Check It Out

"Check It Out" was released as the third single from Pink Friday, the debut studio album by Nicki Minaj. The song features Black Eyed Peas leader will.i.am., who also produced the track. Minaj was doing loads of collaborations around this time, hooking up with Eminem ("Roman's Revenge"), Kanye West ("Dark Fantasy") and Rihanna ("Fly"). It had been a minute since a female rapper came on the scene and made much impact, but once Nicki showed up, she was everywhere.

The song samples the Buggles' "Video Killed The Radio Star," which was a big hit in England in 1979, but pretty much unknown in America until its music video became the first clip to be aired by MTV on August 1, 1981. The fledgling cable channel continued to play the video as at the time there weren't too many to choose from. The ensuing publicity prompted American radio programmers to, er, check it out, include the song on their playlists and make it a hit stateside. Many years later, you can make the case that Internet Killed the Video Star.

Minaj commented on her collaboration with will.I.am to MTV News, stating, "I worked with tons of producers on my album, shout out to all of them. Will's the only producer that produced me. He really sat there and got this weird sound, and I was like, 'What?' It was so simple. He was sitting there and he made the beat on the spot." She added: "I was sitting there, and it was like five minutes later, he finished the beat!"