Nicki Minaj’s “Starships” on February 14, 2012, is now certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association Of America. The track marks Minaj’s second Diamond single which was certified on November 18, 2024.
Released as the lead single from her second studio album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, Minaj revealed that the song was never intended to be a single. However, it became a pivotal moment in her career—one where she fully embraced her pop side, stepping away from the rap-centric identity that had defined her early years.
Hot 97’s Peter Rosenberg did not like the direction Minaj was taking Hip Hop at the time and became one of the track’s most vocal critics, blasting both Nicki and “Starships” at the station’s Summer Jam in 2012.
“Now hold on, before I get to the real hip-hop sht of the day… I see the real hip-hop heads in here, I see them. I know some chicks are waiting to see ‘Starships’ later, but I’m not talking to y’all right now. Fck that bullsht. I’m here to talk about real hip-hop sht. People are here to see A$AP Rocky today, people are here to see Schoolboy Q today,” Rosenberg said.
What made his comments particularly ironic was the fact that Minaj and her Young Money crew, including Lil Wayne, were backstage preparing to perform—at the radio station’s invitation and the concert was being live streamed on Minaj’s website. This made Lil Wayne promptly call off the Young Money performance.
Minaj later called into the radio station’s DJ Funk Flex to voice her frustration, saying, “For this person to single out the only female on the bill—I’m holding it down for women.”
A year later, Nicki Minaj and Rosenberg sat down for a face-to-face interview on Hot 97, where Minaj expressed her disdain for the radio personality, calling him “not funny” after he said, “While I certainly meant what I felt about the song, I was bummed out that it took on the life that it did, and people ended up seeing me as someone who hated Nicki Minaj.” Rosenberg admitted he had dissed what was one of the most mainstream songs at the time, rambling as he tried to recall the details of the past year.
“I can’t even act like I care anymore,” Rosenberg continued.
Minaj’s response was blunt: “I don’t care.” She went on to explain, “In hindsight, I should’ve just done the show. I never let anyone make me let my fans down. It’s my hometown, especially, and they shouldn’t have been dragged into whatever we were going through.”
She then added, “To me, I just don’t know your resume. I never found you funny, I never found you entertaining, I never found you smart… I was like, who are you?”
The pop-techno track received more criticism from magazines like Entertainment Weekly and Billboard Magazine. Entertainment Weekly panned the song for being “super clubby” and lacking the depth Minaj had previously shown in her rap-focused tracks. While Billboard critics noted that the song was polarizing, with some praising Minaj’s venture into pop.
Despite the critics, “Starships” quickly became a fan favorite and was embraced by a wide audience, selling 7 million units worldwide within a year, helping to expand Minaj’s reach beyond hip-hop into the global pop scene.
Written by Minaj alongside collaborators Nadir “RedOne” Khayat, Carl Falk, Rami Yacoub, Wayne Hector, and Bilal Hajji, “Starships” designed for the dance floor with its electric guitar and a pounding electronic beat, coupled with Minaj’s signature rapping and an anthemic chorus. The production, helmed by RedOne, Yacoub, and Falk, gives the track a polished, commercial appeal.
In the United States, “Starships” debuted at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and quickly ascended to number five, where it remained for four non-consecutive weeks. The track spent an impressive 21 consecutive weeks in the top ten, a feat that broke the previous record held by the Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling”. Globally, the song reached the top ten in 15 countries, and it was certified diamond in both the U.S. and Australia.
The song’s success continued in the UK, where it peaked at number two and became Minaj’s highest-charting single at the time. In Australia, “Starships” spent several weeks at number two and eventually earned a 12× platinum certification. Worldwide, it was one of the best-selling singles of 2012.
In 2013, “Starships” also faced a legal challenge when electronic artist Clive Tanaka filed a lawsuit against Minaj, alleging that the song plagiarized his composition “Neu Chicago.” However, the lawsuit was dismissed, and Minaj went on to perform the song live at various high-profile events, including the 2012 NBA All-Star Game, American Idol, and her Pink Friday: Reloaded Tour.
At a New Year’s Eve celebration event at E11EVEN in Miami, Minaj said she will not perform the song anymore because it’s a stupid song during a performance in Miami. “Hold on. Psych, psych, psych, psych,” Minaj she signaled to her DJ. “I don’t perform that song no more, y’all. I don’t like it, what y’all want me to do? Stupid song.”
