Nicki Minaj releases her fifth studio album PINK FRIDAY 2 with a lot of pop references.
Phew! Nicki Minaj is back with 22 songs. Without giving any spoilers, you can say that one banger after the next is served here. If you’re looking for a change after 70 minutes, you won’t be left hanging. This is ensured by Kitty Kat,takt32 ft. Liquit Walker and Khrome and Kwam.E, who bring everything from R&B-like flow to hard street rap.
Nicki Minaj – PINK FRIDAY
Let’s start with the elephant in the room: Queen Nicki has released a new album after five years. It’s not just any one, but the successor to their debut record PINK FRIDAY, which was released in 2010. The album with which the US rapper achieved her breakthrough and whose deluxe version also included her hit “Super Bass”. On the sequel, Miss Minaj delivers 22 new tracks – apart from the previously released singles – and starts emotionally with “Are You Gone Already”. First you can hear an audio recording in which the 41-year-old speaks to her son and greets him into the microphone. Then she surprises with a highly pitched Billie Eilish sample of the song “when the party’s over”. This is followed by a harsh cut through a deep bass that turns the pop hit into a rap track. Right at the beginning, Nicki Minaj also addresses her father by telling her son that he will never get to know his grandfather: “You never got to meet Dad.” Here she is referring to the fact that her father was killed in a hit-and-run accident in 2021.
The more intimate song is then replaced by “Barbie Dangerous,” on which Minaj highlights her rap skills with fast-paced parts. “FTCU” lets menacing trap meet an aggressive beat and shows: This is straight gangster rap. In addition to the flows of the record, the work also offers a lot of Easter eggs in the form of samples. From Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” in “Pink Friday Girls”, to Jesper Mortense’s “Move Your Feet” in “Everybody”, to Debbie Harry and Chris Stein’s “Heart of Glass” in “My Life” – um just to name a few. Unsurprisingly, her long-term companion and rap colleague Drake as well as her mentor Lil Wayne are represented among the guest contributions. There are also legends like J. Cole, Future and Lil Uzi Vert. In addition to the varied sounds and beats, new aspects of PINK FRIDAY 2 can be discovered every time you listen to it.
Kitty Kat – “Wuz poppin”
On Kitty Kat’s latest single “Wuz poppin” she asks her current flame: “Will you come to me again tonight?” There’s not much more that can really be said thematically about the song. The 41-year-old’s calm voice nestles against the smooth, electrifying beat of Back2Back. This time she doesn’t rap, but rather shows R&B-tinged singing.
Takt32 ft. Khrome and Liquit Walker – “Bitumen”
Less quiet, more street rap comes this week from Takt32. In his new single “Bitumen” he brings in Liquit Walker and Khrome to rap about growing up and the hard life on the streets of Berlin. On a haunting beat from Rych and Magestick, the trio addresses battles, drugs and fighting through.
“Tell your boys: It doesn’t help to talk cleverly when things go wrong/In the end it’s survival, that’s rule number one/Yes, we don’t build monuments for heroes/They only become tattoos, then Ghosts on the skin
Kwam.E – “NFL”
On an instrumental by Ove, Kwam.E raps about success and money. A somewhat unforeseen topic. However, the rapper still manages to captivate you with his unique rap style, while the sound automatically makes you nod along and dream of the next mosh pit.
“With the boys in the hood and it’s playing Lil Durk/You can trust me, I’m a man off my word/Shoot, shoot, Steph’ Curr’/Don’t understand a word, he’s making waves on Percs/No matter what you do, Digga, Kwam did it first”