Ahead of the release of her debut album next week, Coi Leray has unleashed "Blick Blick," a sleek collaboration with Grammy-nominated rapper Nicki Minaj. From "No More Parties" and "Big Prrd" to viral videos of dead crowds at her live performances, Coi Leray has had a shaky start to her mainstream run. Dubbed by some as female rap's answer to Playboi Carti's scatterbrained ad-lib-drenched trap raps, Coi asserts herself as an undeniable hitmaker with "Blick Blick." Holding your own against Nicki Minaj in top form is no easy feat; this is Coi's most urgent call for us to take her seriously, and it's time we listen.

With production credits that include the despicable Dr. Luke, "Blick Blick" finds the two rappers trading verses about their superiority to their opponents over an eerie instrumental. Coi focuses the majority of her verse on celebrating her sexual prowess; this approach offers a nice balance to Nicki's aggressive shot-taking verse. Nicki's verse is one of her best guest verses in years. From unexpected flow switches to multilayered bars like "Every nigga tryna pop ain't the next Woo / Don't run up in my DM, R.I.P to X too," Nicki's verse is genuinely enjoyable. Nicki sounds locked in on this track in a way that was slightly missing on songs like the "Whole Lotta Money" remix; this verse is better than anything she does on "Bussin" or "Do We Have A Problem?" As surprisingly good as this collaboration is, it's also a sly full-circle moment. Like Nicki's animated raps and inherent theatricality during her debut year(s), Coi Leray's whiny Playboi Carti-esque delivery set her apart from her peers. Seeing these two collaborate makes sense, and their synergy feels genuine.

Score: 65