It’s been 13 years since “Pink Friday” was released, and on Dec. 8 Nicki Minaj blessed us with the sequel on her 41st birthday. This is Minaj’s first full-length release since “Queen” in 2018.
The album was originally supposed to come out on Oct. 20, but Minaj pushed the release back twice, because she said she had writer’s block while being pregnant. She also said this album has been in the works for five years.
The Barbz, who are Minaj’s fans, have been creating AI generated neon pink images of a fictional world called “Gag City.” AI images have been circulating on social media of Trisha Paytas, Michael Jackson, Ariana Grande and other celebrities arriving in the futuristic “Gag City.” Minaj has also been using the term “Gag City” in her Instagram videos promoting the album and in her tweets. This trend shows how many fans are invested in “Pink Friday 2,” and how this album is a way to create a greater sense of community on the internet.
The album includes singles she has previously released, such as “Super Freaky Girl,” “Last Time I Saw You” and “Red Ruby Da Sleeve” which are on repeat on my playlists. The album also includes features from rappers such as Lil Uzi Vert, Drake, J. Cole and Future.
The opening song is “Are You Gone Already” includes a sample from Billie Eilish’s “when the party’s over.” Some fans of Eilish are disappointed because they were expecting her to be featured on the track after Pop Crave suggested so on X, formerly known as Twitter. The song is alright, but it is definitely not one of my favorites.
An upbeat song on the track “Pink Friday Girls” is perfect to listen to while getting ready or if you want a song to lift up your mood. The song samples parts of the classic song “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper but still has a Minaj spin to it. This song is representative of the overall theme of the album and it’s great if you also love Lauper’s song.
“Everybody” features Lil Uzi Vert, and the two voices blend great together. The beats of the song are high energy and it’s a fun song to listen to. The lyrics are repetitive but it works with the sound of the song. Billboard put this as its top pick from the album, and Minaj said on X that this was a song she wrote in five minutes one day for the video game “Call of Duty” and debated even putting it on the album, which I’m glad she did.
One of the most emotional tracks on the album is the song “Just The Memories.” She reflects on her past experiences of not being taken seriously as a rapper to music labels at the start of her career and going to jail on a weapons charge in 2003. The song implies that even when people leave your life, the memories still stay. It’s nice to see a more vulnerable side of Minaj on this album and to know more of her as a person. It is clear she uses her past to motivate her in her career, rather than let it get her down.
Another song that captures my attention is “Nicki Hendrix,” which features Future. It goes into the problems of a relationship while still trying to make it work and move on from it. Future’s lyrics focus on how the two aren’t as different as they may think, while Minaj’s is more talking about the success she had on her own. Like “Just The Memories” this also shifts the tone of the album, but it also adds more depth to it. I can see this song appealing to a lot of listeners.
“Barbie Dangerous” is a song that screams Minaj to me — it is her rapping about her confidence in the rap industry. This is a song I can see myself replaying a lot. The song samples “Notorious Thugs” by the Notorious B.I.G and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. The beat matches Minaj’s flow of her lyrics. Everytime Minaj samples another song it is always carefully placed and makes sense with the song, it doesn’t seem just thrown in.
Right now, the album is already ranking No.1 on Apple Music. “Pink Friday 2” is worth the listen if you are a fan of Minaj or just enjoy rap and you can tell how much work the artist put into what she writes. Minaj consistently has an unmatched rapping style and superior lyrics. It’s hard to even pick favorites off of this album because there are so many that I love, so yes, Minaj has created a hit album once again.
