Even before she released, or mentioned Pink Friday, Nicki Minaj was a household name. In 2009, she released her Beam Me Up Scotty mixtape, which set records for mixtape downloads. The success of the mixtape would land Nicki Minaj a deal with Young Money. Despite her success on the mixtape level, it was entirely up to Nicki Minaj to build her own fan base, upon joining Lil Wayne’s team.
Drake was signed to Young Money weeks before Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne made it clear his project would be the next release from the label. When asked about the other artists, Lil Wayne said they had to make themselves hot. Nicki Minaj took this as a challenge, recording standout verses for Ludacris’ hit single, “My Chick Bad” and Usher’s “Lil’ Freak.”
When the summer of 2010 arrived, Nicki Minaj released her debut single, “Your Love.” While the single was a success, no album release date was announced. Late in the summer of 2010, Young Money announced Pink Friday, the debut album from Nicki Minaj. The album was filled with more hit singles and would set various records.
However, during her recent interview with VIBE, Nicki Minaj revealed recording Pink Friday was something she did not enjoy doing. There was so much pressure placed upon Nicki Minaj, as the female rap breed had nearly died out, when she debuted. Nicki Minaj felt as if she had something to prove while recording this album. Despite her sexual lyrics, Nicki Minaj said she wanted to prove she was more than rapping about her body.
Since proving she was more than sex on her debut album, Nicki Minaj is preparing an album with blends of hip hop and pop, saying her time of proving critics wrong is over.
