Nicki Minaj's new album Pink Friday 2 debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The LP's record-setting performance also helped the star break glass ceilings: She's now the first female rapper to have three No. 1 albums under her belt.
The musician's vigorous social media marketing campaign helped her move 228,000 album equivalent units during the week ending Dec. 14, Billboard reported. That made it the most successful launch of an LP by a female rapper in the 2020s. Fans also bought 25,000 copies of the new album on vinyl, which is more than any other female rapper has sold since Luminate began tracking the metric in 1991.
The rapper sold 228,000 album equivalent units during the week ending Dec. 14.
Minaj celebrated these feats with a brief celebratory post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. "We going for 2 weeks at #1," one fan replied. "15 yrs into your career btw! Your 5th studio album!" another commenter noted. "You deserve this! Thank you for this beautiful body of work, I’m so glad the world is receiving it well!"
The singer's 2010 studio debut Pink Friday made it to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200, as well. So did her sophomore effort Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded.
Minaj posted about her new official Pink Friday 2 perfume on Dec. 17, which appears to already be sold out on Amazon. Each bottle is a miniature bust of the singer featuring her signature bright pink hairstyle. The scent is described as "an intoxicating blend of juicy nectarine and sparkling pink mimosa with the alluringness of rose flower petals leave a lasting, sensual impression on the skin with warm amber and musk notes," in the product description.
Those desperate to get one of Minaj's signature scents have other options on Amazon, including one named after the original Pink Friday. Each bottle costs between $33 and $38.
Part of Pink Friday 2's success can be attributed to the Gag City meme that went viral before the album's release. Minaj's fans used artificial intelligence to create an entire world out of a catchy turn of phrase the singer used in an innocuous album update post.
Minaj is now the first female rapper to have three No. 1 albums under her belt.
The fantastical realm of Gag City has glowing pink skylines, a cotton candy-colored theme park, and sparkling waters populated by dolphins and jellyfish. It also apparently includes retail outlets from brands like KFC, Chanel and Urban Decay.
Shortly after the new album was released, Minaj announced a new slate of North American and European tour dates. The singer will begin in Oakland on March 1 and finish in Berlin on June 7.
Minaj has announced a slate of North American and European tour dates to promote the album.
Check out a full list of the upcoming concerts below:
Fri Mar 01 – Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena
Sun Mar 03 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena
Fri Mar 08 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena
Sun Mar 10 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
Wed Mar 13 – Phoenix, AZ – Footprint Center
Fri Mar 15 – Inglewood, CA – Rolling Loud California*
Mon Mar 18 – New Orleans, LA – Smoothie King Center
Wed Mar 20 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
Fri Mar 22 – Orlando, FL – Amway Center
Tue Mar 26 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center
Thu Mar 28 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
Fri Mar 29 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
Sat Mar 30 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
Mon Apr 01 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena
Tue Apr 02 – Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena
Thu Apr 04 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center
Fri Apr 05 – Hartford, CT – XL Center
Sun Apr 07 – Raleigh, NC – Dreamville Festival*
Wed Apr 10 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
Fri Apr 12 – Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center
Sat Apr 13 – Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum
Wed Apr 17 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
Thu Apr 18 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
Sat Apr 20 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
Wed Apr 24 – Chicago, IL – United Center
Sat Apr 27 – Minneapolis, MN – Target Center
Thu May 02 – Oklahoma City, OK – Paycom Center
Thu May 09 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
Sat May 11 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center
Sun May 12 – Austin, TX – Moody Center
Sat May 25 – Manchester, UK – Co-Op Live
Sun May 26 – Birmingham, UK – Resorts World Arena
Tue May 28 – London, UK – The O2
Sat Jun 01 – Paris, France – Accor Arena
Sun Jun 02 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Ziggo Dome
Wed Jun 05 – Cologne, Germany – Lanxess Arena
Fri Jun 07 – Berlin, Germany – Mercedes Benz Arena
*Festival Performance
