Pink Friday 2

Pink Friday 2 is the fifth studio album by rapper Nicki Minaj. It was released on December 8, 2023, through Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Republic Records. A sequel to Minaj's debut album Pink Friday (2010), it is her first studio album in five years following the release of Queen (2018). The album is a hip-hop and pop-rap record that borrows influences from other genres as well. Collaborations on the album include J. Cole, Drake, Lil Wayne, Future, Lil Uzi Vert, 50 Cent, Monica, Keyshia Cole, and various other collaborators.

Upon its release, Pink Friday 2 debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, breaking several records including making Minaj the first female rapper in history to have three number-one albums. It earned over 228,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, with 92,000 coming from pure album sales. Internationally, the album peaked in the top ten in Australia, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The album received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised Minaj's consistency and innovation yet criticized the use of samples. Pink Friday 2 samples tracks by Billie Eilish, Cyndi Lauper, Rick James, among others.

Pink Friday 2 was supported by five singles, "Super Freaky Girl", "Red Ruby Da Sleeze", "Last Time I Saw You", "Everybody" featuring Lil Uzi Vert, and "FTCU". The double platinum-certified lead single "Super Freaky Girl" marked Minaj's first solo number-one on the US Billboard Hot 100, while all singles peaked within the top 25. To promote the album, Minaj embarked on the Pink Friday 2 World Tour starting March 2024, which became the highest-grossing concert tour by a female rapper in history.

Background and development
In June 2019, Minaj mentioned on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that she had begun work on a new album with no official release date at the time and stated that she had not titled it yet. In September, Minaj announced her retirement from hip hop; however, she later withdrew her statement and apologized for her false announcement. That same month, in an interview with Elle, Minaj stated that the album would be, "fierce, fun, and unapologetic" and spoke about the project's ultimate sound."It's probably the most excited I've been about an album release in a really long time. I'm happy that we're not making my fans wait for another album like I've done in the past. This one incorporates all the things people love about Nicki, but it also just has a way bigger sound, so it goes perfectly with the collection."

A year later on June 29, 2020, Minaj tweeted, "PF2" and "MEMORIES" which went on to be revealed as the initials of the album and a song. In May 2023, she teased that the album "is the best thing that will come out of 2023 & will raise the bar to new & unreachable heights", and that its accompanying tour "will be hailed as 'genius.' That's it & that's all."

Rollout and release
In July 2022, Minaj previewed a song from the album originally titled "Freaky Girl" on her social media, with the clip going viral and garnering over 20 million views on Instagram in its first day. She released the album's lead single "Super Freaky Girl" a month later which debuted atop the Hot 100 marking Minaj's third number-one song on the chart. The single proved to be Minaj's biggest solo hit, spending 11 weeks inside the top 10 of the Hot 100, 10 of which were consecutive. Almost a year later, in March 2023, she released the second single "Red Ruby da Sleeze". In May, she teased on Twitter that the album would "raise the bar to new and unreachable heights", and also teased an accompanying tour. On June 5, Minaj initially announced the release date of the album would be October 20, 2023. On June 29, she officially announced that the album would be titled Pink Friday 2, and that the release date would be pushed back to November 17.

In September, she released the third single "Last Time I Saw You" and debuted an unreleased track from the album entitled "Big Difference" during her performance at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards. On October 25, Minaj announced that the album's release date was postponed to her birthday on December 8, 2023.

In November, as part of weekly surprises leading up to the album release, Minaj teased a surprise that she and her fans alike were awaiting for a long time, making her fans trend "#TellUsNicki" number one on Twitter before teasing the surprise any further. The following day it was revealed that she was the cover feature for the December 2023 issue of US Vogue, in which she spoke about recording her new album which "was written from the vantage point of a woman who has gotten so many of the things she dreamed about". Minaj subsequently became first female rapper to appear on a solo issue cover of US Vogue.

