinging schoolyard taunt",[18] and, in a separate review of the song for the same publication, Carrie Battan complimented Minaj's "daunting swagger", writing that she "hits a spot sweet enough to render every single gripe obsolete for four and a half minutes".[19] In her review ofPink Friday: Roman Reloaded forThe A.V. Club, Genevieve Koski described Minaj's performance as "relatively sedate but incredibly sharp": she called the song's production "spare" and "sonar-blip", and noted Minaj to be "at her most verbose" during the first six songs of the album.[13]
Tom Ewing, writing forThe Guardian, felt "Beez in the Trap" showed Minaj's awareness of her "divided fanbase": he noted that whilePink Friday: Roman Reloaded contained songs that were "precision-tooled for the modern pop environment", "Beez in the Trap" places more emphasis on Minaj's rapping ability, writing that the song "throw[s] a bone to the listeners who just want to hear her rap".[20] Rob Markman ofMTV News commended the performance of 2 Chainz, calling his verse in the song "charismatic", and went on to write that he "doesn't compromise a thing spitting alongside the multiplatinum rapper".[3]No Ripcord stated that "I Am Your Leader and Beez in the Trap are thrilling and make good use of cameos".[21]Slant Magazine stated that "I Am Your Leader and Beez in the Trap [are] two excellent tracks which manage to sound both bubbly and heavy as Minaj delivers her most effortlessly entertaining shit-talk to date".[22]
Complex named the song No. 9 on their list of the best 50 songs of 2012, whilePitchfork Media ranked it No. 18.[23][24]Rolling Stone ranked it as the 44th best song of the 2010s decade,[25] whilePitchfork named it the 150th best song of the decade.[26]
Minaj filmed the official music video for "Beez in the Trap" on March 18, 2012, in Miami. It was directed byBenny Boom. The video, which featured 2 Chainz, was premiered on April 6, 2012, on Minaj's official VEVO account.[27] The video was nominated for Best Hip-Hop Video at the2012 MTV Video Music Awards.[28] As of August 2021, the video has more than 206 million views.[29]
The video begins with Minaj squatting down wearing a blonde wig in a pink turtleneckleotard, withbarbed wire as a foreground. A clip is shown of women and men partying in a strip club. Minaj is then sitting in a green wig in a club with manystrippers and exotic dancers; she and her female friends sit down inbikinis flashing money, and act flirtatiously with one another. Then 2 Chainz appears rapping his verse, while Minaj is seen beside him dancing very seductively in a leopard printcatsuit in a dimly lit room. Throughout the video clips of Minaj and others are seen partying, and drinking.Birdman makes an appearance in the video. Towards the end, Minaj raps her second verse in a bikini with her hype man "SB" behind her, and she is in the same dark lit room with strippers sensually dancing around her. The video ends with Minaj and 2 Chainz back to back.
Minaj performed the song live for the first time on106 & Park on April 3, 2012, along with "Champion", "Roman Reloaded", "Right by My Side", "HOV Lane", "I Am Your Leader", and "Fire Burns". She performed the song after "Champion" at theBET Awards 2012 along with 2 Chainz. The song was also performed live on Radio 1'sHackney Weekend on June 23, 2012. Minaj added the song to the set list of herPink Friday Tour, where she performed the song with 2 Chainz on the North American leg. The song was also included on Minaj'sPink Friday: Reloaded Tour.
The song debuted at number 73 on the Hot Digital Singles chart in the week ending August 15, 2012. As of December 2014 the song had sold over 1 million copies in the United States.[30] On September 19, 2023, it was certifiedthree-times Platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America.[31]
The credits for "Beez in the Trap" are adapted from the liner notes ofPink Friday: Roman Reloaded.[32]Recording
Personnel
| Chart (2012) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Ireland (IRMA)[33] | 74 |
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[34] | 131 |
| UK R&B (Official Charts Company)[35] | 32 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[36] | 48 |
| Chart (2012) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[37] | 45 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[38] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[39] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[40] | Gold | 15,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[41] | 3× Platinum | 3,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | May 29, 2012 | Rhythmic contemporary radio | [42] | |
| Various | September 2025 | Viral mashup withWhat's Up | [43] |
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