Pink Friday
Encyclopedia
Pink Friday is the debut studio album
by hip hop
recording artist Nicki Minaj
. It was released on November 19, 2010 in both standard and deluxe editions through Young Money Entertainment
, Cash Money Records
, and Universal Motown. The intended lead single from the album, "Massive Attack
", flopped commercially, and was therefore removed from Pink Friday. The album was preceded by the singles "Your Love
" and "Right Thru Me
" which were released in June and September 2010, respectively. "Your Love" reached #1 on the Hot Rap Songs
chart, while "Right Thru Me" peaked at #2. In addition, a previously released joint single between American rapper will.i.am
and Minaj, "Check It Out
", appears on the album. A third single, "Moment 4 Life
", features Canadian rapper Drake
and was released in December 2010. It topped the Hot Rap Songs
chart in the US.
"Roman's Revenge
", which originally featured rapper Eminem
, was remixed to feature Minaj's labelmate Lil Wayne
, and was released as the fourth single on January 19, 2011. After being released as Pink Fridays fifth single, "Did It On'em
" very positive reviews from critics, and peaked at #4 on the US Rap Songs
chart. "Girls Fall Like Dominoes
" was released as a single in Australia and the U.K., as the sixth single overall. It samples "Dominos
" by British indie rock band The Big Pink
. On May 13, 2011, "Super Bass
", a bonus track from the deluxe version of Pink Friday, was released as a single. It is one of Minaj's most successful singles, reaching #3 on the Billboard Hot 100
. The eighth single from the album, "Fly
", features Barbados
singer Rihanna
, and was released on August 30, 2011. It has since peaked at #19 on the Hot 100. A ninth single, "I'm the Best", is set to be released on December 4, 2011.
Pink Friday features production styles crossing the genres of pop, hip-hop and R&B. Contributions to the album's production came from a wide range of producers including J.R. Rotem, Bangladesh
, Swizz Beatz
, T-Minus
and will.i.am
. After a much anticipated release as the result of Minaj's extensive featured appearances on the singles of other artists, Pink Friday debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200
chart with first-week sales of 375,000 copies. Ultimately reaching number one on the chart, it has been certified platinum
by the Recording Industry Association of America
and, as of November 2011, had sold 1,663,300 copies in the United States.
announced on August 31, 2009 that Minaj had been released a 360 deal
with the label in which she retains and owns all of her 360 rights – including merchandising, sponsorships, endorsements, touring and publishing. Sessions for the album began in 2009 with a tentative release in the second quarter of 2010. Minaj stated in an MTV
interview that "Married in the Club" was set to be the lead single from the album and was slated for a November 2009 release. Plans for the single were cancelled and Minaj explained in a February 2010 interview with MTV that she had scrapped the previous material and began recording again from scratch. Minaj explained, "I have songs that where I am now, they aren't a great representation of me to where I'm at musically. I wanna start from scratch but I do have my single and it'll be out."
Minaj spoke about the great importance of the album to her and all females in hip-hop in an interview with V103's Greg Street, stating; "They won't look to sign other female rappers because they'll say, 'Her buzz was so crazy and if she couldn't do it, then no one can do it.' And I don't want that to happen, so I'm doing this as well for all the girls. I hope that with the success of the album—because I know it will be successful, I believe it will be successful—I hope that this opens doors for all of the girls everywhere. Even as far as I've come right now, it's a testament in my mind," she said. "So I hope the female rappers will understand how big it is, just for our culture, that the album does well."
confirmed his collaboration with Minaj for the album, with Minaj discussing a song "Catch Me", that she described as "moody" and "mellow futuristic" which later became a bonus track on the album. Minaj also confirmed to Entertainment Weekly
that The Black Eyed Peas
member and record producer
will.i.am
contributed production to the album. She stated in the interview that "The album is much more emotional than you anticipate, which is a great thing. And I know women are gonna connect to the album so much. I felt like for so many years I was the girl who did the catchy little raps, and it's time for me now to tell my story, and in telling my story, I'm really telling every girl's story. We all go through the same thing. So the album is gonna feel very personal to every female." Producer Bangladesh
also contributed to the album.
Hip-hop rap artist and producer Kanye West
was also confirmed for the album. In an interview with Interview
Minaj stated that she would be toning down her sex appeal for the album, stating: "I made a conscious decision to try to tone down the sexiness," she told Interview magazine. "I want people—especially young girls—to know that in life, nothing is going to be based on sex appeal. You've got to have something else to go with that." The song "Right Thru Me", which Minaj confirmed as a "standout" track of the album, was confirmed for the album with Minaj stating, "It's not gonna come right now. It'll come closer to when the album drops, but it's a really, really pretty song. Everyone's gonna like it. It's just really insightful but in a very conversational kind of way." In an interview with 95.8 Capital FM, Rihanna
stated that after the two collaborated on "Raining Men" from her album Loud
, that they would be teaming up together for a possible second collaboration on Minaj's Pink Friday.
A joint single between Minaj and will.i.am
titled "Check It Out", which samples "Video Killed the Radio Star
" by The Buggles
, was released on September 3, 2010 via digital download. On an unexpected Ustream on October 25, 2010, Minaj discussed a song she had recently recorded with fellow label-mate Drake, which later ended up on the album and became a single and had a music video filmed for it. Minaj revealed exclusively to Rap-Up
that she collaborated with rapper Eminem
on a Swizz Beatz
-produced track titled "Roman's Revenge
" which references Minaj's alter-ego Roman Zolanski and features Eminem's alter-ego Slim Shady. "Moment 4 Life
" featuring Drake
impacted US Rhythmic radio on December 7, 2010.
Minaj stated that if she reached one million followers she would dedicate a Ustream to her fans. On August 3, Minaj went on Ustream to call fans who emailed her their phone numbers and to reveal the album's title. On August 3, 2010 Minaj revealed on a Ustream
.tv channel for her fans that the album's name would be Pink Friday, stating, "To carry on a great tradition of Black Friday, we are going to switch it up this year in honor of the Nicki Minaj album and call that day Pink Friday, and call my album Pink Friday!" A deluxe edition of the album has also been confirmed. Minaj released the artwork for her album cover on Friday, October 15, 2010. Rap-Up commented on the album cover, stating "The cover features Minaj as a doll alarmingly staring at the camera, sitting armless on the ground with her elongated legs in a flowing silver corset, pink stilettos, and a stark pink wig."