Pink Friday 2 was released on December 8, 2023 and made available for digital download and streaming as a 22-track album. The album was also available in several physical versions, which consisted of four vinyl editions (three retailer-exclusive versions each with different covers) and two CD variants (standard and signed). The physical versions only included 10 tracks, which was theorized to be because the remainder were not finished in time for pressing and release. On December 14, 2023 deluxe edition titled "Gag City Deluxe" edition was released through Minaj's webstore and made available to streaming platforms a day later. On January 13, 2024, another deluxe version, labelled the "Gag City Pluto Edition", was also released.

Title and artwork
The album's title was described as a callback to Minaj's Pink Friday (2010) with Minaj also confirming it as a sequel. Minaj first shared one of two official cover arts for the album in September 2023, depicting the rapper in an all-white Vetements ensemble traveling on a roofless metropolitan subway floating above pink clouds. On October 6, she shared the second album cover, which depicted her in an all-pink gown revealing her midriff and surrounded by a billowing pink satin sheet in front of a black background. In the remaining weeks leading up to the release, Minaj shared four additional album cover variations for vinyl and digital release, all of which were shot by British photographer Charlotte Rutherford.

Music and samples
The album opens with "Are You Gone Already" which samples Billie Eilish's "When the Party's Over". On the song, Minaj raps about her father's death and "love, loss, guilt, and fear". This is followed by "Barbie Dangerous" which was an interpolation of the Notorious B.I.G.'s "Notorious Thugs". Billboard described the song as a "lyrical exercise for the rap legend as she breezes through the Hollywood Cole production". "FTCU" samples a song by Waka Flocka Flame and was called a standout on the album. This is followed with "Beep Beep" and "Fallin 4 U" which are both "powered by a catchy chorus". "Let Me Calm Down" featuring J.Cole spoke on Minaj's "grievances against her lover" and "explores the complexity of adult relationships". Cole's rap echo Minaj's where he "relates to Minaj's struggle, he takes a jab at the critics and references one of [his] most chaotic public relationship fall-outs".

"RNB" saw Minaj reuniting with her mentee, Lil Wayne, and singer Tate Kobang. The R&B song was an acronym. "Pink Birthday" was described as a "new birthday anthem" while "Needle" featuring Drake was called an anthem "oozing with island vibes". Minaj revealed that the song was originally intended for Drake's album For All the Dogs. This was followed by pop-inspired songs, "Cowgirl" featuring Lourdiz and "Everybody" featuring Lil Uzi Vert. Minaj has stated that Doja Cat was originally featured on the former. The latter sampled "Move Your Feet" by Junior Senior. "Big Difference" and "Red Ruby da Sleeze" were both release prior to the album's release and saw Minaj boasting of her legacy and impact on the music industry. "Forward from Trini" saw Minaj showcasing her "Caribbean pride while connecting to her Trinidadian roots". Both the next songs, "Pink Friday Girls" and "Super Freaky Girl" sampled high-profile songs including "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" by Cindi Lauper and "Super Freak" by Rick James. This was followed with "Bahm Bahm", "My Life" and "Nicki Hendrix" featuring Future with the second song sampling "Heart of Glass" by Blondie.

"Blessings" featuring Gospel singer Tasha Cobbs Leonard was called a "palette cleanser from the dessert section" of Pink Friday 2 and saw Minaj rapping about "giving up the glory to God". "Last Time I Saw You" was compared to Minaj's 2018 "Come See About Me" and saw Minaj either "ruminating about the tragic loss of her father or another soured relationship". The song has a "guitar-driven instrumental". The standard album ends with "Just the Memories" which was called an "ethereal album closer" and saw Minaj rapping about the dark hurdles of her childhood, her come-up and her subsequent legacy.

The "Gag City Deluxe" edition of the album features a remix of "Beep Beep" with 50 Cent and a new track titled "Love Me Enough" with Monica and Keyshia Cole. The latter song saw Minaj rapping about "self-love, building yourself back up after a bad relationship, and ultimately putting yourself first". The "Gag City Pluto" edition of the album featured "Press Play" with Future.

