Slant Magazine Reviews Pink Friday 2: An Identity Crisis

[RAMROD 107,492]

With 2010’s Pink Friday, Nicki Minaj didn’t adapt to the industry, but rather she forced it to adapt to her. A mix of femininity and bravado, the rapper’s first studio album quite literally remade mainstream hip-hop in her image. Thirteen years later, the album’s sequel, Pink Friday 2, feels like the product of an identity crisis. 

Throughout the album, which clocks in at one hour and 10 minutes, Minaj lets herself be overshadowed by the sounds and styles of her featured guests. “Let Me Calm Down,” featuring J. Cole, feels completely derivative of the North Carolina rapper’s 2014 Forest Hills Drive, while Drake gets more airtime on “Needle” than Minaj herself. Even when Pink Friday 2 homes in on some catchy or indelible moments, like on the solo “Fallin 4 U,” things tend to slip into a sugary pop-R&B groove reminiscent of newer artists like Doja Cat and SZA. 

Which is to say that Pink Friday 2 doesn’t lack identity so much as it struggles to settle on one. It feels more like a compilation or mixtape than a Nicki Minaj album. The singular personality that shined through on past efforts like 2014’s The Pinkprint pop up only in fits and starts here, and while Minaj’s rhymes are as sharp as they’ve ever been—“Beep, beep beep, is that bleep?/Is that you talkin’ to me? It’s that deep?” she raps on “Beep Beep”—they’re too often submerged in a sea of over-production and cheesy sonic embellishments. 

This is most evident in Pink Friday 2’s choice of samples. On opener “Are You Gone Already,” Minaj raps over a sped-up snippet of Billie Eilish’s “When the Party’s Over,” a song that delivers a poignant sentiment about the death of the singer’s father. That emotional impact is overshadowed here by the track’s lazy, TikTok-inspired production. 

Despite some catchy moments, there’s almost nothing about Pink Friday 2 that makes it stand out from the current slate of pop and rap music. Unlike its predecessor, the album doesn’t leave much of an impression, and certainly won’t reshape the hip-hop landscape.

2.5/5 Stars

https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/nicki-minaj-pink-friday-2-album-review/amp/

 

do you agree? Or nah?

[Doroteyo 431]

i only disagree on the rating. it should be 1/5

[SimonBaetens 8,011]

I listened to it last night. Few tracks stood out to me, the of bulk of the album sounds rushed and uninspired. I think it’s only fair that it gets low ratings. The Needle Drop gave it a 3/10, ouch.

 

[RAMROD 107,492]

3 hours ago, SimonBaetens said:

I listened to it last night. Few tracks stood out to me, the of bulk of the album sounds rushed and uninspired. I think it’s only fair that it gets low ratings. The Needle Drop gave it a 3/10, ouch.

 

OMG, this should be a wake up call for Nicki 

[blzr 1,562]

Just heard the one sampling When the party’s over - yikes! 

[RenegAde 18,736]

Yall are really reaching to the ends of the earth looking for negative reviews.

[AndiGaga 6,568]

8 minutes ago, blzr said:

Just heard the one sampling When the party’s over - yikes! 

I think thats the worst song i may have heard this year

[Mister G 10,333]

Pitchfork rated it a 6.5 and Metacritic gave it a 71. 

[Nathaniel Arven 1,765]

4 all i know the idea of an album that is made like a mixtape is bold. 

i listened to the first single i guess ?? and i thought it was so soft, such a departure from all i knew from her. 

what i read actually makes me wanna listen. 

 

[Nathaniel Arven 1,765]

ok i guess it'z my fav nm record. 

pink friday girls with cindy lauper omg !!!, love when she answers in the verse. clever. 

last time i saw u is my fav song from her, and i ain't found the one with billie eilish yet.

[Noah X 5,250]

7 hours ago, SimonBaetens said:

I listened to it last night. Few tracks stood out to me, the of bulk of the album sounds rushed and uninspired. I think it’s only fair that it gets low ratings. The Needle Drop gave it a 3/10, ouch.

 

I was trying to listen to the review but he's so hot I got distracted and looked him up on lpsg. I want him to sit on me 

[4th Time Around 4,176]

I find these negative reviews to be accurate after listening to it myself. None of the tracks are memorable and the samples scream lazy and uninspired.