Powerful pink retrofuturistic imagery surrounds Nicki Minaj on the cover of her fifth album, “Pink Friday 2,” her first album since 2018, released Friday. Minaj’s fans — the Barbz — took this spunky album cover art and let it blossom into a popular fan-created generative AI fantasy world called “Gag City,” an idea that Minaj herself has taken advantage of to promote the album on X. The anticipation of this album drop only furthered when its Oct. 20 release date was pushed back a few weeks to Nov. 17 and then again to Dec. 8 — but the result may have fallen a little short.
Back in 2010, the original “Pink Friday” album was a massive success for Minaj, especially in the pop realm with hits like “Super Bass,” “Your Love,” and “Fly.” Ever since then, she’s topped charts, won awards and lived in the limelight as a sonically unique and aesthetically shocking artist.
“Pink Friday 2” flashily tries to prove Minaj’s title as the “Queen of Rap.” She displays her power in the industry by featuring new collaborations with artists like J. Cole and Lourdiz as well as artists she’s previously worked with like Drake. Minaj also clearly flaunts her ability to work across genres, as she features musicians ranging from gospel artist Tasha Cobbs Leonard to Skillibeng, a DJ from Jamaican dancehall tradition.
The 22-song album somberly starts with “Are You Gone Already,” a heartfelt message to Minaj’s late father Robert Maraj, who died in 2021 before getting the chance to meet Minaj’s son. The song — produced by FINNEAS, brother of Billie Eilish — heavily samples a sped-up version of Eilish’s “when the party’s over.” The sample largely overtakes the song, and feels somewhat disjointed due to the random beat drop that occurs before Minaj starts rapping.
There is no doubt that Nicki Minaj adores using samples in this album. She boldly samples older megahits such as Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” on “Pink Friday Girls” and Rick James’ “Super Freak” on “Super Freaky Girl.” Sampling is a huge element in the art of hip-hop, so using these samples ties her sonic legacy to those of the hip-hop artists of previous generations.
However, in places, the sampling has been noted by fans as overdone, and even poorly done. At times the samples clash intensely, feeling somewhat random when put up against Nicki’s bars, something demonstrated clearly by “My Life,” which samples Blondie’s “Heart of Glass.”
For the album’s second track, Minaj takes a bit of a random emotional 180 as she transitions into “Barbie Dangerous,” a song that samples “Notorious Thugs” by The Notorious B.I.G. and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. “Barbie Dangerous” is a fast-flowing song packed with the classic, witty double entendres that supported her early fame and propelled her success. In the track, she sings “Old hits, they still swingin' / They love the flow, they still streamin” and incorporates one of her classic references to other rappers as her “sons.”
Another way in which Minaj honors her own musical legacy is through her dreamy, smooth vocals flowing in “Fallin 4 U” and “Last Time I Saw You.” These songs are deeply reminiscent of her “Pink Friday” songs which largely feature singsongy choruses juxtaposed with calculated, creative bars.
“Let Me Calm Down” featuring J. Cole stands out as a notable track within the new album, continuing to portray a more vulnerable side to Minaj, and highlight J. Cole’s consistent lyrical ability. The song highlights the imperfections and struggles inevitable in relationships — “My heart sayin' I love him while I'm screamin' that I hate him / And ain't no more debatin', this time, it's a ultimatum.”
The album ends on a reflective note as in “Just The Memories” where Minaj discusses her struggle to the top of the music industry and her recollection of that process. She raps, “I told Drake that he don't owe me nothin', never did / I pray that Wayne always remembered that I never slid / Look at all the s*** that y'all threw at me, and I never dipped / Greatest female rapper to ever live, and that's on my kid.”
Despite Minaj’s confident claims about her music, in the media, there are a lot of mixed reviews about this album. Some fans believe the album does not quite do the original “Pink Friday” justice due to messy sampling and a general lack of thematic connection and bonafide hits, but others find it to be a masterful album that does her full legacy justice.
Showcasing her life struggles, her musical talent, and her connections in the industry, Minaj tenderly reflects upon her past while simultaneously advocating for her own success and fame in her new album. Perhaps “Pink Friday 2” is not the same type of iconic as “Pink Friday,” but at its core, its sonic and emotional diversity is a testament to Nicki Minaj’s decades-long and undoubtedly impressive career.
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