Every now and then we get an example of snippets not necessarily being the best representation of a song or larger piece of media. That's basically the story of "We Go Up." When Nicki Minaj teased this track on TikTok, the overwhelming mixed-negative reception left the track's official release in limbo. Upon arrival, however, "We Go Up" is inarguably Nicki's best song of 2022 so far, and one of the best songs she's released in years.

The menacing drill track doubles as the union of two of New York's brightest stars: Brooklyn's very own Fivio Foreign and Queens's Nicki Minaj. In the same way that she ripped through her remix of Pop Smoke's "Welcome to the Party" a few years ago, Nicki flies through two double entendre-filled ("Shooters hittin' that G-spot") and punchline-stacked ("I don't do coke, little bitch, I don't even do Pepsi") verses with a tasteful yet catchy hook to boot. Sometimes, however, she gets ahead of herself and the punchlines fall flat like when she seemingly confuses narcolepsy with epilepsy on the "I know they sleepin' on me, bitches got epilepsy" line.

In a similar fashion to "Do We Have A Problem," "We Go Up" finds Nicki leaning into the sonic world of her collaborator and seeking out pockets that are unique to her. She still finds a way to blend her trademark animated voices with the innate harshness of drill production like when she taunts "After all of that surgery, you are still ugly / And that is what gets me." Fivio's contributions continue his streak of excellent guest verses, and his raucous energy pairs well with Nicki's laser-focused intensity. "We Go Up" is an infinitely stronger offering than both of the Lil Baby-assisted tracks Nicki put out a few weeks ago. There's lots of potential here as we approach the summer and the release of her fifth studio album.

Score: 77