On June 17, 2010, promotional photos for the album were leaked online, depicting Minaj in a neon-orange wig dressed as a ninja
. On July 8, 2010, Minaj announced via Twitter that the album would be released on November 23, 2010. It was later announced that the album was pushed up by one day to November 22, 2010. Minaj's official website and related social networking pages later announced that the digital download version of the album would be available for pre-order through iTunes
on October 30, less than a month before the release date of the physical edition. Music videos for four additional tracks are planned: "Moment 4 Life
" featuring Drake, "Save Me", "Fly" featuring Rihanna, and "Girls Fall like Dominoes". (Only those for "Moment 4 Life" and "Fly" have been released as of October, 2011.) On January 5, 2011, Minaj booked Sanaa Hamri to direct the music video for "Fly" featuring Rihanna. In March 2011, Minaj booked Sanaa Hamri to direct the video for "Super Bass". At the beginning of May, a teaser trailer was released for "Super Bass". Around Memorial Day weekend, it was expected that the previously recorded video for the track, "Fly", would be released in September, which was proven true.
" was released on April 13, 2010 through digital distribution. It charted at number 65 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
chart. The song was a distinct change from Minaj's previous work on mixtapes and features, thus receiving mixed to positive reviews from critics, commending lyrical content and distinctiveness, and critiquing that it did not fit her "Barbie" persona well. The song bubbled under the Billboard Hot 100 at #22, and peaked at #65 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. "Massive Attack" was initially announced as the album's lead single, however, after the single's poor chart performance, Minaj dethroned its lead single status and declared that it would not be featured on Pink Friday. "Your Love
" was released as the album's first official US single on June 1, 2010 and as the first single in the United Kingdom on July 2, 2010. Initially, the song had never been planned for release, but due to abounding airplay it was mastered and used as the follow-up to "Massive Attack". The song peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100
, and at 5 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
and topped the Hot Rap Songs
chart for eight consecutive weeks. Minaj became the first female artist to top the Hot Rap Songs chart unaccompanied since 2002. It also charted in Canada and the UK. "Right Thru Me
" was released on September 24, 2010 and officially impacted urban radio on October 5, 2010. A music video directed by Diane Martel
was released for the single on October 27, 2010. "Check It Out
" was released as a joint single by will.i.am and Minaj on September 3, 2010. A music video for the song was directed by Rich Lee and released October 25, 2010.
"Moment 4 Life
", which features Drake, officially impacted Rhythmic radio on December 7, 2010. The music video for "Moment 4 Life" was released on January 27, 2011. "Roman's Revenge
" featuring Eminem was released as a promotional single to iTunes on October 30, 2010. A re-worked version of "Roman's Revenge" featuring Lil Wayne
was released to the iTunes Store on January 19, 2011. "Did It On'em
" was sent to rhythmic radio on March 7, 2011 and "Super Bass
" impacted radio on April 5, 2011. "Super Bass" was released to iTunes in some markets on May 13, 2011. In its seventh week on the US Billboard Hot 100
, the song has achieved number 10, making it Minaj's first top ten placement as a lead artist. The song's title is also used as part of the title of a UK deluxe edition of the album, called the "Super Bass edition". "Girls Fall like Dominoes
" was released in Australia on April 11, 2011 and in the UK on April 15. "Fly
" was officialy released as the album's eight overall single. It was sent to U.S. rhythmic radio on August 30, 2011 and to Top 40/Mainstream radio on September 20, 2011. I'm the Best is to be the ninth overall single.
. Further dates are yet to be announced.
chart, with first-week sales of 375,000 copies: this marked the second-highest sales week for a female hip hop recording artist, behind Lauryn Hill
's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
in 1998. The album debuted at number eight in Canada, number 30 in Ireland, and number 34 in the UK. By its eighth week, the album had sold 989,000 copies in the United States. As of January 5, 2011, Pink Friday has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
. Three months after its release, Pink Friday sold a total of 1,035,000 copies, and never left the top ten of the Billboard 200. On the week of February 9, 2011, Pink Friday went to number one, after its eleventh week on the Billboard 200, selling 45,000 copies in that week. In its twelfth week, the album had sold 1,081,000 copies in the United States. In its thirteenth week, the album sold an additional 46,000 copies, bringing total sales to 1,127,000 in the United States. As of November 27, 2011, the album had sold 1,663,300 copies in the United States.
In the UK, in its fourteenth week, Pink Friday climbed back into the top fourty at number 34, the same position it peaked at during the week of its album release. The following week, the album climbed to a new peak of number 32. On April 1, 2011 Pink Friday was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry
, with sales of 100,000 copies sold in the United Kingdom. On August 7, 2011 the album raced back up the charts at a new peak of number 16.
, which assigns a normalized
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
score of 69, based on 25 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". Rolling Stone
writer Rob Sheffield gave it three-and-a-half out of five stars and called it "surprisingly pop". James Reed of The Boston Globe
called it "a brash pop album brimming with Minaj's various personae and Technicolor rhymes". Entertainment Weekly
s Brad Wete commended Minaj's "knack for melody" and "boasting lyrics". Sam Wolfson of NME
complimented Minaj's "pop sensibility" and found her "volatility and quirks [...] reminiscent of heyday Lil Wayne". USA Today
s Steve Jones wrote that the album "swerves effortlessly from hard-core rap to sweet pop bliss". Los Angeles Times
writer Margaret Wappler commented that it "shows Minaj is on the cusp", while Ann Powers
noted Minaj's attempt to showcase her multi-faceted range and complimented her female perspective. Pitchfork Media
's Scott Plagenhoef expressed a mixed response towards its pop concessions, but stated "Fortunately, even when she's aiming down the middle of the road, she's at least better than almost anyone else". Allison Stewart of The Washington Post
stated "Friday nibbles at the edges of what female rappers are allowed to do, even as it provides a steady helping of pop hits". In his consumer guide for MSN Music
, critic Robert Christgau
gave the album an A rating and stated "she's proud to be shameless, with the hooks to back it up".
