"Roman in Moscow" is a song by rapper Nicki Minaj. It was released on December 2, 2011, as a teaser for her second album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, although it was not included in the official track listing of the album. The song was written by Onika Maraj and produced by Streetrunner and Sarom.

"Roman In Moscow"
Promotional single by Nicki Minaj
ReleasedDecember 2, 2011
Recorded2011
GenreHardcore hip hop
Length2:38
Label
Songwriter(s)Onika Maraj, Nicholas Warwar, Raymond Diaz, Mike Aiello, Bryan Williams
Producer(s)
  • Streetrunner
  • Sarom
Nicki Minaj promotional singles chronology
"Till the World Ends (the Femme Fatale remix)"
(2011)
"Roman In Moscow"
(2011)
"Stupid Hoe"
(2011)

The song peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 64 and the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Songs chart at number 13 in December 2011.[1]

Background edit

Minaj announced the release in early December 2011 stating it was the "wackest thing on the album".[2] The song was not included on the final track listing. When asked by a fan on Twitter as to why it was not included, Minaj replied that she didn't like the song much.[3]

Music video edit

Minaj filmed the music video for "Roman in Moscow" on December 18, 2011. It was directed by Hype Williams.[4][5][failed verification] Prior to filming the video, Minaj gave a hint of the storyline, she stated: "Well, he was there [in Moscow] secretly because [alter ego] Martha wanted him to go there, so they put him in this thing with monks and nuns; they were trying to rehabilitate him, but I can't tell exactly what happened, you'll just see it in the video format, but let's just say he did get out of there."

The video for "Roman in Moscow" was never released.

April 20, 2020, Minaj confirmed the initial release of the music video to be sometime in October 2020. As of April 2024, the music video has still not seen the light of day.[citation needed]

Live performances edit

Minaj performed "Roman in Moscow" along with "Turn Me On" and "Super Bass" for 2012 New Years on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest. She performed it on selected dates of her Pink Friday Tour and Pink Friday: Reloaded Tour.[citation needed]

References edit

  1. ^ Nick Minaj Debuts New Single 'Roman in Moscow' - The Juice | Billboard, Billboard, December 17, 2011. (accessed October 31, 2012)
  2. ^ Garibaldi, Christina. "Nicki Minaj Calls 'Roman In Moscow' A 'Teaser'". MTV News. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  3. ^ "Nicki Minaj on why "Roman In Moscow" wasn't included on Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded". Twitter. April 5, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  4. ^ "NICKI MINAJ on Twitter". twitter.com. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  5. ^ "NICKI MINAJ on Twitter". twitter.com. Retrieved May 20, 2017.