"Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded" by Nicki Minaj

Release Date: Apr. 3, 2012 If you like: Kanye West, Rihanna Notable songs: Starships, Pound the Alarm, Marilyn Monroe

Nicki Minaj has been a star for quite some time, getting “50k for a verse, no album out” in Nov. 2010. With the release of her second album, “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded,” Minaj is reeling in even more money and with (mostly) good reason. The album seems to be divided into three parts: part one — Nicki being scary with her hard core rapping as Roman. If you liked her Roman personality on the first album, you’ll like this part, otherwise, skip it. The rest of the album is a little more bearable. Part two — Nicki being lively. This section starts with “Right by my Side,” a song that is much more soulful and far less scary than all her previous material on the album. She has several songs with good dance beats and some dubstep, including “Starships” and “Pound the Alarm,” both of which are strong songs for Minaj. Part three — Nicki being sappy. This starts with “Marilyn Monroe,” which is also strong and a little more personal for Minaj, but the album gets a little sappier from there. Overall, the more solid tracks on Minaj’s album balance out the bizarre and annoying qualities of part one and the overly sentimental and overdone nature of part three.

"Some Nights" by Fun.

Release Date: Feb. 21, 2012 If you like: Mika, Queen, Glee Notable songs: We Are Young (feat. Janelle Monae), Some Nights, Carry On, Out on the Town (bonus track)

I doubt there is a person on Elon’s campus that hasn’t heard “We Are Young” in some capacity. But if you haven’t, both “We Are Young” and the album built around it are surprisingly profound and obviously cheery — after all, the band’s name is Fun. The band’s sophomore album, “Some Nights,” may be a little too obnoxiously pop-y at points and it has its lulls, but most of the songs are incredibly catchy with meaningful and occasionally pretty personal lyrics. The album crosses genres between pop, alternative and rock, but it pretty consistently sounds like Glee, except with original lyrics and a little more autotuning. One lyric from “Carry On” is particularly representative of Fun: “No one’s ever gonna stop us now.” No one’s stopping them in their rise to glory. Check out the album, and be on the lookout: I would definitely expect some more fun from Fun.