Andy Gill of The Independent
gave a rating of three stars out of five, writing that "Right Thru Me" is the only track that exhibits "adequate use of [Minaj's] R&B vocal skills" among an album of unoriginal "rap braggadocio
". Slant Magazine
's Jesse Cataldo praised Minaj's versatility on tracks like "Roman's Revenge", but was disappointed with the collaborative "Moment 4 Life", noting she could have shown more confidence by acting as a foil
for Drake
, but didn't. Kitty Empire
of The Observer
called the album a "triumph of prevarication", but stated "Pink Friday can't decide whether Minaj is a rapper or just another pop artist [...] This album's pop quotient... is adequate, but anonymous." Rich Juzwiak of The Village Voice
criticized the album's "r&b crossover" material and found it lyrically "underwhelming". Despite complimenting Minaj's "adoption of personas", Alexis Petridis of The Guardian
commented that "For every burst of originality, there's a burst of generic frosty synth and Auto-Tune", noting that "the pop- and R&B-influenced tracks simply aren't as exciting, lyrically or musically, as the foam-mouthed hardcore ones". Marc Hogan of Spin
stated "As an MC showcase... the album falls short", but ultimately viewed it as "a budding artist's love letter to pop — well-wrought and exuberantly penned". Allmusic's David Jeffries wrote that it "both dazzles and disappoints", stating "Feed off the production, the great musical ideas, and Minaj's keen sense of her surroundings, and Pink Friday is an outstanding success". "Did It on'em" appeared on Rolling Stone
s Best Singles of 2010 list at number 25.
Standard edition
Deluxe edition
Notes
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
recording artist Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj , better known by her stage name Nicki Minaj; ), is a Trinidadian-born American recording artist...
. It was released on November 19, 2010 in both standard and deluxe editions through Young Money Entertainment
Young Money Entertainment
Young Money Entertainment is an American record label founded by rapper Lil Wayne. Young Money's president is Lil Wayne's lifelong friend Mack Maine. The label is an imprint of Cash Money Records and is distributed by Universal Republic Records...
, Cash Money Records
Cash Money Records
Cash Money Records is a record label founded by brothers Bryan "Birdman" Williams and Ronald "Slim" Williams. Today it operates as a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, and is distributed by Universal Republic Records as of 2011...
, and Universal Motown. The intended lead single from the album, "Massive Attack
Massive Attack (song)
"Massive Attack" is a song by Trinidadian recording artist Nicki Minaj. The song features American singer-songwriter and producer Sean Garrett who wrote the song with Minaj and produced the song with Alex da Kid. It served the first single from Minaj's debut album, Pink Friday, with Billboard later...
", flopped commercially, and was therefore removed from Pink Friday. The album was preceded by the singles "Your Love
Your Love (Nicki Minaj song)
"Your Love" is a song performed by Trinidadian-American recording artist Nicki Minaj. It was written by Minaj with Joseph Hughes, David Freedman, and Andrew "Pop" Wansel, with the latter receiving production credits. The song serves as the first single from her debut studio album, Pink Friday...
" and "Right Thru Me
Right Thru Me
"Right Thru Me" is the second official single from American rapper and singer Nicki Minaj's 2010 album Pink Friday. The song was released as a digital download on September 14, 2010 before being serviced to urban and rhythmic Radio on October 5 and then mainstream radio on November 2, 2010...
" which were released in June and September 2010, respectively. "Your Love" reached #1 on the Hot Rap Songs
Hot Rap Songs
Rap Songs is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations and sales in hip hop-focused or exclusive markets. From 1989 through 2001, it was based on how much the single...
chart, while "Right Thru Me" peaked at #2. In addition, a previously released joint single between American rapper will.i.am
Will.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
and Minaj, "Check It Out
Check It Out (song)
"Check It Out" is a song performed by American rapper will.i.am and Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj. The song, written by will.i.am and Minaj, samples the 1979 hit single, "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles. After release, it debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 78 and number 48...
", appears on the album. A third single, "Moment 4 Life
Moment 4 Life
"Moment 4 Life" is a song by Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj featuring Canadian rapper Drake. It serves as the third single from Minaj's debut album Pink Friday . The song was produced by T-Minus and written by both artists...
", features Canadian rapper Drake
Drake (entertainer)
Aubrey Drake Graham , who records under the mononym Drake, is a Canadian recording artist and actor. He originally became known for playing Jimmy Brooks on the television series Degrassi: The Next Generation....
and was released in December 2010. It topped the Hot Rap Songs
Hot Rap Songs
Rap Songs is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations and sales in hip hop-focused or exclusive markets. From 1989 through 2001, it was based on how much the single...
chart in the US.
"Roman's Revenge
Roman's Revenge
"Roman's Revenge" is a song performed by Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj from her debut studio album Pink Friday. It was written by Minaj and rapper Eminem, who is also featured in the song, and was produced by Swizz Beatz. It was released exclusively on October 30, 2010 through the US iTunes store,...
", which originally featured rapper Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
, was remixed to feature Minaj's labelmate Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included...
, and was released as the fourth single on January 19, 2011. After being released as Pink Fridays fifth single, "Did It On'em
Did It On'em
"Did It On'em" is a song by Trinidadian-American rapper Nicki Minaj. It was written by Minaj with J. Ellington, Safaree Samuels, and Shondrae "Bangladesh" Crawford, who produced the track. The song served as the fourth single from her debut album, Pink Friday, in the United States while "Girls Fall...
" very positive reviews from critics, and peaked at #4 on the US Rap Songs
Hot Rap Songs
Rap Songs is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations and sales in hip hop-focused or exclusive markets. From 1989 through 2001, it was based on how much the single...
chart. "Girls Fall Like Dominoes
Girls Fall like Dominoes
"Girls Fall Like Dominoes" is a song by Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj. It serves as the sixth single from Minaj's debut album Pink Friday . The chorus is sampled from "Dominos", a 2009 single by British indie rock band The Big Pink...
" was released as a single in Australia and the U.K., as the sixth single overall. It samples "Dominos
Dominos (The Big Pink song)
"Dominos" is the first single from The Big Pink's debut album A Brief History of Love. "Dominos" was released as a digital download and on 7" vinyl on September 7, 2009, a week before the release of the album. The song was co-produced by the band and record producer Paul Epworth, and mixed by Rich...
