It was only several years ago that Britney Spears was locked in a tailspin of drug abuse and personal problems that threatened to cost her not only her career but also custody of her children. Following a pair of involuntary institutionalizations in early 2008, though, Spears pulled herself together, depriving the tabloids of any more sensational head-shaving incidents as she returned to music. At this point in her career, she's completed ceded what little creative control she had over her music to her producers, though that certainly hasn't hurt the chart performances of her latest album. Her newest, Femme Fatale, is a compilation of producer-driven dance-pop that compensates for Spears' inanimate voice with stylish, hard-pumping club beats.
With her fierce individualism and boundless verve, opener Nicki Minaj is a bit of an unlikely tour-mate choice for the robotic Spears—both artists are women and Top 40 staples, but that's about all they have in common. After a slew of scene-stealing guest verses on other hits for other artists, Minaj last year released her debut album Pink Friday, which featured plenty of her signature hopped-up raps and crazy accents while putting an unexpected emphasis on glossy, crossover pop singles.
