LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� 's highly anticipated fifth studio album, 鈥淧ink Friday 2,鈥� is finally here.
Out Friday, the 10-time Grammy nominee's 41st birthday, 鈥淧ink Friday 2鈥� is Minaj's first full-length release since 2018's 鈥淨ueen."
The 22-track release is stacked with features, including contributions from Drake, Lil Wayne, J. Cole, Lil Uzi Vert, Future, Tate Kobang, Lourdiz, Skillibeng, Skeng, and Tasha Cobbs Leonard.
Little was known about the album prior to its release, which makes its surprises even more effective. Opener 鈥淎re You Gone Already鈥� includes a sample of Billie Eilish鈥檚 2019 breathy cut 鈥渨hen the party鈥檚 over鈥�; Cyndi Lauper鈥檚 鈥淕irls Just Want to Have Fun鈥� makes an appearance on 鈥淧ink Friday Girls.鈥�
The hyper-energetic 鈥淓verybody鈥� with Lil Uzi Vert plays with a chopped-up sample of Danish pop duo Junior Senior鈥檚 2002 retro-hit 鈥淢ove Your Feet."
And there must be something to pulling from addictive Y2K production, because 鈥淩ed Ruby Da Sleeve鈥� samples Lumidee's 2003 hit 鈥淣ever Leave You (Uh Oooh, Uh Oooh)."
The reality is, of course, that Minaj is a master of borrowing from immediately recognizable sounds and making it her own with her idiosyncratic flow 鈥� standing on the shoulders of giants and offering something completely her own ( ) in the same breath.
鈥淔allin 4 U鈥� is airy alt-R&B stacked with strings that would make Enya envious, Minaj and Drake reunite on the Afrobeats-heavy 鈥淣eedle.鈥�
鈥淭his entire album will be the biggest gift I have ever given humanity thus far,鈥� in a recent livestream. 鈥淚 have never in my life been so in love with something that I鈥檓 working on.鈥�
The original 鈥淧ink Friday鈥� was released in 2010, with her sophomore album, 鈥淧ink Friday: Roman Reloaded,鈥� following two years later.
The road to 鈥淧ink Friday 2鈥� has been long. Fans suspected it was on the horizon when a simple three-character message, 鈥淧F2," in the summer of 2020. But it wasn't until this past June that Minaj announced the album title. The release date, originally slated for Oct. 20, was pushed back twice, too.
In the days leading up to the December release of 鈥淧ink Friday 2,鈥� Minaj's loyal fans, called Barbz, when they created 鈥淕ag City,鈥� a pink AI metropolis inspired by the album's cover.
In September, Minaj hosted the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards her latest single, the dreamy 鈥淟ast Time I Saw You鈥� before teasing a fiery new trap cut from 鈥淧ink Friday 2," now revealed to be 鈥淏ig Difference.鈥�
鈥淚 ain鈥檛 nothing like you,鈥� she rapped, 鈥淚鈥檓 on a whole other level.鈥�
Maria Sherman, The Associated Press
