You know the Barbs got their tickets to 'Gag City' immediately; the long awaited Pink Friday 2 by Nicki Minaj released earlier this month, and you already know all the pretty bitches were aboard. If you’re a true fan, we definitely had enough time to listen to the album and the Gag City Deluxe by now -- let’s get into it.
It’s been 13 years since Pink Friday; can we say that Pink Friday 2 did it justice?
Personally, I had mixed feelings about this. I wasn’t expecting so many samples being used, and despite the bright colors -- perhaps depicting the album bringing forward more pop and energy -- I was expecting some "Roman" Nicki, but I think that was just me being attached with her past sounds and ideas.
Despite my desires for the project, Minaj proved to have a successful album, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200 upon its release, while simultaneously becoming the female rapper with the most chart-topping albums and largest vinyl sales week in history. It really is a Barbie’s world if we’re being honest -- but are we even challenging her music anymore?
When artists stay in the game for so long, it makes you wonder whether if it’s the popularity or the art that’s keeping people around. Minaj started the album off being vulnerable with us on "Are You Gone Already", sharing her grief and devastation resulting from her father not being able to meet her son due to his untimely passing. She gave us club bangers to dance to such as "FTCU" and "Everybody", featuring Lil Uzi Vert, and with platforms like TikTok around, the songs are doing numbers on the platform as people share their dances. Also, who doesn’t love a Drake feature, such as the one found on "Needle".
As our pink wigs sway side to side as we listen to "Last Time I Saw You", you can tell Nicki Minaj is still here to entertain and create music that will continue to excite us and challenge our perspectives on hip-hop, rap and pop music. I believe we can argue that this album performed better than "Queen" from 5 years ago, and it makes sense that she will be touring in March 2024 to further promote this album, especially considering the history it’s making.
Despite all of this success and the ride you’re taken on as you listen to the album, I would still like to argue that she still played somewhat safe with the music, and she could have been more explorative with instrumentals and sounds as opposed to having so many samples. Minaj has reached a point in her career where she could experiment more if she wanted to, yet it feels as if she’s just sticking to what she’s familiar with.
Have y’all seen what Minaj has done with her features? Examples include, her verse on Kanye West’s "Monster", Trey Songz’ "Bottoms Up", DJ Khaled’s "I Wanna Be With You", etc. Don’t even get me started on any song she featured on with David Guetta. I need her to channel that energy onto her albums; we can REALLY talk at that point. Nonetheless, the album is still fun and enjoyable, but I think Nicki could have done more, especially because she has shown us that she is capable of doing so.
Rating: 7.3/10
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