Nicki Minaj Delays ‘Pink Friday 2’ Release, Denies Album Sales Showdown with Lil Wayne
Nicki Minaj has made the decision to postpone the release of her much-anticipated album, Pink Friday 2, originally set to drop on November 17. This move eliminates the potential album sales showdown with Lil Wayne’s Welcome 2 ColleGrove collaboration with 2 Chainz, which was scheduled for the same date.
Minaj revealed the new release date during an Instagram Live session on Tuesday, citing her birthday, December 8, as the chosen day for the album’s release. She clarified that the decision to delay Pink Friday 2 had been made quietly behind the scenes some time ago and denied any notion that her Young Money mentor, Lil Wayne, had intentionally infringed upon her original release date.
Addressing her fans, Minaj said, “I have changed my album date. It’s been changed for some time now behind the scenes. As you can tell, Weezy and 2 Chainz, they announced their date, and you know how me and Weezy play. He would never do that if that was my album date, so I wanted to make sure you guys were aware of that because I saw some of you guys questioning that.”
Minaj also teased that her fanbase, known as the Barbz, would be pleased with the reason behind the rescheduling. She emphasized her pride in the album and shared, “The new album date for this incredible body of work that I’m so proud of is on a very special day to me and to the Barbz… Pink Friday 2, I’m so happy to announce, will be out on my birthday, December 8th.”
The delay, she later explained, was due to an issue with the vinyl copies of the album and their availability. “We ended up not being able to get the vinyls in time for the first week, and they were actually available for December 1st, the following week,” Minaj said. “So, I chose between December 1st and my birthday, and I chose my birthday.”
Although Pink Friday 2 will not arrive on the originally planned date, Minaj promised that November 17 would still be a significant day as she intends to announce her new tour. The tour, slated for the first quarter of 2024, is described by Minaj as her “greatest tour” to date, offering a unique experience distinct from her previous tours.
Nicki Minaj has unveiled two covers for Pink Friday 2, one for the standard version and another for the vinyl edition. She has also shared several potential singles, including “Super Freaky Girl,” “Red Ruby Da Sleeze,” and “Last Time I Saw You.” Pink Friday 2 is set to follow her 2018 album, Queen, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 185,000 album-equivalent units during its first week.