Gag City
Prior to the album's release, Minaj's fans came together to begin an online marketing campaign and created an AI-generated city called "Gag City", which the rapper herself had previously coined and acknowledged on social media. Yahoo! Finance described the concept as "the pink metropolis inhabited by stans and brands alike," whereas Forbes described it as a "hyper-futuristic, uber-pink digital town complete with the same pink, dreamlike aesthetic featured in the album's cover art."

The campaign gained major traction and saw participation from a variety of celebrities including Tyla, Bia, and Tyga. Additionally, multiple companies and brands also participated in the trend by announcing their arrival to "Gag City", including Spotify, Netflix, Bing, Converse, Genius, Amazon, Empire State Building, Chili's, Oreo, KFC, McDonald's, among others. The campaign was dubbed a "viral win" for Minaj.

Singles
"Super Freaky Girl" was released as the lead single from the album on August 12, 2022. Its music video, directed by Joseph Kahn, was uploaded onto Minaj's YouTube account on September 1. The song debuted at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. With this, Minaj became the first solo female rapper to debut at the summit of the Hot 100 since Lauryn Hill's "Doo Wop (That Thing)" in 1998 and the first female rapper to debut a solo song at number one in the 21st century.

"Red Ruby da Sleeze" was initially released as a promotional single on March 3, 2023, described by Minaj as her "street record" before her "next official single". It was officially sent to rhythmic contemporary radio on March 14, 2023, becoming the album's second single. Its music video, directed by Grizz and filmed in Trinidad and Tobago, was uploaded on YouTube on May 13. The song peaked at number 13 on the Hot 100 and at number four on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

"Last Time I Saw You" was released as the album's third single on September 1, 2023. The song peaked at number 23 on the Hot 100 and at number six on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Minaj performed the song at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards.

"Everybody" featuring Lil Uzi Vert was sent to contemporary hit radio in the United States on January 9, 2024, serving as the album's fourth single. The song debuted at number 26 on the Hot 100, and later peaked at number 24.

"FTCU" was released as the album's fifth single on January 10, 2024, with an EP of various versions of the song also made available for streaming and digital download. The song impacted rhythmic contemporary radio in the United States on January 30, 2024. It debuted at number 42 on the Hot 100, and later peaked at number 15. A remix subtitled the "Sleeze Mix" featuring Travis Scott, Chris Brown and Sexyy Red was released on April 19, 2024.

While not released as an official single, on March 3, 2024, Minaj released an extended version of the song "Let Me Calm Down" featuring J. Cole.

Critical reception
Pink Friday 2 was met with generally favorable reviews by music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 70, based on twelve reviews. AllMusic wrote that "Pink Friday 2 lacks the cohesion and self-editing that would make it a rightful follow-up to her 2010 mainstream arrival. As it stands, Pink Friday 2 is another collection of Nicki Minaj songs, most of them exhilarating and fun, but some awkwardly placed". Robin Murray of Clash called Pink Friday 2 "a record of real ambition, an example mirroring fan-pleasing tendencies with actual artistic growth" as it "match[es] ultra-colorful pop to moments of somber introspection". NME's Nick Levine opined that while it is "probably too long, [...] Minaj paces it sharply" and concluded that it "feels like a consolidation and refinement of everything Minaj can do". Alexis Petridis of The Guardian stated that "it may be as imperfect as Pink Friday was, but Pink Friday 2 offers more than enough supporting evidence to make [her claims about her abilities] sound like anything but hollow boasts".

The Evening Standard's David Smyth described the album as "an expansion of what she can do rather than a complete about turn. While she never transitions into the many-voiced rap monster who was such a blast in her early days, anyone hoping to hear her putting her rivals in their place will find plenty of great lines". Nadine Smith of The Independent criticized Minaj's use of samples and commented that the album "shows flashes of the inventive brilliance that made Nicki such an undeniable superstar, but like so many legacy sequels, it mostly just makes you wish you were listening to the original".