" by British indie rock band The Big Pink
The Big Pink
The Big Pink is an English electro-rock duo comprising multi-instrumentalists Robbie Furze and Milo Cordell. The duo signed to the 4AD label in 2009, and won the prestigious NME Philip Hall Radar Award for best new act...
. On May 13, 2011, "Super Bass
Super Bass
"Super Bass" is a song by Trinidadian-American recording artist and songwriter Nicki Minaj, from her debut album, Pink Friday. The song impacted radio as the album's seventh single on April 5, 2011 and was released on May 13, 2011. Written by Minaj, along with Daniel Johnson and Ester Dean, the...
", a bonus track from the deluxe version of Pink Friday, was released as a single. It is one of Minaj's most successful singles, reaching #3 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. The eighth single from the album, "Fly
Fly (Nicki Minaj song)
"Fly" is a song by Trinidadian recording artist Nicki Minaj featuring Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna. The track was produced by J.R. Rotem and co-produced by Kevin Hissink. The song is inspired by the emotion of soaring above and overcoming all stereotypes and negativity, only to have come out...
", features Barbados
Barbadian
Barbadian may refer to anything of or relating to Barbados and may also refer directly to:* Barbadian football* Barbadian cuisine* Barbadian dollar, a currency used in Barbados ISO 4217 code "BBD"....
singer Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
, and was released on August 30, 2011. It has since peaked at #19 on the Hot 100. A ninth single, "I'm the Best", is set to be released on December 4, 2011.
Pink Friday features production styles crossing the genres of pop, hip-hop and R&B. Contributions to the album's production came from a wide range of producers including J.R. Rotem, Bangladesh
Bangladesh (producer)
Shondrae Crawford, better known as Bangladesh or Mr. Bangladesh, is a Grammy Award winning American record producer and disc jockey and rapper, who was born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa, and now lives in Atlanta, Georgia.- Life and career :...
, Swizz Beatz
Swizz Beatz
Kasseem Dean , better known by his stage name, Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, DJ, rapper and painter. At the age of 17, he gained attention in the hip-hop world through his friendship with rapper DMX. Grady Spivey and rapper Cassidy helped launch his label Full Surface Records...
, T-Minus
T-Minus (producer)
T-Minus , is a Canadian hip-hop and R&B producer from Ajax, Ontario. He has produced for artists such as T.I., Ciara, Nicki Minaj, Plies, Ludacris, LeToya Luckett, Birdman, Lil' Wayne, Wale and Drake, & August Rigo among others.-2006:Drake - Comeback Season:* 00. "Replacement Girl" T-Minus (born...
and will.i.am
Will.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
. After a much anticipated release as the result of Minaj's extensive featured appearances on the singles of other artists, Pink Friday debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart with first-week sales of 375,000 copies. Ultimately reaching number one on the chart, it has been certified platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
and, as of November 2011, had sold 1,663,300 copies in the United States.
Background
After a major record label bidding war, Young Money EntertainmentYoung Money Entertainment
Young Money Entertainment is an American record label founded by rapper Lil Wayne. Young Money's president is Lil Wayne's lifelong friend Mack Maine. The label is an imprint of Cash Money Records and is distributed by Universal Republic Records...
announced on August 31, 2009 that Minaj had been released a 360 deal
360 deal
In the music industry, a 360 deal is a business relationship between an artist and a music industry company. The company agrees to provide financial support for the artist, including direct advances as well as funds for marketing, promotion and touring...
with the label in which she retains and owns all of her 360 rights – including merchandising, sponsorships, endorsements, touring and publishing. Sessions for the album began in 2009 with a tentative release in the second quarter of 2010. Minaj stated in an MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
interview that "Married in the Club" was set to be the lead single from the album and was slated for a November 2009 release. Plans for the single were cancelled and Minaj explained in a February 2010 interview with MTV that she had scrapped the previous material and began recording again from scratch. Minaj explained, "I have songs that where I am now, they aren't a great representation of me to where I'm at musically. I wanna start from scratch but I do have my single and it'll be out."
Minaj spoke about the great importance of the album to her and all females in hip-hop in an interview with V103's Greg Street, stating; "They won't look to sign other female rappers because they'll say, 'Her buzz was so crazy and if she couldn't do it, then no one can do it.' And I don't want that to happen, so I'm doing this as well for all the girls. I hope that with the success of the album—because I know it will be successful, I believe it will be successful—I hope that this opens doors for all of the girls everywhere. Even as far as I've come right now, it's a testament in my mind," she said. "So I hope the female rappers will understand how big it is, just for our culture, that the album does well."
Recording and production
Recording sessions for the album took place at several recording locations, including 54 Sound Studios in Detroit, Chalice Recording Studios in Los Angeles, and Glenwood Place Studios in Burbank, California. Hip-hop producer Swizz BeatzSwizz Beatz
Kasseem Dean , better known by his stage name, Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, DJ, rapper and painter. At the age of 17, he gained attention in the hip-hop world through his friendship with rapper DMX. Grady Spivey and rapper Cassidy helped launch his label Full Surface Records...
confirmed his collaboration with Minaj for the album, with Minaj discussing a song "Catch Me", that she described as "moody" and "mellow futuristic" which later became a bonus track on the album. Minaj also confirmed to Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
that The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
member and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
will.i.am
Will.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
contributed production to the album. She stated in the interview that "The album is much more emotional than you anticipate, which is a great thing. And I know women are gonna connect to the album so much. I felt like for so many years I was the girl who did the catchy little raps, and it's time for me now to tell my story, and in telling my story, I'm really telling every girl's story. We all go through the same thing. So the album is gonna feel very personal to every female." Producer Bangladesh
Bangladesh (producer)
Shondrae Crawford, better known as Bangladesh or Mr. Bangladesh, is a Grammy Award winning American record producer and disc jockey and rapper, who was born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa, and now lives in Atlanta, Georgia.- Life and career :...
also contributed to the album.
