Pink Friday 2 was released on December 8th, 2023. This new album follows Pink Friday which was released on November 22, 2010. I believe the aim of this new album was to remind the public of what she has done for the rap industry over Nicki Minaj’s 16 year-long career. Many fans are fond of this new album because it shows a new side of Nicki, filled with emotion and trauma from her childhood and offering a fresh perspective. There are also multiple feel-good songs, including features, such as Drake.  

My favorite song from the album is “Pink Friday Girls”. This song samples the widely known song “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper, from the 1980s. In this upbeat song, Nicki mentions another of her famously known songs, “Super Bass.” The song brings back nostalgia because of the known beat, and gives off an energetic vibe with the guitar in the background. This song makes me think back to my childhood, when the sampled song “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” was more popular. The song gives me a happy feeling and will boost your mood immediately. 

My favorite feature would be “Needle”, with Drake. This song has a drum-beat, along with maracas, giving it a unique sound. This song is more calming, since the track does not include many instruments. This is a feel-good song, with a softer style of rapping. Both Nicki and Drake use accents within the song, making it stand out from other songs on the album. I believe that Drake’s repeated verse “I just wanna pull up the Maybach and bend your leg back” was a great touch, and his voice meshed well with Nicki’s.  

The most heartfelt song in the album is, “Are You Gone Already,” which samples Billie Eilish’s “When The Party’s Over.” This emotional song features the laughs of Nicki’s three-year old son, “Papa Bear.” The first lyrics state, “You never got to meet Papa. He sweet proper, he keep Mama on my toes.” Nicki is talking about a family member who was never able to meet her son, and the song holds a deep emotion. With fewer lyrics in this song, and piano as the main instrument, it conveys a message of grief and guilt that we do not hear often from Nicki.

Overall, I feel that Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday 2 album was a hit all around. Her songs feature many different instruments, and invoke a range of emotions. She chooses her features strategically, and  features artists  such as Lil Uzi Vert, Drake and Lil Wayne who have all collaborated with her in the past. I liked how the album had the same name as an album she made fourteen years ago, to show that she is consistent as an artist. I believe that if the album had less sampled songs from other artists, and more of Nicki’s own music, then it would get a better rating.All in all, I feel that the album includes incredible songs and deserves a four out of five star rating.