Maps of Music

Pink Friday (2010)

Where the lyrics of Pink Friday take you, and where it was really made.

Pink Friday debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 but only reached number one in its eleventh week on the chart.

Key places

Recording sessions in Detroit (2010)

Recording site Hitsville USA — Recording sessions for the album took place at 25 Sound Studios in Detroit. The point marks the city centre, not the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording sessions at Chalice in Los Angeles (2010)

Recording site Chalice Recording — Chalice Recording Studios in Los Angeles hosted recording sessions for the album. The point is placed at the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording sessions in Burbank (2010)

Recording site The Enterprise (Burbank) — Recording sessions for the album also took place at Glenwood Place Studios in Burbank, California. The point marks the city centre, not the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Pink Friday is the debut studio album by Trinidadian rapper and singer Nicki Minaj
• Released November 22, 2010 by Cash Money Records, Young Money Entertainment and Universal Motown Records
• Mainly a hip-hop, pop and R&B album with elements of electronic music
• Guest vocals from Eminem, Rihanna, Drake, will.i.am, Kanye West and Natasha Bedingfield

Background

• Young Money Entertainment announced on August 31, 2009 that Minaj had signed to the label, and she began recording the album after that contract
• Three singles preceded the release: "Your Love", "Check It Out" and "Right Thru Me"
• The release date was first announced as November 23, 2010 and then moved up one day to November 22
• Minaj revealed the album title on Ustream on August 3, 2010, naming it after the Black Friday tradition
• A deluxe edition was confirmed alongside the standard release
• Before the album, Minaj ran a five-date promotional tour, starting in Philadelphia on October 22 and ending in Trinidad and Tobago on October 30

Recording

• Sessions took place at several studios, including 25 Sound Studios in Detroit, Chalice Recording Studios in Los Angeles and Glenwood Place Studios in Burbank, California
• Swizz Beatz collaborated with Minaj on the album, and the song "Catch Me" later became a bonus track
• will.i.am contributed production, and Kanye West and Bangladesh were also confirmed as contributors
• In 2011, the track "We Miss You" leaked online; Minaj said it had been sent to Mariah Carey and Keyshia Cole and did not make the album due to clearance issues

Cover

• The official album artwork was released on Friday, October 15, 2010
• Rap-Up described the cover as Minaj appearing as a doll with an alarming stare, seated armless on the ground in a silver corset, pink stilettos and a pink wig
• Photographer GL Woods said Minaj wanted to look like a broken Barbie, and she was inspired by an earlier shoot for Out with a similar theme

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career

• Trinidadian rapper, singer, and songwriter; known as the "Queen of Rap".
• Raised in New York City; began rapping professionally in the early 2000s.
• Gained recognition through three mixtapes released between 2007 and 2009.
• Debut studio album Pink Friday (2010) topped the US Billboard 200 and produced "Super Bass".
• Pink Friday 2 (2023) made her the female rapper with the most US number-one albums (three).
• Known for a dynamic rap flow, witty lyrics, musical versatility, and alter egos such as Roman Zolanski.
• Has sold over 100 million records; ranked by Billboard and Vibe as the greatest female rapper of all time (2023).

Recognition

• Won multiple MTV Video Music Awards, BET Awards, and American Music Awards.
• Named one of Time's 100 most influential people in 2016.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Pink Friday was met with generally positive reviews from music critics
• Metacritic assigned the album a score of 68 out of 100, based on 26 reviews
• The Boston Globe's James Reed called it a brash pop album brimming with Minaj's various personae and Technicolor rhymes
• Entertainment Weekly's Brad Wete praised Minaj's knack for melody and boasting lyrics
• NME's Sam Wolfson noted Minaj's pop sensibility and volatility reminiscent of Lil Wayne's heyday
• Pitchfork's Scott Plagenhoef judged that even when aiming down the middle of the road, Minaj was better than almost anyone else
• AllMusic's David Jeffries wrote that the album both dazzles and disappoints
• The Independent's Andy Gill felt that Right Thru Me was the only track showing adequate use of Minaj's R&B vocal skills
• The Guardian's Alexis Petridis was negative, saying that for every burst of originality there was a burst of generic frosty synth and Auto-Tune

Reappraisal

• Over a decade after release, the album has received praise from music journalists and developed a cult following
• Rolling Stone placed it at number 31 on its 2022 list of 200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time, saying it proved you could own the charts without dialing back your confrontational individuality

Records

• Debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 with 375,000 copies sold in its first week
• The first-week sales were the second highest for a female rapper, after Lauryn Hill
• Topped the Billboard 200 in its eleventh week, selling 45,000 copies
• Spent fourteen consecutive weeks in the Billboard 200 top ten
• Certified platinum by the RIAA on December 17; certified triple platinum on March 22, 2016
• Peaked at number eight in Canada and within the top twenty in Australia, Ireland and the UK
• Sold 282,000 copies in the UK as of April 2012
• Nominated for Best Rap Album at the 54th Grammy Awards in 2012

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Young Money Entertainment announced on August 31, 2009 that Nicki Minaj had signed to the label.
• Massive Attack was first considered the album's first single, but it did not end up on the album.
• Before the release, MAC Cosmetics launched a lipstick called Pink 4 Friday, sold for four consecutive Fridays from November 26, 2010.
• In 2011, OPI Products made a six-piece nail polish collection with Minaj, with colours named after songs from the album.
• In December 2011, Mattel made a custom Minaj-themed Barbie doll valued at about $15,000 for auction.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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