Hip-hop rap artist and producer Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
was also confirmed for the album. In an interview with Interview
Interview (magazine)
Interview is an American magazine which has the nickname The Crystal Ball Of Pop. It was founded in late 1969 by artist Andy Warhol. The magazine features intimate conversations between some of the world's biggest celebrities, artists, musicians, and creative thinkers...
Minaj stated that she would be toning down her sex appeal for the album, stating: "I made a conscious decision to try to tone down the sexiness," she told Interview magazine. "I want people—especially young girls—to know that in life, nothing is going to be based on sex appeal. You've got to have something else to go with that." The song "Right Thru Me", which Minaj confirmed as a "standout" track of the album, was confirmed for the album with Minaj stating, "It's not gonna come right now. It'll come closer to when the album drops, but it's a really, really pretty song. Everyone's gonna like it. It's just really insightful but in a very conversational kind of way." In an interview with 95.8 Capital FM, Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
stated that after the two collaborated on "Raining Men" from her album Loud
Loud (Rihanna album)
Loud is the fifth studio album by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, first released on November 12, 2010 by Def Jam Recordings. The album was recorded between February and August 2010, predominantly during Rihanna's Last Girl on Earth Tour and filming for her first feature film Battleship...
, that they would be teaming up together for a possible second collaboration on Minaj's Pink Friday.
A joint single between Minaj and will.i.am
Will.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
titled "Check It Out", which samples "Video Killed the Radio Star
Video Killed the Radio Star
"Video Killed the Radio Star" is a song by the British synthpop/New Wave group The Buggles, released as their debut single on 7 September 1979, on Island Records from their debut album The Age of Plastic. It celebrates the golden days of radio, describing a singer whose career is cut short by...
" by The Buggles
The Buggles
The Buggles were an English New Wave band consisting of Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes . They are remembered chiefly for their 1979 debut single "Video Killed the Radio Star" that was #1 on the singles chart in 16 countries. Its music video was the first to be shown on MTV in the U.S...
, was released on September 3, 2010 via digital download. On an unexpected Ustream on October 25, 2010, Minaj discussed a song she had recently recorded with fellow label-mate Drake, which later ended up on the album and became a single and had a music video filmed for it. Minaj revealed exclusively to Rap-Up
Rap-Up
Rap-Up is a magazine launched in 2001 by founder Devin Lazerine. The publication was originally a website devoted to hip hop, until Lazerine decided to pitch the possibility of a magazine to several publishers. The magazine is focused on the hip hop and R&B aspect of the music industry, and...
that she collaborated with rapper Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
on a Swizz Beatz
Swizz Beatz
Kasseem Dean , better known by his stage name, Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, DJ, rapper and painter. At the age of 17, he gained attention in the hip-hop world through his friendship with rapper DMX. Grady Spivey and rapper Cassidy helped launch his label Full Surface Records...
-produced track titled "Roman's Revenge
Roman's Revenge
"Roman's Revenge" is a song performed by Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj from her debut studio album Pink Friday. It was written by Minaj and rapper Eminem, who is also featured in the song, and was produced by Swizz Beatz. It was released exclusively on October 30, 2010 through the US iTunes store,...
" which references Minaj's alter-ego Roman Zolanski and features Eminem's alter-ego Slim Shady. "Moment 4 Life
Moment 4 Life
"Moment 4 Life" is a song by Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj featuring Canadian rapper Drake. It serves as the third single from Minaj's debut album Pink Friday . The song was produced by T-Minus and written by both artists...
" featuring Drake
Drake (entertainer)
Aubrey Drake Graham , who records under the mononym Drake, is a Canadian recording artist and actor. He originally became known for playing Jimmy Brooks on the television series Degrassi: The Next Generation....
impacted US Rhythmic radio on December 7, 2010.
Release and promotion
On her TwitterTwitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
Minaj stated that if she reached one million followers she would dedicate a Ustream to her fans. On August 3, Minaj went on Ustream to call fans who emailed her their phone numbers and to reveal the album's title. On August 3, 2010 Minaj revealed on a Ustream
Ustream
Ustream is a website which consists of a network of diverse channels providing a platform for lifecasting and live video streaming of events online. Established in March 2007, the site has over 2,000,000 registered users who generate 1,500,000+ hours of live streamed content per month with over ten...
.tv channel for her fans that the album's name would be Pink Friday, stating, "To carry on a great tradition of Black Friday, we are going to switch it up this year in honor of the Nicki Minaj album and call that day Pink Friday, and call my album Pink Friday!" A deluxe edition of the album has also been confirmed. Minaj released the artwork for her album cover on Friday, October 15, 2010. Rap-Up commented on the album cover, stating "The cover features Minaj as a doll alarmingly staring at the camera, sitting armless on the ground with her elongated legs in a flowing silver corset, pink stilettos, and a stark pink wig."
On June 17, 2010, promotional photos for the album were leaked online, depicting Minaj in a neon-orange wig dressed as a ninja
Ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
. On July 8, 2010, Minaj announced via Twitter that the album would be released on November 23, 2010. It was later announced that the album was pushed up by one day to November 22, 2010. Minaj's official website and related social networking pages later announced that the digital download version of the album would be available for pre-order through iTunes
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
on October 30, less than a month before the release date of the physical edition. Music videos for four additional tracks are planned: "Moment 4 Life
Moment 4 Life
"Moment 4 Life" is a song by Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj featuring Canadian rapper Drake. It serves as the third single from Minaj's debut album Pink Friday . The song was produced by T-Minus and written by both artists...
" featuring Drake, "Save Me", "Fly" featuring Rihanna, and "Girls Fall like Dominoes". (Only those for "Moment 4 Life" and "Fly" have been released as of October, 2011.) On January 5, 2011, Minaj booked Sanaa Hamri to direct the music video for "Fly" featuring Rihanna. In March 2011, Minaj booked Sanaa Hamri to direct the video for "Super Bass". At the beginning of May, a teaser trailer was released for "Super Bass". Around Memorial Day weekend, it was expected that the previously recorded video for the track, "Fly", would be released in September, which was proven true.
Singles
"Massive AttackMassive Attack (song)
"Massive Attack" is a song by Trinidadian recording artist Nicki Minaj. The song features American singer-songwriter and producer Sean Garrett who wrote the song with Minaj and produced the song with Alex da Kid. It served the first single from Minaj's debut album, Pink Friday, with Billboard later...
