Happy Pink Friday to all who celebrate.
Indeed, Nicki Minaj has marked her birthday with the rollout of her Pink Friday 2 album, a sequel to her 2010 debut. As fans will recall, the project was originally slated to be released earlier this year. Minaj ultimately decided to push the record back due to issues including vinyl production delays.
"This entire album will be the biggest gift I’ve ever given humanity thus far," she said when announcing the new date back in October. "I can stand by that. I will bet any amount of money that Pink Friday 2, the album, is going to make people fall in love immediately."
Late Thursday, Nicki shared her excitement to unveil "all the geniuses on this project." Announcing Billie Eilish would be on the intro "Are You Gone Already" (via a sample of “When the Party’s Over”), she told fans to expect, "Ppl I really love. Ppl who love music. Ppl who inspire me to be better."
Shortly after, the 22-song tracklist was revealed to boast all-star features from Drake (“Needle”), Lil Wayne (“RNB”), J. Cole (“Let Me Calm Down”), Lil Uzi Vert (“Everybody”), and Future (“Nicki Hendrix”). Also joining in on the fun are Tate Kobang, Lourdiz, Skillibeng, Skeng, gospel artist Tasha Cobbs Leonard, and, briefly on the intro, Nicki's 3-year-old son, whom she calls Papa Bear.
Producers on the 70-minute Pink Friday 2 include ATL Jacob, Murda Beatz, Boi-1da, Dr. Luke, BoogzDaBeast, Don Cannon, BNYX, and Sadpony.
One of the most fascinating parts of the final run-up has been Gag City, a “fictional realm,” Complex’s Jessica McKinney wrote, that pays homage “to Nicki's album and its artwork, which depicts the rapper en route to a pink city.”
McKinney continues, “The pink-themed graphics and depictions of elaborate fixtures in the imagined world quickly gained viral traction, illustrating a complete universe featuring businesses, concerts, and more.” Read the full explainer here.
Ahead of the sequel's launch, the Queen of Rap shared the singles "Super Freaky Girl" and "Last Time I Saw You." In November, "Barbie World," her Barbie soundtrack song with Aqua and Ice Spice, scored two Grammy nominations.
Listen to Pink Friday 2 via your preferred streaming provider here.
In the coming days, fans can expect to see Nicki Minaj on an episode of Watch What Happens Live that will surely result in a wave of aggregated quotes and related bloggery.
