To all the “Barbz”: Pink Friday 2 is here
The Queen of Rap showcases her lyricism and flow in her latest album.
Nicki Minaj (Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty) released her newest album Pink Friday 2 on December 8, 2023—her 41st birthday.
I’ve been a Minaj fan, or a “Barb” since I was eight years old, when she dropped the first Pink Friday album (2010). When watching her music videos on MTV, “Super Bass” became my favorite song, and she automatically became my favorite rapper. It has been 13 years since Pink Friday was released and almost six years since the release of her last album, Queen (2018). The addition of Pink Friday 2 continues to solidify Minaj as an icon. This masterpiece showcases her talent and professional skills within the rap industry.
The “Queen of Rap” gave us 19 new songs on this album, with three songs being early released singles this year. Each song is eccentric and exciting to hear since you can catch the styles of the musicians that influenced her within the lyrics and rhythm, such as Foxy Brown and Cyndi Lauper. On this album, we get features from Drake, J. Cole, Lil Uzi Vert, Future, and many more. I especially love the song “Needle” because Drake and Minaj have a musical chemistry every time they collaborate. This album illustrates how versatile Minaj is and how groundbreaking her lyrics are because, in both the pop and rap genres, she is constantly raising the game.
One main aspect to highlight is the evolutionary lyricism in this album. Among all her excellent studio albums and verses in collaborated songs, her lyrics should be praised here in particular. She uses powerful words and unfiltered expressions in these songs that remind people why she’s one of the hottest rappers in hip-hop. Her ability to seamlessly switch between rapid-fire verses and catchy hooks defines her musical innovation. Pink Friday 2 ultimately creates a new standard for the hip-hop music industry.
The three popular singles released this year and featured in the album are “Last Time I Saw You,” “Super Freaky Girl,” and “Red Ruby Da Sleeze.” The songs that stand out most to me are “Beep Beep,” “Everybody,” “Big Difference,” “Forward from Trini,” “Pink Friday Girls,” “Bahm Bahm,” and “Barbie Dangerous.” These are perfect tracks due to their beats, lyricism, and flow, illustrating how Minaj is dominating the music industry with a range of different styles.
As a Trinidadian girl myself, the song “Forward from Trini” expresses how Minaj has mastered her Caribbean style of music, including Trinidadian soca and Jamaican dancehall. It highlights how she’s able to explore her Trinidadian background and capture the island girl essence. I can also listen to “Pink Friday Girls” on repeat because the song is so much fun and brings me back to the Minaj music I grew up with on the original Pink Friday—but with a new creative spin. These tracks exhibit Minaj’s musical versatility, blending diverse genres with her signature rap style.
Pink Friday 2 is full of songs you don’t want to skip. This album is vibrant and shows Minaj is the Queen of Rap who isn’t stopping anytime soon. Minaj is coming to Toronto for her Pink Friday 2 tour on April 18, 2024. Hope to see you there!
Staff Writer (Volume 50) — Karissa is a fourth-year student pursuing a Specialist in the Digital Enterprise Management program. When she's not studying marketing, you can catch her at the gym doing yoga or hanging out with her friends playing poker. Karissa loves writing about movies, music, and anything that she's passionate about. She can talk about horror movies and heavy metal music all day! She also enjoys baking, reading, and fashion.