Commercial performance
Pink Friday 2 debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, earning 228,000 album-equivalent units in its first week of which 92,000 came from pure album sales, and became the largest week in overall units as well as in pure sales for a female rap album in the 2020s and a female R&B/hip-hop album in 2023.

Upon the album's release, Minaj broke several records. The album became Minaj's third number-one album in the country after Pink Friday (2010) and Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2012), and broke her tie with Foxy Brown for the female rap artist with the most number-one albums in the country. Additionally, she also became the first female rap artist with number one albums in two decades (2010s and 2020s), and achieved her seventh top-ten album overall. It also sold 25,000 copies on vinyl, earning the largest vinyl sales week for a female rap album in history. The album dropped one place to number two in its second week, earning an additional 100,000 album-equivalent units but being beaten by Taylor Swift's 1989 (Taylor's Version). As of January 14, 2024, Pink Friday 2 has reportedly sold over one million units in the US. It was eventually platinum certified in the US by the RIAA on March 19, 2024.

The album's songs achieved 90.8 million streams in its first three days. In its first week, Pink Friday 2 received a total of 170 million streams, marking the highest streaming week of her career, for a female rap album in the 2020s, and for a female R&B/hip-hop album in 2023. Pink Friday 2 became the fastest album by a female rapper to surpass one billion streams on Spotify, doing so in under a month. On June 15, 2024, it was reported by fans on social media that the album has reached 1,500,000,000 streams on Spotify, making it her fifth studio album to achieve this milestone. She is also the female rapper with the most studio albums to achieve this milestone. Upon its release, 14 songs from the album debuted on the Billboard Hot 100, of which two entered the top 40: "Everybody" and "Needle" featuring Lil Uzi Vert and Drake respectively.

Track listing
Notes
 * $undefined$ signifies a co-producer
 * $undefined$ signifies an additional producer

Sample credits
 * "Are You Gone Already" contains samples from "When the Party's Over", written by Finneas O'Connell and performed by Billie Eilish.
 * "Barbie Dangerous" contains samples from "Notorious Thugs", written by Christopher Wallace, Anthony Henderson, Bryon McCane, Steven Howse, Sean Combs, and Steven Jordan and performed by The Notorious B.I.G. and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.
 * "FTCU" contains samples from "Fuck the Club Up", written by Juaquin Malphurs and Joshua Luellen and performed by Waka Flocka Flame.
 * "Pink Birthday" contains samples from "Pornography", written by Jacques Webster, Leland Wayne, Michael Dean, and Sonny Uwaezuoke and performed by Travis Scott, which itself samples "Expectation", written by Peter Mellin and performed by Ache.
 * "Everybody" contains samples from "Move Your Feet", written by Jesper Mortensen and performed by Junior Senior.
 * "Red Ruby da Sleeze" contains a sample of "Never Leave You (Uh Oooh, Uh Oooh)", written by Lumidee Cedeño, Teddy Mendez, Edwin Perez and Steven Marsden and performed by Lumidee.
 * "Forward from Trini" contains a sample of Dave Kelly's "Stink" and "Showtime" riddims.
 * "Pink Friday Girls" contains samples from "Girls Just Want to Have Fun", written by Robert Hazard and performed by Cyndi Lauper.
 * "Super Freaky Girl" contains samples from "Super Freak", written by James Johnson Jr. and Alonzo Miller and performed by Rick James.
 * "My Life" contains samples from "Heart of Glass", written by Debbie Harry and Chris Stein and performed by Blondie.
 * "Just the Memories" contains samples from "Stop Live in a de Pass", written by Moses Davis, Lynford Marshall, Colin York, John Bristol, Jerry Butler, James Dean and John Glover and performed by Beenie Man.

