Moment 4 Life Video: Nicki Minaj, Drake – Moment 4 Life Video

We always thought Nicki Minaj and Drake’s “Moment 4 Life” was a great song. Musically pleasing, but not too “out there,” lyrically, essentially a song about achievements and taking time to be grateful for what you have, it is one of the more accessible tracks on Pink Friday, and became her ticket to mainstream America, allowing her a safe, uplifting-sounding song to perform on shows like The Ellen Degeneres Show (I mean, can you picture her doing “Roman’s Revenge” there? Ha!)

See Nicki Minaj’s performance of “Moment 4 Life” on Saturday Night Live [VIDEO]

Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have one of the world’s other top hip hop stars share the track with you, and generally the two Young Money upstarts do a fine collaborative job on “Moment 4 Life.” The chemistry between the two has often been a source of hip hop gossip, with each of the two alluding to more-than-just-labelmate status in the past, only to retract the statements, and then re-hint them on a track, or in an interview.

The chemistry is given a visual counterpart in the video for “Moment 4 Life,” which recently premiered on MTV, as Nicki Minaj, along with the help of another character in her stable of self-sidekicks, Martha, mother to alter-ego Roman Zolanski, travel down a Cinderella-like path to (possible) matrimonial bliss. They even (might) seal it with a kiss! Ah, the crowd (maybe) goes wild!!

In any event, it’s a classy looking affair, with plenty of Victorian-looking scenery and intricate outfits. Minaj tells MTV that the fashion choices were inspired by a different time, shying away from “high fashion and hip hop. I was envisioning a Shakespeare time,” says Minaj.

The video is a little disappointing, considering the status of the two stars, the perceived chemistry, and the extreme creativity Minaj has shown with her videos in the past, but this may all be to keep with the song’s mainstream, safe appeal. And while on-the-fence-hip-hop-heads may look to Minaj performances like “Monster” to help justify her talent in the face of cartoonish, Barbie-infested antics, and my be let down by the bubble-gum of “Moment 4 Life,” the song and video should continue to solidify a solid base of fans for Minaj, ensuring that the glass slipper will continue to fit her for some time to come.