"I Ain't Thru" is a song by American singer

Keyshia Cole Keyshia Myeshia Cole Johnson; born October 15, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Born and raised in Oakland, California, Cole began her career as a backing vocalist for MC Hammer. After signing with A&M Records ...

. It features

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accent ...

rapping the second verse of the song. Written by Cole, Minaj and Russell Gonzalez, the up-tempo hip hop/ R&B song is the lead single taken from Cole's fourth studio album ''

Calling All Hearts ''Calling All Hearts'' is the fourth studio album by American R&B singer Keyshia Cole, released on December 21, 2010 in the United States by Geffen Records. Appearances on the album include Nicki Minaj, Tank, Faith Evans, Timbaland and Yvonne ...

'' (2010). The song's lyrics revolve around Cole trying to do her own thing well while maintaining ignorance toward people who are against her. It was produced by The ARE and

Ron Fair Ronald Fair is an American A&R executive, record producer, record executive, musical arranger, recording engineer and conductor. In a career that has spanned over 30 years at major record labels he has produced and arranged hits for several ar ...

as Cole's 'statement record'. It was released for download in the United States on December 7, 2010. "I Ain't Thru" was described by critics as the most grit-flecked Cole has ever sounded. It was moderately successful across the airplay formats as it debuted on the US

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart at number 78 on November 18, 2010. In subsequent weeks, the single peaked at number 54. An accompanying music video for "I Ain't Thru", directed by Benny Boom, was premiered on November 12, 2010 alongside the music video for follow-up single "

Long Way Down ''Long Way Down'' is a television series and book documenting a motorcycle journey undertaken in 2007 by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, from John o' Groats in Scotland through eighteen countries in Europe and Africa to Cape Town in South ...

Background and meaning

Cole described "I Ain't Thru" as a "statement single". During an interview with

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

, Cole admitted that she should not have released 'I Ain't Thru' as the lead single. She stated, “The label didn’t really want to drop the record because they knew … that people wanted a more intense, soulful record from me about love and I really should have followed (their) direction,” she said. “But I wanted that to be a statement record. It’s like saying, ‘I’m doing me, you know. I don’t have no regrets for nothing that I’m doing.’”Keyshia Cole Admits The First Single Ft. Nicki Minaj Wasn’t The Best Look But She Wanted To Make A Statement… “I Ain’t Thru”!
/ref> Some speculate that Minaj's verse in the song is a diss at

Lil' Kim Kimberly Denise Jones (born July 11, 1974), Those giving 1974 include: * * * * * better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper and reality television personality. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, she lived much of he ...

, with lines like "I took the spot, she's gone, poof!" being subliminally directed at the rapper.

Music video

The video premiered on November 12, 2010. The production of the video was shot in Los Angeles. The visual was overseen by Benny Boom.

Track listing and formats

; US standard digital download # "I Ain't Thru" (Featuring Nicki Minaj) (Clean or Explicit) - 3:59 ; US and Canadian Mega-Deluxe EP # "I Ain't Thru" (Explicit Version featuring Nicki Minaj) - 3:59 # "I Ain't Thru" (Clean Version featuring Nicki Minaj) - 3:59 # "I Ain't Thru" (Explicit Leak Mix featuring Nicki Minaj) - 4:04 # "I Ain't Thru" (Clean Leak Mix featuring Nicki Minaj) - 4:04 # "I Ain't Thru" (Video) - 4:08

Charts

Release history

References

{{authority control 2010 singles Keyshia Cole songs Nicki Minaj songs Songs written by Nicki Minaj Music videos directed by Benny Boom American hip hop songs Song recordings produced by Ron Fair Songs written by Keyshia Cole 2010 songs