Nicki Minaj shines in 'Moment 4 Life' -- her third video and single off her debut full-length album 'Pink Friday' -- playing herself as well as her well-known alter-egos Barbie and Martha. A series of "happily ever after" childhood fantasies set the stage for the artist's most elegant costumes and extravagant sets to-date.

The video opens with the ever-familiar opening fairy tale line, but with a twist: "Once upon a time there lived a king named Nicki..." A harp whooshes away the page and Minaj is found sitting in her royal bedroom looking like Cleopatra meets Aladdin’s Jasmine in a turquoise gown and a delicate headdress with adorning stars. Her fairy Godmother Martha (also played by Minaj, but with a British accent) magically shimmers into focus as the two discuss the evening's affairs.

Godmother Martha states: "Listen to me Nicki, these kinds of nights are usually fleeting, and usually end at midnight." She then assures Nicki that she will have this "moment for life," and after some humorous exchanges about alter-ego Roman (Martha's son), sparkly slippers land on Nicki’s armoire while her Godmother vanishes.

She quickly turns straight at the camera and gets to business on some uplifting rhymes. It’s one of her best moments -- that is, showcasing both Nicki Minaj the rapper and the singer, with confident phrases and a stunning hook over twinkling production from T-Minus.

As the doors open to her palace, Minaj enters with swagger and raps, "In this very moment I’m King, in this very moment I slay Goliath with a sling."

As guests enter the grand ballroom to enjoy a decadent cocktail hour, Nicki enters with Barbie's radiant smile and then goes back to Nicki, rhyming:

"Clap for the heavyweight champ, me! / But I couldn't do it all alone, we! / Young Money raised me, grew up out in Baisley / Southside Jamaica, Queens and it's crazy / Cause I'm still hood / Hollywood couldn't
change me / Shout out to my haters / Sorry that you couldn't faze me."

Like any proper fairytale, Drake, stands atop the staircase looking over the balcony at Nicki. Now in a pink wig, studded boots and a warrior's bustier, Minaj meets Drake at a grandfather clock and they stand on their throne as her prince charming begins his verse. He sums up the emotional appeal of the song with the following line:

"I'm really tryna make it more than what it is / Cause everybody dies but not everybody lives." Luckily, for Nicki and Drake, they have lived, spotted minutes before midnight at their wedding with fireworks bursting overhead. Whether it's a fantasy or a reality, it's a moment that will be with Nicki forever -- one that she envisions as perfect.

'Moment 4 Life' weighs more heavily on the soft side of Minaj's multiple personalities than the hard, but the video offers glimpses of both -- shifting throughout the video with ease and beauty. Whereas singles 'Your Love' and 'Right Thru Me' seemed to take on topics of personal relationships and romance, 'Moment 4 Life' goes beyond that, as a more universal anthem for the ultimate love as well as a dedication to her fans and her hometown roots in Queens.

Watch the Nicki Minaj Feat. Drake, 'Moment 4 Life' Video

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