" was released on April 13, 2010 through digital distribution. It charted at number 65 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart. The song was a distinct change from Minaj's previous work on mixtapes and features, thus receiving mixed to positive reviews from critics, commending lyrical content and distinctiveness, and critiquing that it did not fit her "Barbie" persona well. The song bubbled under the Billboard Hot 100 at #22, and peaked at #65 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. "Massive Attack" was initially announced as the album's lead single, however, after the single's poor chart performance, Minaj dethroned its lead single status and declared that it would not be featured on Pink Friday. "Your Love
Your Love (Nicki Minaj song)
"Your Love" is a song performed by Trinidadian-American recording artist Nicki Minaj. It was written by Minaj with Joseph Hughes, David Freedman, and Andrew "Pop" Wansel, with the latter receiving production credits. The song serves as the first single from her debut studio album, Pink Friday...
" was released as the album's first official US single on June 1, 2010 and as the first single in the United Kingdom on July 2, 2010. Initially, the song had never been planned for release, but due to abounding airplay it was mastered and used as the follow-up to "Massive Attack". The song peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, and at 5 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
and topped the Hot Rap Songs
Hot Rap Songs
Rap Songs is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations and sales in hip hop-focused or exclusive markets. From 1989 through 2001, it was based on how much the single...
chart for eight consecutive weeks. Minaj became the first female artist to top the Hot Rap Songs chart unaccompanied since 2002. It also charted in Canada and the UK. "Right Thru Me
Right Thru Me
"Right Thru Me" is the second official single from American rapper and singer Nicki Minaj's 2010 album Pink Friday. The song was released as a digital download on September 14, 2010 before being serviced to urban and rhythmic Radio on October 5 and then mainstream radio on November 2, 2010...
" was released on September 24, 2010 and officially impacted urban radio on October 5, 2010. A music video directed by Diane Martel
Diane Martel
Diane Martel is a music video director and choreographer.-Choreographer:1989*Bloodhounds of Broadway 1991*"Shiny Happy People" - R.E.M...
was released for the single on October 27, 2010. "Check It Out
Check It Out (song)
"Check It Out" is a song performed by American rapper will.i.am and Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj. The song, written by will.i.am and Minaj, samples the 1979 hit single, "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles. After release, it debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 78 and number 48...
" was released as a joint single by will.i.am and Minaj on September 3, 2010. A music video for the song was directed by Rich Lee and released October 25, 2010.
"Moment 4 Life
Moment 4 Life
"Moment 4 Life" is a song by Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj featuring Canadian rapper Drake. It serves as the third single from Minaj's debut album Pink Friday . The song was produced by T-Minus and written by both artists...
", which features Drake, officially impacted Rhythmic radio on December 7, 2010. The music video for "Moment 4 Life" was released on January 27, 2011. "Roman's Revenge
Roman's Revenge
"Roman's Revenge" is a song performed by Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj from her debut studio album Pink Friday. It was written by Minaj and rapper Eminem, who is also featured in the song, and was produced by Swizz Beatz. It was released exclusively on October 30, 2010 through the US iTunes store,...
" featuring Eminem was released as a promotional single to iTunes on October 30, 2010. A re-worked version of "Roman's Revenge" featuring Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included...
was released to the iTunes Store on January 19, 2011. "Did It On'em
Did It On'em
"Did It On'em" is a song by Trinidadian-American rapper Nicki Minaj. It was written by Minaj with J. Ellington, Safaree Samuels, and Shondrae "Bangladesh" Crawford, who produced the track. The song served as the fourth single from her debut album, Pink Friday, in the United States while "Girls Fall...
" was sent to rhythmic radio on March 7, 2011 and "Super Bass
Super Bass
"Super Bass" is a song by Trinidadian-American recording artist and songwriter Nicki Minaj, from her debut album, Pink Friday. The song impacted radio as the album's seventh single on April 5, 2011 and was released on May 13, 2011. Written by Minaj, along with Daniel Johnson and Ester Dean, the...
" impacted radio on April 5, 2011. "Super Bass" was released to iTunes in some markets on May 13, 2011. In its seventh week on the US Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, the song has achieved number 10, making it Minaj's first top ten placement as a lead artist. The song's title is also used as part of the title of a UK deluxe edition of the album, called the "Super Bass edition". "Girls Fall like Dominoes
Girls Fall like Dominoes
"Girls Fall Like Dominoes" is a song by Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj. It serves as the sixth single from Minaj's debut album Pink Friday . The chorus is sampled from "Dominos", a 2009 single by British indie rock band The Big Pink...
" was released in Australia on April 11, 2011 and in the UK on April 15. "Fly
Fly (Nicki Minaj song)
"Fly" is a song by Trinidadian recording artist Nicki Minaj featuring Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna. The track was produced by J.R. Rotem and co-produced by Kevin Hissink. The song is inspired by the emotion of soaring above and overcoming all stereotypes and negativity, only to have come out...
" was officialy released as the album's eight overall single. It was sent to U.S. rhythmic radio on August 30, 2011 and to Top 40/Mainstream radio on September 20, 2011. I'm the Best is to be the ninth overall single.
Tour
Minaj announced via the social networking site Twitter that she would kick off a five-date Pink Friday Tour a month before the album dropped. Tweeting, "Ok Barbz, here are the 1st 5 dates on my Pink Friday Tour," the tour began in Philadelphia on October 22, and ran through October 30 in Trinidad and TobagoTrinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
. Further dates are yet to be announced.
| Date | City | Country | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America | |||
| October 22, 2010 | Philadelphia | United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
Wells Fargo Center |
| October 23, 2010 | Washington, DC | Star Night Club | |
| October 24, 2010 | Waterbury Waterbury, Connecticut Waterbury is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, on the Naugatuck River, 33 miles southwest of Hartford and 77 miles northeast of New York City... |
Sin City | |
| October 25, 2010 | Boston Boston Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had... |
TD Garden | |
| October 30, 2010 | Port of Spain Port of Spain Port of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain, is the capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after San Fernando and Chaguanas. The city has a municipal population of 49,031 , a metropolitan population of 128,026 and a transient daily population... |
Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles... |
Hasely Crawford Stadium Hasely Crawford Stadium The Hasely Crawford Stadium, located in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, is named after Hasely Crawford, the first person from Trinidad and Tobago to win an Olympic gold medal. Originally built as the National Stadium in 1980, the stadium was re-named to honour Crawford in 2001. The stadium... |
Commercial performance
Pink Friday debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart, with first-week sales of 375,000 copies: this marked the second-highest sales week for a female hip hop recording artist, behind Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Noelle Hill is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress.Early in her career, she established her reputation as a member of the Fugees. In 1998, she launched her solo career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album, The Miseducation of...
