The Pinkprint Tracklist
Released on December 12, 2014, The Pinkprint is Nicki Minaj’s third studio album. On this project, Nicki returns back to her Hip-hop roots, dropping the pop and dance-centric sounds that defined her on her previous studio album, 2012’s Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded.
The name of the album is a direct reference to Jay-Z’s The Blueprint, an album that changed the Hip-hop world, designing a “blueprint” for other rappers to imitate and follow. Nicki hoped for The Pinkprint to do the same. Jay-Z is also one of Nicki’s biggest influences, and she told Power 106:
I think everybody knows how obsessed I am with Jay Z. He’s always been my favorite rapper, him and Wayne. He did such a great job of creating this Blueprint brand for male rappers and I wanted to do that [for] female rappers to be able to pattern themselves with what I’ve done one day.
She also told Complex:
I made reference to The Blueprint because Jay is the biggest rapper of our time. The name of the album was inspired by Jay but not the body of work. I do think that it’s going to create new rules, though, in [a way] that [The Blueprint did].
Minaj has concluded, in an interview with V Magazine another big influence for the album was Enya.
Before the album’s release, Nicki released three buzz singles, “Lookin Ass” on February 12, “Chiraq” on April 7, and “Yasss Bish” on May 3, to help tease her fans what The Pinkprint would sound like. However, none of the three songs made the final track listing.
In 2015, The Pinkprint ranked as the seventh most popular album of the year, according to the Billboard 200.
“The Pinkprint” Q&A
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Translations
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What has the artist said about the album title?
Speaking to Power 106 FM on the name of her album and how it was inspired by Jay-Z’s The Blueprint, Minaj mentioned:
I think everybody knows how obsessed I am with Jay Z. He’s always been my favorite rapper – him and Wayne. He did such a great job of creating this Blueprint brand for male rappers, I felt. And I studied a lot of his blueprint, just in terms of becoming a mogul".
In another interview with Complex Magazine, she explained:
I have no idea what he was doing before The Blueprint dropped. It’s not that literal. People keep asking me about Jay’s The Blueprint and they think I’m doing something like that. I made reference to The Blueprint because Jay is the biggest rapper of our time. The name of the album was inspired by Jay but not the body of work. I do think that it’s going to create new rules, though, in [the way] that [The Blueprint did].
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How was the album reviewed and received by critics?
The Pinkprint was generally favoured by some critics:
This is her best album to date. Minaj was finally able to out-rap herself and purge issues she’s struggled with in private in her most exposed fashion yet.“
–Niki McGloster, via BillboardThe PinkPrint is the closest Nicki Minaj has ever gotten to balancing her tendencies, and the furthest she’s ever been from emotional stability.“
–Sheldon Pearce, via The A.V. Club…she’s intent on channelling her talent to explore and document her many moods. The combination is often, if not always, intoxicating"
–Randall Roberts, via Los Angeles TimesThere were, however, others who did not judge the album in the most positive manner, due to noticing her being “too personal”:
Minaj forces herself into her own box, muting her own strengths and songwriting abilities in favor of excising her emotional demons.“
–Brennan Carley, via Spin MagazineAs a rapper, she’s capable of grand technical feats, rapid cadence switching and complex rhyme patterns, but generally she puts those fireworks to the side when diving deep into her feelings.“
–Jon Caramanica, via The New York Times
