Nicki Minaj Caps Off Her Comeback Year With Style & Swag On 'Pink Friday 2'

At the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards, Nicki Minaj needed to remind everyone why she’s the Queen of Rap. Serving as a host and performer that night, she turned heads during her live rendition of “Last Time I Saw You,” putting unnamed rappers on notice.

Then, the barbz leader switched from her somber side to a more aggressive tone, spitting early lyrics to “Big Difference”: “I am not the one, two, or the three / You bitches look up to me / You said you look up to her, but really you look up to me.” Minaj continued to look down at her competition, and even laughed at the thought of them trying to sound like her. “Will somebody cop all these groupies a ticket cause I’m who they tryin’ to be!” she exclaimed.

The Trinidadian-born, Queens-raised rapper is a trailblazer for her generation, fittingly calling all these bitches her sons for years. Her debut 2010 album, Pink Friday, was a full-blown experiment that melded pop and rap, influencing many young female rappers to be whoever they desired: hardcore, kooky, goofy, playful, and serious. Pink Friday broke the mold for others to be like Minaj, who didn’t want to be boxed into one sound or persona, developing alter egos like Harajuku Barbie.

Teased initially in 2020, Pink Friday 2 comes in the fourth quarter of 2023 after Minaj spent most of the year reinstating her dominance through guest appearances. Her most successful collabs in 2023 are remixes to Ice Spice’s “Princess Diana” and Sexyy Red’s “Pound Town,” while other collabs with Lil Uzi Vert (“Endless Fashion”), Young Thug (“Money”), and YoungBoy Never Broke Again (“WTF”) kept her name in the conversation.

Pink Friday 2 is a risk-free Nicki album, taking safe bets to meet the expectations of her fans. By doing so, she continues extending her reach as a global force, further straddling the line between Hip Hop and pop through refined Barbie aesthetics and more mature reflections. Coming off the divisive mixed reception of Queen, Pink Friday 2 is a return to form, maxing out her sonic abilities in Hip Hop, R&B, pop, and dancehall, even if she’s not setting the trends anymore.

Minaj’s multi-genre range is contained in sections on the album, where she continues her homage to Hip Hop’s past on “Barbie Dangerous” over The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Notorious Thugs”: “Name a rapper that can channel Big Poppa and push out Papa Bear / Whole mother of the year.” “FTCU,” samples lyrics from Waka Flocka Flame’s “Fuck the Club Up,” instantly transmitting you into an Atlanta strip club thanks to producer ATL Jacob.

On songs where she’s collaborating with Lil Wayne, Drake, J. Cole, and others, Minaj transports them to Gag City, the AI-generated pink metropolis created ahead of her album by her fans. Minaj allows them to complete her vision of Pink Friday 2 rather than taking it over with a scene-stealing verse.

Lil Wayne, the hardest working rapper alive, appears on “RNB” with Tate Kobang, adding to their collection of Young Money reunions. Drake reunites with Minaj on the Afrobeat-infused “Needle,” taking fans back to his “Controlla” and “One Dance” days. Their musical bond has only gotten stronger since “Moment 4 Life,” taking into account the magnitude of a Pink Friday sequel. Minaj and J. Cole team up for the first time on “Let Me Calm Down,” a song that not only continues Cole’s guest verse run but has depth for exploring the complexities of a relationship and being the bigger person.

There’s an emphasis on choosing beats that sample songs for nostalgia and possibly for a shot at a Billboard Hot 100 hit. But Minaj gives them a little flavor showcasing her originality through technically flashy verses, several vocal inflections, and fun singing over these reworks. Still, hearing all the samples when listening to Pink Friday 2 feels like a big bag flex for clearing them: Billie Eilish’s “when the party’s over” on “Are You Gone Already”; Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” on “Pink Friday Girls”; Blondie’s “Heart of Glass” on “My Life”; Lumidee’s “Never Leave You” on “Red Ruby Da Sleeze”; and Rick James’ “Super Freak” on “Super Freaky Girl.” It just speaks to the current state of mainstream Hip Hop that popular artists are relying too much on lazy and redundant samples, and Nicki Minaj may be one of the worst offenders.

On the pop side of the spectrum, Minaj does have her moments on Pink Friday 2. She pours her heart out on the sensitive “Are You Gone Already,” rapping about losing her father Robert Maraj just days before he was supposed to meet her son. “Don’t stress, Onika, so blessed, Onika / “Today, it’s 12/3/23 / Your baby’s three, he’s the best, Onika,” she says, the kind of self-talk that makes losing a parent a little easier.

With Minaj mentoring the artists she gets behind these days, it’s an exciting time for Lourdiz who appears on “Cowgirl,” a song that’s a W for exposure. Tucked away at the album’s end is “Blessings,” a religious song about being grateful for God. Producer BNYX offers a brooding sound for Minaj and gospel singer Tasha Cobbs Leonard, detouring from his work with Lil Uzi Vert and Travis Scott, and feeling right at home in Gag City.

Hip Hop has changed a lot in the 13 years since Pink Friday, particularly in the acceptance of women and how they’re arguably making more interesting music than the guys. And with this sequel, Minaj transitions from innovator to adapter, producing a polished collection of songs that stick to the Rap trends that are hot right now, not quite living up to the expectations of the original, but still giving her fans a solid body of work that asserts her legacy.