Nicki Minaj’s ‘Pink Friday 2’ Album: All 22 Songs Ranked

Minaj reportedly previewed “Bahm Bahm” on Instagram Live and relayed it wasn’t a fit for her album — and she probably should’ve kept to that thinking. The track just wasn’t very additive to the LP overall, which is already stuffed with 22 songs. — M.S.

Minaj showcases Carribbean pride while connecting to her Trinidadian roots. She heads to Jamaica to work with a pair of dancehall standouts in Skillibeng and Skeng. “Forward From Trini” could easily provide the soundtrack to Onika’s next trip to Trinidad for Carnival 2024. — M.S.

ATL Jacob builds the “FTCU” beat around Waka Flocka Flame’s Flockaveli standout but the lazy attempt doesn’t connect with Nicki’s bars funneling into a monotonous hole. The track is overshadowed by an eye-grabbing Tory Lanez-Iggy Azalea name-drop, and it isn’t clear who she’s shading here. — M.S.

Powered by a catchy chorus with Nicki leaning into her swooning vocals over violin strings, Minaj jumps from falling for a certain individual to laying her chips on the table to declare herself the greatest to do it. “I’m No. 1, y’all go argue over top four,” she raps. “Fallin 4 U” lands as a middling tune for PF2. — M.S.

With Murda (Beatz) on the beat and murder on her mind, Minaj burns through the 1:36 of “Beep Beep” with a single verse and bridge, clocking her haters with a valid question: “If I don’t know you exist, is that beef?” While the length is appropriate for a transitional track, it leaves more to be desired— fortunately, those looking for more aggressive Minaj can find it elsewhere on the album. — M.M.

Lil Wayne reuniting with his Young Money mentee is always a welcomed sight for fans who were raised on YM and have seen this fruitful journey blossom over the course of the last 15 years. The jingly production reps for R&B as Minaj gives the genre acronym a new meaning, a “real n—a b–ch.” Wayne is another rapper of the year candidate, as he’s delivered endless quality guest verses, and adds to his tally here like it’s still ’07. — M.S.

Every Sagittarius and Barb has their new birthday anthem thanks to a splash of fuschia and the uplifting “Pink Birthday.” “It’s your birthday, you could do what you want to,” Minaj testifies. The track arrives amid a stellar run for Pink Friday 2 and manages to stand tall while sandwiched between Lil Wayne and Drake features. Travis Scott even earned a co-writing credit on here too. — M.S.

Minaj is like a quarterback fully in control of the game at the mid-point of PF2. The Queens native slows the pace down to address those beneath her with another earworm of a chorus. Nicki salutes her husband’s street cred and lets her haters know she’s got shooters on deck when needed. A deep cut that could rise to a fan-favorite as time goes on. — M.S.

A reflective Nicki Minaj is a lethal Nicki Minaj when it comes to her songwriting and lyricism. “My Life” finds the Queen brushing off the drama in her life and since people are going to judge her either way, she’s gonna do what she wants regardless and the Barbz are going to be there cheering her on. — M.S.

A palette cleanser from the dessert section of Pink Friday 2. Minaj gives her take on a gospel track with Tasha Cobbs Leonard, and she’s never shy about giving up the glory to God. It does feel a bit contradictory to have Jesus-praising bars over a BNYX beat — but that’s range. — M.S.

This isn’t the first time Minaj has lifted from The Notorious B.I.G. in her career, as she interpolates bars from Biggie’s classic “Notorious Thugs” while flexing her ability and belittling the competition. “Barbie Dangerous” feels like a lyrical exercise for the rap legend as she breezes through the Hollywood Cole production which will land in the middle of the pack for Pink Friday 2. — M.S.

“Red Ruby Da Sleeze” served as the introduction of another braggadocios alter-ego for Minaj in March as the song reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. A worthy single setting the tone for the album and Republic Records opened up the vault for yet another catchy sample that found NM utilizing Lumidee’s 2003 hit “Never Leave You.” — M.S.