Personnel
Musicians


 * Nicki Minaj – vocals
 * Finneas – programming (track 1)
 * Hollywood Cole – programming (track 2)
 * YG! Beats – programming (track 2)
 * Tate Kobang – programming (track 2)
 * Waka Flocka Flame – background vocals (track 3)
 * Southside – background vocals (track 3)
 * ATL Jacob – programming (tracks 3, 6)
 * OJ Finnessey – programming (track 4)
 * Murda Beatz – programming (track 4)
 * Kuji – programming (track 6)
 * Hendrix Smoke – programming (tracks 6, 21)
 * J. Cole – vocals (track 6)
 * Lourdiz – background vocals (tracks 7, 15), vocals (10)
 * Boi-1da – programming (tracks 8, 9), drum programming (8)
 * Apollo Parker – programming (track 8)
 * Fierce – programming (track 8)
 * 116 – programming (track 8)
 * Nana Fofie – background vocals (track 9)
 * Yogi – programming (track 9)
 * Drake – vocals (track 9)
 * Rahiem Hurlock – voice (track 9)
 * Dr. Luke – programming (tracks 10, 16)
 * DJ Smallz 732 – programming (track 11)
 * Tate Kobang – programming (track 11)
 * Lil Uzi Vert – vocals (track 11)
 * FnZ – programming (track 13)
 * BoogzDaBeast – programming (track 13)
 * Keanu Beats – programming (track 13)
 * Slade Da Monsta – programming (track 13)
 * Basbeats – programming (track 14)
 * Melio Sounds – programming (track 14)
 * Skillibeng – vocals (track 14)
 * Skeng – vocals (track 14)
 * J Reid – programming (track 15)
 * Malibu Babie – programming (track 16)
 * Aaron Joseph – programming (track 16)
 * Vaughn Oliver – programming (track 16)
 * B Ham – programming (track 19)
 * Vincent Shaw – programming (track 19)
 * Future – vocals (tracks 19, 25)
 * Beau Nox – background vocals, programming (track 20)
 * Bnyx – programming (track 20)
 * Sad Pony – programming (track 20)
 * Tasha Cobbs Leonard – vocals (track 20)
 * Alex Bak – programming (track 21)
 * Frankie Bash – programming (track 21)
 * TooDope – programming (track 21)
 * Keisha Renee – background vocals (track 22)
 * Bone Collector – programming (track 22)
 * Habib Defoundoux – programming (track 22)
 * 50 Cent – vocals (track 23)
 * Monica – vocals (track 24)
 * Keyshia Cole – vocals (track 24)

Technical


 * Chris Athens – mastering
 * Rob Kinelski – mixing (tracks 1, 8, 20)
 * Serban Ghenea – mixing (tracks 2–7, 10–16, 18, 19, 21, 22)
 * Noel Cadastre – mixing, engineering (track 9)
 * Noah Shebib – mixing (track 9)
 * Aubrey Delaine – mixing (track 17), engineering (all tracks), immersive mix engineering (1–12, 14, 15, 20, 22)
 * Kuldeep Chudasama – engineering (track 6)
 * Clint Gibbs – engineering (track 16)
 * Kalani Thompson – engineering (track 16)
 * Tyler Sheppard – engineering (track 16)
 * John Hanes – immersive mix engineering (tracks 13, 16, 21)
 * Cristal Viramontes – vocal engineering (track 7)
 * Daniel Sheehy – vocal engineering (track 7)
 * Manny Galvez – vocal engineering (track 7)
 * Eli Heisler – mixing assistance (tracks 1, 8, 20)
 * Ruby Smith – mixing assistance (tracks 1, 8, 20)
 * Bryce Bordone – mixing assistance (tracks 2–7, 10–16, 18, 19, 21, 22)
 * Jack Letchinger – engineering assistance (tracks 1–3, 6–10, 14, 18, 20)
 * Alexx Nielsen – engineering assistance (tracks 1–3, 6, 8–10, 14, 15, 20)
 * Nico Fabito – engineering assistance (tracks 1–3, 6, 8–10, 14, 15, 20)
 * Cory Williams – engineering assistance (track 12)
 * Grant Horton – engineering assistance (track 16)