's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is the debut solo album by American musician Lauryn Hill, released August 25, 1998, on Columbia Records. Recording sessions for the album took place from late 1997 to June 1998, and were held primarily at Tuff Gong Studios in Jamaica...
in 1998. The album debuted at number eight in Canada, number 30 in Ireland, and number 34 in the UK. By its eighth week, the album had sold 989,000 copies in the United States. As of January 5, 2011, Pink Friday has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
. Three months after its release, Pink Friday sold a total of 1,035,000 copies, and never left the top ten of the Billboard 200. On the week of February 9, 2011, Pink Friday went to number one, after its eleventh week on the Billboard 200, selling 45,000 copies in that week. In its twelfth week, the album had sold 1,081,000 copies in the United States. In its thirteenth week, the album sold an additional 46,000 copies, bringing total sales to 1,127,000 in the United States. As of November 27, 2011, the album had sold 1,663,300 copies in the United States.
In the UK, in its fourteenth week, Pink Friday climbed back into the top fourty at number 34, the same position it peaked at during the week of its album release. The following week, the album climbed to a new peak of number 32. On April 1, 2011 Pink Friday was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
, with sales of 100,000 copies sold in the United Kingdom. On August 7, 2011 the album raced back up the charts at a new peak of number 16.
Critical response
Pink Friday received positive reviews from most music critics. At MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalized
Standard score
In statistics, a standard score indicates how many standard deviations an observation or datum is above or below the mean. It is a dimensionless quantity derived by subtracting the population mean from an individual raw score and then dividing the difference by the population standard deviation...
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
Weighted mean
The weighted mean is similar to an arithmetic mean , where instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others...
score of 69, based on 25 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
writer Rob Sheffield gave it three-and-a-half out of five stars and called it "surprisingly pop". James Reed of The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
called it "a brash pop album brimming with Minaj's various personae and Technicolor rhymes". Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
s Brad Wete commended Minaj's "knack for melody" and "boasting lyrics". Sam Wolfson of NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
complimented Minaj's "pop sensibility" and found her "volatility and quirks [...] reminiscent of heyday Lil Wayne". USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
s Steve Jones wrote that the album "swerves effortlessly from hard-core rap to sweet pop bliss". Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
writer Margaret Wappler commented that it "shows Minaj is on the cusp", while Ann Powers
Ann Powers
Ann Powers is an American writer and pop music critic.Powers has been writing about popular music and society since the early 1980s...
noted Minaj's attempt to showcase her multi-faceted range and complimented her female perspective. Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
's Scott Plagenhoef expressed a mixed response towards its pop concessions, but stated "Fortunately, even when she's aiming down the middle of the road, she's at least better than almost anyone else". Allison Stewart of The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
stated "Friday nibbles at the edges of what female rappers are allowed to do, even as it provides a steady helping of pop hits". In his consumer guide for MSN Music
MSN Music
MSN Music was a part of the MSN web services. It delivered music news, music videos, spotlights on new music, artist information, and live performances of artists. In 2004, Microsoft created an MSN Music download store to compete with Apple's iTunes Music Store, though its sales in comparison were...
, critic Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
gave the album an A rating and stated "she's proud to be shameless, with the hooks to back it up".
Andy Gill of The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
gave a rating of three stars out of five, writing that "Right Thru Me" is the only track that exhibits "adequate use of [Minaj's] R&B vocal skills" among an album of unoriginal "rap braggadocio
Braggadocio (rap)
Braggadocio is a type of rapping where the MC is "bragging and boasting" and can include subjects such as physicality, fighting ability, sexual prowess, or coolness...
". Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
's Jesse Cataldo praised Minaj's versatility on tracks like "Roman's Revenge", but was disappointed with the collaborative "Moment 4 Life", noting she could have shown more confidence by acting as a foil
Foil (literature)
In fiction, a foil is a character who contrasts with another character in order to highlight particular qualities of another character....
for Drake
Drake (entertainer)
Aubrey Drake Graham , who records under the mononym Drake, is a Canadian recording artist and actor. He originally became known for playing Jimmy Brooks on the television series Degrassi: The Next Generation....
, but didn't. Kitty Empire
Kitty Empire
Kitty Empire is the pen name of a British writer and music critic.Empire was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1970 and brought up in Canada, Italy and Egypt before arriving in Britain in 1988....
of The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
called the album a "triumph of prevarication", but stated "Pink Friday can't decide whether Minaj is a rapper or just another pop artist [...] This album's pop quotient... is adequate, but anonymous." Rich Juzwiak of The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
criticized the album's "r&b crossover" material and found it lyrically "underwhelming". Despite complimenting Minaj's "adoption of personas", Alexis Petridis of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
commented that "For every burst of originality, there's a burst of generic frosty synth and Auto-Tune", noting that "the pop- and R&B-influenced tracks simply aren't as exciting, lyrically or musically, as the foam-mouthed hardcore ones". Marc Hogan of Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
stated "As an MC showcase... the album falls short", but ultimately viewed it as "a budding artist's love letter to pop — well-wrought and exuberantly penned". Allmusic's David Jeffries wrote that it "both dazzles and disappoints", stating "Feed off the production, the great musical ideas, and Minaj's keen sense of her surroundings, and Pink Friday is an outstanding success". "Did It on'em" appeared on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
s Best Singles of 2010 list at number 25.
Track listing
The official track listing as reported by MTV was revealed through the iTunes Store on October 30, 2010.Standard edition
Deluxe edition
Notes
* indicates additional producer(s).
Samples and interpolations
Adapted from album booklet.- "Right Thru Me" contains samples of "Always With Me, Always With You" by Joe Satriani.
