When Nicki Minaj came onto the scene she changed the game, particularly with her 2010 debut album ‘Pink Friday’. Since then she has solidified her standing, but that artistic catalyst remains untouched, making this sequel all the more appealing.
Opening with the tender Are You Gone Already, here she seeks to show off her all-court game as a rapper, vocalist and lyricist. That the song starts with a sample flip of Billie Eilish’s When The Party’s Over is an interesting point, too. Teased in the press as a collaboration in the run up to the project, it's disappointing that Eilish’s inclusion is simply a pitch-shifted sample.
But it does start to reveal what is, presumably, a hefty sample budget for this album, with Blondie’s Heart Of Glass, Junior Senior’s Move Your Feet and Cindy Lauper’s Girls Just Wanna Have Fun woven throughout.
There are moments on ‘Pink Friday 2’, though, where Minaj’s creative choices don't quite land. The watery vocals of Cowgirl feel at odds with its sexually-charged subject matter, while Lil Wayne’s feature on RNB is one of his weakest. Just The Memories closes the album with a half-hearted whimper.
Instead, ‘Pink Friday 2’ works best when Nicki is at her most braggadocious. The double hit of Everybody and Big Difference makes clear the gulf between her and her contemporaries with its punchy vocals, bone rattling bass and obnoxious lyrics, which paint her larger-than-life personality across its canvas in eye-popping colours.
And when the album is this much fun, it's irresistible. Pink Friday Girls and Super Freaky Girl, in particular, deserve playlisting and will get you moving whatever the setting. But to call ‘Pink Friday 2’ a sequel is reductive. It carries the name, but Nicki’s progress since that debut is hard to ignore. And while it doesn't all work as well as she would have liked, it does showcase an artist still leading the way with risks, twists and tricks aplenty.
Nicki Minaj Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Sat May 25 2024 - MANCHESTER Co-op Live
Sun May 26 2024 - BIRMINGHAM Resorts World Arena
Tue May 28 2024 - LONDON O2 Arena
Thu May 30 2024 - MANCHESTER Co-op Live
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