French Montana feat. Nicki Minaj — “Freaks” (2013)
If a new hip-hop song samples dancehall, as a fan of Nicki Minaj, you’re hoping she jumps on the remix. There was no waiting for Minaj to grace “Freaks,” she stole the spotlight right from French Montana on the original version of own record. It’s as if the stars were aligned for Nicki Minaj because Vicious, who made the original “Freaks” sampled on the hook, along with Doug E. Fresh, also made a name for himself on another single about a girl named “Nika”—no relation to Onika Maraj. Knowing her history, Nicki Minaj paid homage to Vicious by continuing the storyline of Nika (who Vicious first introduced as Onika in a line on the original “Freaks”) on her own version of “Freaks.” —Richard “Treats” Dryden