Roman Holiday (song)

[3] "Roman Holiday" is a fast-paced hip-hop and pop rap song influenced by opera music that runs for four minutes and five seconds.

[4][5][6] It features complex production, utilizing elements such as rattling sound effects, sonic drops, synths, and lasers.

Jessica Hopper, from Spin magazine, called the song "nearly flawless" and "pure theater, the closest hip-hop's gotten to its own 'Bohemian Rhapsody', full of thrilling crescendos and twitchy verses that verge on the ridiculous, but always shift toward the triumphant."

"[11] Jim Farber of New York Daily News praised the song's style and philosophy: "The peak parts of the star's second CD, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, turn that trend smack on its back.

She matches that to vocal and percussive rhythms that meld a Trinidadian patois, a New York attitude and a hip hop bounce.

She doesn't just straddle pop categories, she dumps them in a Cuisinart, whips them to a frothy purée, then trains a guided missile at the whole mess."

'"[12] Al Fox of the BBC said of Minaj: "Few artists in Minaj's position would dare to take risks as bold as this", while citing "Roman Holiday" for its "Major-key, tap-along pop sensibilities; disquieting lyrical content; wide-eyed, over-pronounced Valley Girl patter; a reworking of O Come All Ye Faithful; shuddering, skeletal beats.

"[19] In 2015, longtime Grammy producer Kenneth Ehrlich called the performance a "disappointment":[20] I was not proud of what we did with Nicki Minaj three years ago.

However, on February 4, 2019, it was reported that American singer Ariana Grande would not be performing at or attending the 61st Annual Grammy Awards due to a dispute with previously mentioned producer Ehrlich.

On February 7, 2019, Grande made a public statement on the matter, she alleged that Ehrlich stifled her creativity and tried to stipulate what song she could perform.

"[22] Shortly after, Minaj defended Grande and alleged Ehrlich "bullied" her over the previously mentioned 2012 "Roman Holiday" performance.

Because of this disagreement and the backlash to her religious-inspired theatrical performance from the Catholic Church, Minaj believes that she has been blackballed from winning an award and that she has seen similar stories happen to other artists.

[27] Bill Donahue of the conservative watch group, The Catholic League, criticized the performance, stating: "Whether Minaj is possessed is surely an open question, but what is not in doubt is the irresponsibility of The Recording Academy.

From early 2019, "Roman Holiday" became a popular meme on Twitter and TikTok,[32][33][34][35] thanks to Minaj's "animated performance and rapid fire verses" in the song.

[33] A typical meme of the song would include any unrelated or sped up video, with "Roman Holiday" playing in the background, mainly if someone is escaping or rushing out.

[38] The song trended at #1 on US Twitter on February 5, 2023 in protest of the Grammy Awards[citation needed] and reached #1 on the Billboard Rap Digital sales chart.