When this song dropped as a single, fans were equally delighted as they were surprised by the playful release sampling Rick James’ funky, Grammy-nominated hit “Super Freak.” The viral movement, propelled by TikTok dances and a remix featuring Minaj’s alter ego Roman Zolanski, gave Minaj her first unaccompanied solo Hot 100 No. 1 and third overall. Thanks to previous tracks like “RNB” and “Cowgirl,” we are well aware at this point that Minaj is a “Super Freaky Girl,” but it’s a welcome addition to a handful of tracks that reassert Nicki as a pop superstar. — M.M.

Pop Nicki fans, rise up: your new anthem is here. The empowered feminine ethos of the Pink Friday era is reimagined on this dreamy bop with the help of songwriter and emerging artist Lourdiz. Lourdiz’s fragile falsetto paints the act of riding “Cowgirl” as an uncharacteristically elegant act, but give space for Nicki to flesh out verses that range from soft, Harajuku Barbie-esque delivery to edgier points that give a taste of fan-favorite alter ego Roman Zolanski. — M.M.

An ethereal album closer, Minaj glides over the clouds and to the finish line while reminiscing on the dark hurdles of her childhood. Whether that was her fifth-grade crush being killed or getting arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, she persevered to accomplish her goals. — M.S.

Another anthem that was built around a renowned sample, the latest recipient being Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” banger. It seems like Nicki made it a point to have more fun with parts of this album and get back into her pop-rap bag circa 2010-2012, when she was basically running the sub-genre. The bubbly, Aqua-lifting “Barbie World” with Ice Spice also scorched the charts earlier this year — so why not stick with the winning formula? — M.S.

Minaj airs grievances against her lover with a strong assist from collaborator J. Cole. The duo’s exchange explores the complexity of adult relationships, with Cole’s signature prophetic tone shining as he comes to Minaj’s defense. As he relates to Minaj’s struggle, he takes a jab at the critics and references one of the most chaotic public relationship fall-outs in recent memory: “Word to Willy Smith, these silly n—as heckle and shun/ As if they life is somehow perfect and they never been plunged.” — M.M.

In line with recent trends of sped-up samples, “Are You Gone Already” features Billie Eilish’s “When the Party’s Over.” Eilish’s haunting vocals lay the foundation for Minaj to dive straight into heavy lyrics as she previews overarching themes of the album: love, loss, guilt, and fear, with the magnitude of these ideas emphasized by punctuating bass. — M.M.

Oozing with island vibes, “Needle” is sure to have hips gyrating on the dance floor this weekend. The wavy tune could’ve easily landed on Drake’s house-fused Honestly, Nevermind album. It wasn’t the type of collab most were probably expecting between Drizzy and Nicki, but this will sate the appetite for 2023. — M.S.

“Last Time I Saw You” is reminiscent of the 2018 Queen hidden gem “Come See About Me.” Minaj could be ruminating about the tragic loss of her father or another soured relationship. Perhaps it’s motherhood, but there’s a certain aspect of growth and maturity shown coming from her last album to Pink Friday 2. Nicki also takes full advantage of the guitar-driven instrumental.

Minaj sets the record straight declaring that she’s the greatest female rapper to ever pick up a pen and a lie detector test determined that to be the truth. “Greatest female rapper to ever live, and that’s on my kid,” the Queen raps. “If they ask about me, tell ’em I was one-of-one.” — M.S.

The sky is the limit for a potential Future and Nicki Minaj project. The duo reunites and delves into their R&B side as Pluto goes full HNDRXX mode singing his heart out and now a sequel is needed in 2024. “Feeling destructive leads to destruction,” Future warbles with a syrupy flow. “Nicki Hendrix” adds a different texture to the project — and to think Minaj had fans worried it wouldn’t even make Pink Friday 2. — M.S.

This anthem seems destined to go quadruple-platinum on TikTok, with fans creating various dances and clips to the groovy tune. The Junior Senior “Move Your Feet” sample will sound familiar to just about every generation but not many could point out the Danish duo walking down Madison Avenue. Lil Uzi Vert is part of the group project without contributing too much heavy lifting, as Minaj will look to — if the song lifts off as it should — lock down her fourth No. 1 hit on the Hot 100. — M.S.