Nicki Minaj delays ‘Pink Friday 2.’ Fear not, Barbz: It’ll be her ‘biggest gift’ to ‘humanity thus far’
Nicki Minaj is once again pushing back “Pink Friday 2.” The long-delayed album is now set to debut on the hip-hop star’s 41st birthday.
But don’t worry, she insists it’ll be worth the wait and perhaps “the biggest gift I’ve ever given humanity thus far.” So, happy birthday, Barbz!
The “Starships” and “Super Bass” rapper announced Tuesday on Instagram that the album will no longer come out on Nov. 17, but will drop instead on Dec. 8 — her 41st birthday.
“Pink Friday 2” has been five years in the making and its lead single, “Super Freaky Girl,” dropped back in August 2022. The album was originally supposed to be released on Oct. 20. But the latest setback, the Young Money Entertainment artist explained, had to do with her label being unable to receive vinyl copies in time for the planned Nov. 17 release.
Minaj said she was given the option of releasing it on Dec. 1 — when the vinyl arrived — but opted for the more meaningful date of Dec. 8.
“For about two reasons, I have changed my album date,” Minaj said, claiming that it had been changed “for some time now behind the scenes” due to a series of personal and professional issues.
She also reassured her legion of fans that Lil Wayne’s plans to drop his joint album with 2 Chainz did not intentionally push back “Pink Friday 2,” though it appeared to be a factor in the delay. “Welcome 2 Collegrove” lands Nov. 17.
“The new album date for this incredible body of work, that I am so proud of, is on a very special day to me and to the Barbz,” Minaj shared of her new birthday release date, adding, “I’m so filled with emotion about it because as y’all know it’s been a long time coming … I have never in my life been so in love with something that I’m working on.”
Minaj explained that amid her album’s creation, she suffered from writer’s block during her 2020 pregnancy and didn’t want to say “freaky stuff” during that time. (Minaj welcomed her first child with husband Kenneth Petty in October 2020.)
“This entire album will be the biggest gift I’ve ever given humanity thus far. I can stand by that,” she said. “I will bet any amount of money that ‘Pink Friday 2: The Album’ is going to make people fall in love immediately.”
While hosting the 2023 MTV VMAs in September, Minaj previewed a new, untitled song from the album after teasing the album’s sci-fi cover. She previously did not give a reason for the delay from Oct. 20, instead promising “some really exciting news that I’ll share with you guys @ a later time.”
The two other “monumental announcements” she touted on Tuesday involved her upcoming tour and the release of her latest perfume. New details about the Pink Friday 2 tour will be revealed as planned on Nov. 17. And Minaj, who creates a fragrance to coincide with her albums, said the “Pink Friday 2” fragrance will go on sale on Dec. 13 on Amazon and Dec. 26 at JCPenney.
The 10-time Grammy-nominated artist dropped her debut album “Pink Friday” in 2010. She followed it up with “Pink Friday … Roman Reloaded” in 2012 and the ground-breaking “The Pinkprint” in 2014. After that, she released “Queen” in 2018, and has released several singles since.
The queen of the Barbz joined forces with Ice Spice earlier this year for “Barbie World,” which samples Aqua’s 1997 earworm “Barbie Girl,” and was featured on the “Barbie” movie’s hit soundtrack.
©2023 Los Angeles Times. Visit latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.