Grade: A
This past Friday, Nicki Minaj released her fifth album, Pink Friday 2, a sequel to her breakthrough album, Pink Friday. Fans first suspected a new album when Minaj tweeted the phrase, “PF2” in the summer of 2020. Though Minaj originally planned to release the album in October of 2023, she later pushed the release date to November and eventually to December 8th—her birthday. The album showcases features from other popular artists including Drake, J. Cole, Lil Wayne, Lil Uzi Vert, and Future.
The first song on the album, “Are You Gone Already,” opens with a sample from Billie Eilish’s “When the Party’s Over.” The song builds off of Eilish’s slow-paced intro before transitioning into lyrical verses from Minaj, establishing an R&B tone that is present throughout many other songs on the album. Though different from many of her famously explicit songs, “Are You Gone Already,” is a decent song but features more of Eilish’s sample than of Minaj’s own original lyrics.
“Let Me Calm Down,” featuring J. Cole, touches on complicated family dynamics, ranging from marital to parental relationships. J. Cole’s feature on the track is especially captivating and helps the listener appreciate Minaj’s perseverance as an artist, wife, and mother.
One of the more popular songs on the album, “Needle,” featuring Drake, has already made appearances on both Spotify’s Top 50 Daily Songs Chart and iTunes’ Top 100 Global Chart. With a steady, relaxed beat, the track resembles aspects of Drake’s hit song “Passionfruit.” Those who appreciate melodic rap will definitely enjoy Drake’s feature, but fans of Minaj’s more fast-flowing style might not find it as entertaining.
Minaj continues using samples in “Everybody” and “Pink Friday Girls.” “Everybody,” samples Junior Senior’s “Move Your Feet,” and demonstrates aspects of Minaj’s rapid, explicit flow. Thanks in large part to Uzi’s electric contributions, the song has already gone viral on TikTok with over 42,000 videos made with the song thus far.
In “Pink Friday Girls,” Minaj samples Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want To Have Fun,” and utilizes her famous over-the-top British accent while paying lyrical homage to her hit song “Super Bass.”
Internet sensations “Super Freaky Girl,” and “Red Ruby Da Sleeze,” both previously-released singles, also made their way onto Pink Friday 2. Their witty and playful lyrics continue to showcase her renowned hip-hop persona while adding sonic variety to the album.
Minaj closes the album with the song “Just The Memories,” reflecting on her troubled childhood and her perseverance. She shares a personal story about one of her classmates, singing “I ‘member one of my first crushes in the fifth grade/He got killed, stabbed in the neck with a switchblade.” Minaj continues to demonstrate vulnerability throughout, as she looks back on being arrested and praises friends and family for sticking by her through it all.
“Just The Memories,” is the perfect song to end the album on, as it synthesizes Minaj’s themes of vulnerability and perseverance. Pink Friday 2 features a diverse selection of songs that highlight both Minaj’s fast-flowing and lyrical styles. Though Minaj’s own lyrics are at times overpowered by samples in this album, its impressive set of features make this album fresh and intriguing. Fans who are not only captivated by Minaj’s music but also by her impressive life story should definitely give it a listen.
