Let Me Calm Down by Nicki Minaj (ft. J. Cole)
Let Me Calm Down, a track featured on Nicki Minaj’s album Pink Friday 2, which came out on 8 December 2023, marks the first time the Harujuku Barbie has teamed up with J. Cole. This came after, about a month prior, Nicki crowdsourcing advice on who to feature on the track, stating that she wanted “a rapper rapper”, i.e. a genuinely-skilled emcee. And upon hooking up with Jermaine she had nothing but glowing things to say about the emcee, likening him to a “therapist” and implying that he’s one of the more positive people out there.
Writing & Production
This song was written by Nicki Minaj and J. Cole, in conjunction with Ofer Shaul Ishai, Hendrix Smoke and ATL Jacob. The latter two also produced the track with Kujibeats.
Record Labels
The labels that backed its outing are Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Republic Records.
Analyzing the Lyrics of Let Me Calm Down
This is a timely collaboration as, compared to a couple of other pieces we’ve thus far looked at from Pink Friday 2, it can be gleaned that on this track Minaj made a more conscientious to drop quality lyrics. And you’d have to presume the reason being the J. Cole feature, with him being “a rapper rapper” who, at least ideally, tends to bring out his co-stars’ A game.
And what we’re dealing with here is actually akin to a love rap, i.e. the two emcees, to some extent, taking on the role of a romantically-involved couple. Or more specifically, it’s as if Nicki is portraying someone in a troubled relationship, while Cole becomes more analytical on the modern state of romance as his verse progresses.
As for Minaj, she comes off as if she feels that she isn’t being properly appreciated by her lover. But really, her verse is quite complex, as it isn’t such that she’s simply playing the victim. What may be ascertained is that the character she’s portraying is in fact in love but perhaps at this point in her life needs more me time rather than having someone, i.e. her boyfriend, emotionally dependent on her.
Meanwhile, the simplest way of describing Jermaine’s verse is as him driving home the idea that maintaining a relationship these days ain’t easy. Sometimes you may find yourself smitten by a lady like Nicki, who’s independent-minded to the point of annoyance, as well as so attractive that she draws unwanted attention. But J. Cole, being who he is, empathizes with what causes such women to become so ruggedly free-minded to begin with. So he closes out by noting how challenging it is to keep a family together, how, as implied, that has to be one’s top priority in order to succeed at maintaining the familial unit. So what’s likewise being inferred is that getting into a serious relationship or starting a family isn’t an endeavor to take lightly.
As for the title, it’s never actually mentioned in the lyrics. But with it in mind and going back to J. Cole’s verse especially, the implication is that this track is advisory in nature. And what it’s espousing is that a “calm” mind is preferable to a hot head when it comes to maintaining a romance.
