| Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded track listing | |
| "Beez in the Trap" is track number 4. | |
| Previous track "I Am Your Leader" |
Next track "HOV Lane" |
"Beez in the Trap" is a song by Nicki Minaj, from her second album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, which features guest vocals from 2 Chainz. The song is the third overall single from the album, and second urban single. It was written by Minaj, Maurice Jordan, Tauheed Epps, and was produced by Kenoe. The song premiered on March 20, 2012 at the US radio station Hot 97 and was leaked online before its premiere. It was officially released as a single at US Rhythmic radio on May 29, 2012.
"Beez in the Trap" impacted particularly well on R&B charts in the UK and US.
Minaj revealed that "beez" is a slang for "I'm always," and that "the trap" is related to "anywhere you get your money," like bars.[1] The definition can be assumed to be "I'm always getting money." In hip hop, traps or traphouses are typically defined as places where drugs are dealt.
Background[]
"Beez in the Trap" premiered at the US radio station Hot 97 on March 20, 2012.[2] It was leaked before it premieres and Minaj decided to upload the "dirty version" of the song.[3]
Minaj talked about the collaboration with 2 Chainz with SiriusXM Radio's “Sway in the Morning” on April 3: “He's an incredible person. He's a hard worker and I love seeing hard-working people that's like, by any means necessary. That makes me passionate because that's how I was.”[4] In the interview of The Graham Norton Show, on April 21, Minaj finally revealed the meaning of the words "Beez in the Trap":
"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."—Nicki Minaj, The Graham Norton Show, April 21, 2012.
The song was supposed to be another promotional single but, because of the high radio requests, it was released as a single on May 29, 2012 at US Rhythmic radio.[5]
Music video[]
| Music Video | Information | |
|---|---|---|
| File:Nicki Minaj - Beez In The Trap (Explicit) ft. 2 Chainz | Premiere | April 6, 2012 |
| Filmed | March 18, 2012 | |
| Director | Benny Boom | |
| Producer | Roger Ubina, Luga Podesta | |
| Production co | London Alley Ent. | |
| Exec. producer | ||
| Editor | Iren Sheffield, Hannah Lux Davis | |
| Choreographer | ||
| Length | 4:41 | |
| Source | Video Static: "Beez in the Trap" | |
Background[]
A fan asked, on March 18, which video she was filming and she respond "Beez in the Trap."[6] The song wasn't released at that time and the video of "Starships" was filmed recently. Another fan asked if the videos would be released at the same time and she respond that yes, though it was not released exactly at the same time, just the same month.[7]
She explained that the video is a thank you to her die hard fans at strip clubs: “When I was doing my mixtapes, I would perform in strip clubs, I would perform in clubs and it was just like some of my most die-hard fans would be in these places," she told in an interview with MTV on April 6, "I wanted to kinda like honor them — kinda honor all my girls in the club and just say thank you for the support.”[8] The music video for "Beez in the Trap" premiered on April 6, 2012. The video was directed by Benny Boom, and it was filmed in Miami.[9] Birdman and Scaff Beezy both make cameos in the video.
Stills[]
Live performance[]
The song was performed live by Minaj for the first time on 106 & 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 the BET Awards 2012 along with 2 Chainz. The song was also performed live at BBC Radio 1's Hackney Weekend on June 23, 2012. She also performed the song on The Today Show's summer concert series. It was added to the setlist of Minaj's Pink Friday Tour, where she performed the song with 2 Chainz in the North American leg.
In 2014, Minaj performed the song on June at Hot 97 Summer Jam and Power 106 Powerhouse. She also performed "High School" at the Power 106 performance.
Credits[]
Recording:
- Recorded at: Conway Studios, Los Angeles, CA
- Mixed at: Conway Studios, Los Angeles, CA
Personnel:
- Writers: O Maraj, M. Jordan, T. Epps
- Producers: Kenoe for Nightrydas Productions
- Recorded by: Ariel Chobaz & Finis “KY” White for KY Recordings
- Recording Assistant: Jon Sher
- Mixed by: Ariel Chobaz
- Mix Assistant: Jon Sher
- 2 Chainz appears courtesy of Def Jam Records
The credits for "Beez in the Trap" are adapted from the liner notes of Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded.[10]
Charts[]
| Chart (2012) | Peak position[11] |
|---|---|
| Ireland (IRMA) | 74 |
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company) | 131 |
| UK R&B (Official Charts Company) | 32 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 48 |
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard) | 7 |
| US Rap Songs (Billboard) | 7 |
Release history[]
| Region | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| United States | March 20, 2012 | Radio premiere[2] |
| May 29, 2012 | Rhythmic radio[5] | |
| Worldwide | April 2, 2012 | CD, digital download (with album) |
Lyrics[]
"Beez In The Trap" |
|---|
|
[Intro: Nicki Minaj] |
References[]
- ↑ YouTube: Nicki Minaj on The Graham Norton Show (20th April 2012) - Original Retrieved September 18, 2012.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Digital Spy Nicki Minaj song 'Beez in the Trap' leaks - listen Retrieved October 17, 2012.
- ↑ Twitter: Beez In The Trap ft. 2 Chainz http://mypinkfriday.com/news/67201 - here's what I REALLY say. DIRTY VERSION!!!!!!! LISTEN here!!! Retrieved October 17, 2012.
- ↑ Rap-Up.com Nicki Minaj Talks About Her Evolution, ‘Beez in the Trap’ Video Retrieved October 17, 2012.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Top 40/Rhythmic-Crossover - Future Releases (Cite retrieved from Wikipedia) Retrieved October 17, 2012.
- ↑ Twitter: Beez in the TRAP!!!! Ft 2 Chainz!!!! > RT @KenTeamMinaj: @NICKIMINAJ What video were you filming todayy!? Retrieved October 17, 2012.
- ↑ Twitter: Yes> RT @Skitszo_Killsxx: @NICKIMINAJ Will both the Starships & Beez In The Trap videos be released around the same time? <3 Retrieved October 17, 2012.
- ↑ Video: Nicki Minaj Says ‘Beez In The Trap’ Video Is A Thank You To Strippers Retrieved October 17, 2012.
- ↑ Nicki Minaj Drops “Beez In The Trap” Video Retrieved October 17, 2012.
- ↑ Digital booklet of Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded
- ↑ Wikipedia: Beez in the Trap#Charts Retrieved October 17, 2012.
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