Nicki Minaj has once again asserted her dominance in the music industry with her latest album, Pink Friday 2, making an impressive debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
In its first week, Pink Friday 2 sold 228,000 album-equivalent units, with 92,000 of those being pure sales. This achievement marks Minaj’s third No. 1 on the Billboard 200, setting her apart from Foxy Brown as the female rapper with the most chart-topping projects. Furthermore, Nicki Minaj has become the first woman in hip-hop to achieve No. 1 albums in two separate decades.
This remarkable success follows Minaj expressing frustration with Billboard, alleging that the publication was undermining her project sales in response to a fan contest she organized. In a since-deleted tweet, she mentioned, “[I’ve] been discussing my 100 Barbz contest for months. They said Billboard reached out to say they’re gonna take away sales [due to]me telling y’all about the 100 Barbz thing.” In another post, she wrote, “They [are]so mad. They said [170,000 to 190,000 album-equivalent units] knowing it was 200,000 already.”
228K 😛#Barbz 🥹
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) December 17, 2023
Pink Friday 2 made its debut on Minaj’s 41st birthday on December 8. Featuring 22 songs, the album boasted prominent collaborations with artists like Drake, Lil Wayne, J. Cole, and Lil Uzi Vert. Notably, her track “Everybody” with Lil Uzi Vert gained immense popularity on TikTok, amassing over 101,000 video creations.
Last Friday, the deluxe edition was released, treating fans to two additional tracks: “Beep Beep (Remix)” featuring 50 Cent and the collaborative effort with Monica and Keyshia Cole titled “Love Me Enough.”
Interestingly, there were rumors of Minaj making an appearance on Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign’s “New Body” on the same day. However, she decided not to clear the request, leading to the delay of Vultures.
Minaj addressed her decision during an Instagram Live session, saying, “Now, regarding Kanye, that train has left the station, okay? No disrespect in any way. I just put out a brand-new album. Why would I put out a song that’s been out for three years? Come on, guys.”