- "Check It Out":
- embodies portions and samples of "Video Killed the Radio StarVideo Killed the Radio Star"Video Killed the Radio Star" is a song by the British synthpop/New Wave group The Buggles, released as their debut single on 7 September 1979, on Island Records from their debut album The Age of Plastic. It celebrates the golden days of radio, describing a singer whose career is cut short by...
" by The BugglesThe BugglesThe Buggles were an English New Wave band consisting of Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes . They are remembered chiefly for their 1979 debut single "Video Killed the Radio Star" that was #1 on the singles chart in 16 countries. Its music video was the first to be shown on MTV in the U.S...
. - contains elements and samples of "Think (About It)" written by James Brown, performed by Lyn Collins.
- embodies portions and samples of "Video Killed the Radio Star
- "Blazin" samples "Don't You (Forget About Me)" performed by Simple MindsSimple MindsSimple Minds are a Scottish rock band who achieved worldwide popularity from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. The band produced a handful of critically acclaimed albums in the early 1980s and best known for their #1 US, Canada and Netherlands hit single "Don't You ", from the soundtrack of the...
. - "Here I Am" samples "Red Sky" by John B and Shaz Sparks.
- "Your Love" samples "No More I Love You's" by Annie LennoxAnnie LennoxAnnie Lennox, OBE , born Ann Lennox, is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving minor success in the late 1970s with The Tourists, with fellow musician David A...
. - "Girls Fall Like Dominoes":
- Contains samples from "DominosDominos (The Big Pink song)"Dominos" is the first single from The Big Pink's debut album A Brief History of Love. "Dominos" was released as a digital download and on 7" vinyl on September 7, 2009, a week before the release of the album. The song was co-produced by the band and record producer Paul Epworth, and mixed by Rich...
" written by The Big PinkThe Big PinkThe Big Pink is an English electro-rock duo comprising multi-instrumentalists Robbie Furze and Milo Cordell. The duo signed to the 4AD label in 2009, and won the prestigious NME Philip Hall Radar Award for best new act...
. - Contains interpolations of "Trailar Load a Girls" written by Cleveland Browne, Greville Gordon and Whycliffe Johnson.
- Contains samples from "Dominos
Personnel
Credits for Pink Friday adapted from Allmusic.- Chris Bellman – mastering
- Joshua Berkman – A&R
- Sandy Brummels – art direction
- Noel Cadastre – assistant
- Dwayne "Tha President" Carter – executive producer
- Lyttleton "Cartwheel" Carter – assistant
- Ariel Chobaz – engineer, mixing
- Seandrae "Mr. Bangledesh" Crawford – producer
- James Cruz – A&R, management
- Sean CombsSean CombsSean John Combs , also known by his stage names Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally...
– management - DJ AmmoDJ AmmoDJ Ammo is an American disc jockey and music producer from Los Angeles, California. He has co-produced "The Time " along with three other songs from The Black Eyed Peas' sixth studio album, The Beginning, and "4th of July " by Kelis.-External links:** at Discogs...
– synthesizer - Dylan Dresdow – mixing
- Chris Gehringer – mastering
- Kevin Hissink – electric guitar
- John B. – keyboards, producer, programming
- Padraic Kerin – engineer
- Kenny Meiselas – legal counsel
- Drew Money – producer
- Charles Moniz – engineer
- J.R. Rotem – arranger, mixing
- Safaree "SB" Samuels – A&R, vocals
- Ed Shapiro – legal counsel
- Noah "40" Shebib – engineer
- Olivia Smith – package design
- Shaz Sparks – vocals
- Swizz Beatz – producer
- T-Minus – producer
- Pop Wansel – producer
- will.i.am – drum programming, engineer, producer, synthesizer
- Bryan Williams – executive producer
- Ronald Williams – executive producer
- G.L. Wood – photography
Charts
| Chart (2010–11) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
19 |
| Australian Urban Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
5 |
| Belgian Albums Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... (Flanders) |
81 |
| Albums Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... (Wallonia) |
100 |
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
8 |
| French Albums Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
116 |
| German Newcomer Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
17 |
| Irish Albums Chart Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
25 |
| South Korean Albums Chart Album Chart (Gaon Chart) The Gaon Album Chart are a set national charts that ranks the best-selling albums, including mini-albums and singles, in South Korea, provided by the Korea Music Content Industry Association. It started tracking sales since the beginning of 2010 and launched in February the same year as part of the... |
110 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
15 |
| Scottish Albums Chart | 22 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
16 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
1 |
| US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
1 |
| US Billboard Rap Albums Top Rap Albums Top Rap Albums is a record chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks Rap and hip-hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart began publication for the week of November 13, 2004.... |
1 |
Certifications
| Country | Certifications |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom British Phonographic Industry The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies... |
Gold |
| United States Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... |
Platinum |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label | Catalog | Edition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | November 19, 2010 | CD Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... |
Universal Music, Cash Money Cash Money Records Cash Money Records is a record label founded by brothers Bryan "Birdman" Williams and Ronald "Slim" Williams. Today it operates as a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, and is distributed by Universal Republic Records as of 2011... |
Standard | |
| Ireland | Standard | ||||
| Canada | November 22, 2010 | CD, digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
B001502102 | Standard Deluxe |
|
| France | CD, digital download | Standard | |||
| United Kingdom | Universal Island Island Records Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group... , Cash Money |
||||
| United States | CD, digital download | Young Money Young Money Entertainment Young Money Entertainment is an American record label founded by rapper Lil Wayne. Young Money's president is Lil Wayne's lifelong friend Mack Maine. The label is an imprint of Cash Money Records and is distributed by Universal Republic Records... , Cash Money Cash Money Records Cash Money Records is a record label founded by brothers Bryan "Birdman" Williams and Ronald "Slim" Williams. Today it operates as a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, and is distributed by Universal Republic Records as of 2011... , Universal Motown |
001502102 | Standard Deluxe |
|
| Japan | February 23, 2011 | Universal Music Japan | UICT-1060 (4988005644602) | Standard (Japan Edition) | |
| United Kingdom | March 11, 2011 | Universal Island | 00602527541846 | Re-release | |
| June 20, 2011 | Deluxe (Super Bass Edition) |
External links
- Pink Friday at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- Pink Friday at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...