The queen of rap, as some might call her, released her fifth studio album “Pink Friday 2” in December. This album serves as the sequel to “Pink Friday,” Nicki Minaj’s first studio album released in 2010. Fans rushed to their favorite streaming devices, surprised to find a new album from Minaj after waiting in anticipation for nearly five years.
The album’s first song has the ironic title of “Are You Gone Already” nodding to some fans’ annoyance for waiting this long for a new album. Like many other tracks on the album, this song contains a sample, the reuse of an old recording in a new recording. This first song contains a sample from Billie Eilish’s “when the party’s over,” a sad song that balances with Minaj’s rap beat, laying the foundation for the tone of this album. Another notable sample on this album comes from “Everybody.” “Move Your Feet” by Junior Senior provides an upbeat disco rhythm that intertwines with Minaj’s lyrics to create a tune you can’t help but “move your feet” to. Minaj doesn’t just stop there, implementing a Notorious B.I.G. sample in “Barbie Dangerous,” a Blondie sample in “My Life,” and many other subtle samples throughout.
Another aspect of “Pink Friday 2″ with no shortage is the amount of collaborators featured on this album. “Let Me Calm Down” features J. Cole, “RNB” includes Lil Wayne & Tate Kobang, “Needle” has Drake, “Cowgirl” features Lourdiz, and Lil Uzi Vert is on “Everybody.” Several other contributions such as Skillinbeng, Skeng, Future, and Tasha Cobbs Leonard are on the album. The sheer amount of features from other artists on this album goes to show how influential Minaj truly is and how much of an impact she has on society.
Despite being relatively inactive in releasing music, it is obvious that the “Barbz” are fiercely loyal because “Pink Friday 2” debuted at number one album in the United States, outselling the biggest debut sales week for a rap album by a woman in the last four years.
Continuing along with the successes of this album, there are some singles and hits that truly stand out. For starters, “Super Freaky Girl,” released in August of 2022, immediately topped the charts and excited fans about the possibility of new music from Minaj. “Red Ruby da Sleeze,” which was released earlier this year, debuted at number 13 on the Hot 100. Upon the album’s release, “Last Time I Saw You” made it to number 23, and was widely enjoyed by all of her fans. One honorable mention is “FTCU,” a fun and exciting but powerful and assertive new hit. On the other hand, “Barbie Dangerous” is a fast-paced and catchy song that oozes with that classic Nicki Minaj self-confidence.
Much to fans’ anticipation, a tour has been announced accompanying the release of this album. The tour has been informally named the Gag City Tour based on an AI-generated all-pink city that fans created to celebrate the new album. Several dates have been announced already in America, Canada, and Europe with several more to come! Excited fans wait in anticipation as their tour dates approach so they can see their favorite artist on the big stage.