There's no denying that there's something distinctly "new" about this season of "American Idol," apart from the usual batch of theme weeks, able-voiced contestants and Ryan Seacrest puns. Ever since the show's first season, only several of its judges have managed to offer coherent, critical, and actually useful critiques. Who knew that big-wigged, bug-eyed rap/pop hybrid Nicki Minaj would float above the fold and offer some biting but hyper focused feedback that the aging show desperately needed?
From the first day of auditions, Minaj entered the room valuing honesty over bruising people's feelings. Though "Idol" played up her tiny spat with fellow new judge Mariah Carey for ratings, every audition-based episode established the Queens born and raised rapper as a voice of reason on a panel trying to find its rhythm. "She's the new Simon!" Randy Jackson was quick to crow, but there exist some crucial differences between the duo's judging techniques.
First of all, Minaj knows how to temper her critiques. She's real, but she isn't mean unless she seems to find it necessary. Last week, she bussed the three male contestants (Devin Velez, Burnell Taylor, and Lazaro Arbos) off the stage with a flip of her hand. It was quick, it was pointed, and it was necessary. Rather than take the group down with overly theatrical flourishes, she shooed them away so they could spare time and save face. It was brilliant and inspired and perfect.
Minaj also has a clear grasp of musical intricacies that allows her to point out both flaws and also successes in a variety of areas. Contestants have received guidance from her about their wardrobes, their pitch, their range, their song choices, their connection to the lyrics, their facial expressions, and their runs. She knows how to run the gamut of entertainer-critique so intricately, you wouldn't know that she only has two full albums and an EP of music professionally released.
Finally, and most critically, Minaj knows how to throw shade like a champion. Twitter trending topics like "#TeamLeftSide" and "#UrbanMinaj" have taken the medium by storm on Wednesday and Thursday nights, in support of the two left-most sitting judges on the panel. Most viewers, even show mentor Jimmy Iovine, stopped taking anything Randy Jackson says seriously after he wore that spangled, DIY will.i.am pin last season. While Carey seems...present...her soundbites lack any noticeable flavor or sense. Viewers, however, look to the judges for advice on voting, so watching Minaj toss Carey and Jackson sidewards glances packed with the intensity of a thousand burning suns helps the audience fully understand just how it should be leaning.
One thing to note is that this season, perhaps due to Minaj's perceived newness in the industry, the "Idol" contestants seem to be fighting back. Last week, eliminated contestant Velez lashed out against Minaj, subtly tweeting "That moment when an adult stoops down to the 3rd grade level... LOL grow up Hun, I've got songs to write." It's exactly the type of comment that prompted Minaj to initially note that contestants should "simply be gracious" and appreciate the opportunity that the judges themselves had initially offered them.
Though there's still a large portion of the season left, it is almost a certainty that Nicki Minaj will walk away from this year's "American Idol" crowned best judge in years. Hers is an understanding, self-assured, reliable, and entertainingly consistent voice that has completely revamped the way people watch the show from their homes. It remains to be seen if Ms. Minaj will be invited back for a second season, but if producers are smart, they'll keep their spark alive.
Never forget Randy Jackson's "too cool for school" will.i.am meets Michael Jackson DIY pin from last season.
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