Maps of Music

Queen (2018)

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

The album's release was pushed back twice and then came out a week early, and its cover was shot during the 'Ganja Burn' music video shoot.

Key places

Criteria Studios in Miami (2018)

Recording site Criteria Studios — Listed as a recording location for this album, at Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Jungle City Studios in New York City (2018)

Recording site Jungle City Studios — Listed as a recording location for this album at Jungle City Studios in New York City. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Germano in New York City (2018)

Recording site Germano Studios — Listed as a recording location for this album at Germano in New York City. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Premier in New York City (2018)

Recording site Premier Studios — Listed as a recording location for this album at Premier in New York City. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

La Grande Armée in Paris (2018)

Recording site La Grande Armée (Paris) — Listed as a recording location for this album at La Grande Armée in Paris, France. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Effigy in Detroit (2018)

Recording site Hitsville USA — Listed as a recording location for this album in Detroit. The point uses the city center, not a building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Glenwood Place in Burbank (2018)

Recording site Glenwood Place Studios — Listed as a recording location for this album at Glenwood Place in Burbank, California. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Kingdom in Beverly Hills (2018)

Recording site The Red Lips Room (Beverly Hills) — Listed as a recording location for this album in Beverly Hills, California. The point uses the city center. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

SremmLife in Los Angeles (2018)

Recording site Motown Recording Studios — Listed as a recording location for this album in Los Angeles. The point uses the city center. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Queen is the fourth studio album by rapper Nicki Minaj
• Released August 10, 2018 by Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records, and Republic Records
• Recording sessions with a handful of producers began in late 2016 and concluded in August 2018
• Guest appearances by Eminem, Foxy Brown, Future, Swae Lee, Lil Wayne, Ariana Grande, Labrinth, and the Weeknd
• Four singles: 'Chun-Li', 'Bed' featuring Ariana Grande, 'Barbie Dreams', and a remix of 'Good Form' featuring Lil Wayne
• 'Fefe' with 6ix9ine and Murda Beatz added to streaming editions in the week after release

Background

• Follows the third studio album The Pinkprint (2014) and The Pinkprint Tour, which ended in August 2015
• In an October 2016 interview, Minaj discussed the upcoming fourth album while still completing work for other artists
• Release date was pushed back twice, then released a week ahead of schedule
• Title and original release date announced during an interview at the Met Gala on May 7, 2018
• Minaj launched the live radio program Queen Radio on Beats 1 to promote the album
• The Nicki Wrld Tour began in February 2019 in Europe

Cover

• Cover art released on Twitter on June 7, 2018
• Shot by Mert and Marcus during the 'Ganja Burn' music video shoot
• Minaj sits topless on a log, wearing pasties and a head-dress inspired by Cleopatra

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

• Critics gave generally positive reviews, praising the production but criticizing the album's length and lack of direction
• Metacritic average score of 70 based on 22 reviews
• Ella Jukwey of The Independent called it the most important album of Minaj's career so far
• Briana Younger of Pitchfork said the connections between past and present made it feel like her most creatively honest album
• Erin Lowers of Exclaim! said it highlighted the rapper's ability to adapt to an ever-changing sonic landscape
• Bryan Rolli of Forbes called it a great 10-song album hiding inside a messy 19-song album
• Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times said Minaj spends much time describing her dominance, suggesting she fears it is beginning to erode
• Jonny Coleman of The Hollywood Reporter called it a joyless mess
• The A.V. Club gave it a B+

Records

• Debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 with 185,000 album-equivalent units, of which 78,000 were pure album sales
• Dropped to number three in its second week, number five in the third week, and number seven in the fourth week
• Certified platinum by the RIAA in January 2019 for 1 million equivalent units in the US
• Debuted at number four in Australia and at number two in Canada
• Debuted at number five on the UK Albums Chart
• Highest-peaking album in France (number seven) and Germany (number eighteen)

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• 'Fefe' was added to the tracklist days after release as track 20 and appears only in the standard digital edition.
• The cover photo was shot during the 'Ganja Burn' music video shoot by Mert and Marcus.
• Minaj performed a medley live from the PATH World Trade Center station at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards.
• Queen won the fan-voted Album of 2018 award at the 44th People's Choice Awards.
• Queen Radio guests included Ariana Grande, Alicia Keys, and Kim Kardashian.
• 'Barbie Dreams' samples and interpolates 'Just Playing (Dreams)' by The Notorious B.I.G., a 1994 song.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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