The Pinkprint

Untitled

The Pinkprint is the third studio album by American recording artist Nicki Minaj; it was released on December 12, 2014, by Young Money, Cash Money and Republic Records. Looking to depart from the dance-pop elements from her second studio album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2012), Minaj wanted to make a follow-up record influenced by her traditional hip hop beginnings. She collaborated with producers including Alex da Kid, Boi-1da, Cirkut, Da Internz, Detail, Dr. Luke, Hit-Boy, Mike Will Made-It, and will.i.am to achieve her desired sound.

Music critics commended The Pinkprint for its overall production and cohesiveness, and recognized it as Minaj's strongest project to date. The album has been supported by the singles "Pills n Potions", "Anaconda", "Only" and "Bed of Lies". "Anaconda" peaked at number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and has become Minaj's highest-charting single to date in the United States. Promotional efforts for The Pinkprint continued to associate Minaj with an increasingly understated image in regards to dress and demeanor, an effort begun earlier in 2014. Furthermore, she will promote the album with her forthcoming international The Pinkprint Tour.

Background and development

"I have no idea what [Jay Z] 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."

Minaj discussing the similarities between The Pinkprint and The Blueprint by Jay-Z.

Minaj released her second studio album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded in April 2012, and released a reissued version subtitled The Re-Up that November. In 2013, she served as a judge during the twelfth season of American Idol, and filmed her acting debut in the feature film The Other Woman (2014). She began writing material for her follow-up record after production of the movie was completed, and later described the then-forthcoming release as "next level" and "very different from anything I've done". With the premiere of the non-album track "Lookin Ass", it was announced that the project would be titled The Pinkprint in February 2014. Its title references The Blueprint (2001) by Jay-Z, to which Minaj opined that "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".

In August 2014, Minaj's manager informed her that Beyoncé wanted to make a remix of "Flawless" with her and in return she would feature on The Pinkprint. Minaj said that she wrote her verse in New York and Beyoncé visited her in the studio and encouraged her. In September 2014, Minaj stated that "it was her best album to date" saying she had grown as a writer and was able to speak about topics that she had felt uncomfortable sharing two years ago. Later that month, Minaj characterized the album with it consisting out of "raw talent, emotion, hard spitting and everything that people have come to love about Nicki Minaj". In November 2014, Minaj revealed that she recorded twenty-five songs for the album, stating she would find a song that "sits" with her and then mold that track for a while until she was satisfied. She continued by saying that her biggest problem during the recording process was cutting songs from the final track listing as each track was "special" to her.

Music and lyrics

Speaking on the album's musical style, Minaj stated that the album would "focus on rap" and "feed the core rap fan", whereas Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded explored more prominent elements of dance music. In April 2014, Minaj told MTV News "the tracks on [my next album] are back to my hip-hop roots. And I don't think it's something that I'm necessarily trying to do [but] as soon as I started working on my new album, that's just the songs that I've been writing". Minaj stated the album's lyrics touch upon themes of her family, loss, death and her struggle with guilt.

The album opens with the autobiographical song, "All Things Go", which slowly unfolds and contains "heavy beats and heavy bass" along with "subtle synths". The lyrics discuss a wide range of personal issues Minaj has faced, from reflecting on fame and the speed in which her life has moved, to strained relationships with her family including the murder of her cousin Nicholas Telemaque, to her relationship with her mother and her own child which references an abortion. "I Lied" is a ballad that contains a torpid production that does not change tempo. Lyrically, the song revolves around a "complicated regret" in which Minaj admits she denied her love for a man in order to stop him from breaking her heart. "The Crying Game" features uncredited vocals from British musician Jessie Ware.The song mixes "sombre balladry with downbeat guitar loops" and is described as one of the album's most emotional songs. During the song, Minaj alternates between "devastating verses and pensive crooning" whilst Ware adds "haunting" and "soulful" vocals to the chorus.

Beyoncé is featured on the song "Feeling Myself".

"Get on Your Knees" is a trap-pop song that features vocals from American singer Ariana Grande. Minaj raps in a "trance-like" style as she demands things from her male partner, which hints at oral sex, and is described as a "fetish obsession with seeing their man on all fours." "Feeling Myself" features singer-songwriter Beyoncé, and is built over a West Coast synth, driving bass and drums along with bells and whistles incorporated into the production. "Only" is a hip-hop song that features guest appearances from Drake, Lil Wayne, and Chris Brown who sings the chorus of the song. The song contains an "icy" production that sits "ominously" underneath dirty lyrical metaphors. "Want Some More" features lyrics that see Minaj stroking her own ego and check anyone who dares to doubt her worth. During the song, Minaj makes references to Eminem, Kanye West and Lil Wayne and states she is her "only competition." "Four Door Aventador" has humming and low-key production with lyrics revolving around mafia imagery. The song is compared to the work of The Notorious B.I.G..

"Favorite" features American R&B singer Jeremih and is a return to a "romantic narrative" following the four previous songs which features Minaj bragging. The song is lyrically sexually explicit and sees Jeremih singing about wanting to be Nicki’s favorite. Minaj raps about wanting to be the "primary role in a man’s life." "Buy a Heart" features rapper Meek Mill, who sings the hook of the song. "Trini Dem Girls" is a dancehall track that features a guest appearance from rapper Lunchmoney Lewis. The song contains echoing handclaps and a "Diwali Riddim" with a "blaring" chorus. "Anaconda" is a hip-hop song that heavily samples "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-a-Lot. The song's lyrical content is described as "raunchy" and noted for containing a "heavy dose of 2014 sex lingo". "The Night Is Still Young" is a pop song with verses revolving around a routine night out at a club.

"Pills n Potions" is a slow-burning piano ballad that contains prominent elements of hip hop, R&B and pop. The song opens with a sparse, haunting drum beat, while Minaj sings the pre-chorus in a feather-like near-whisper. As the song's pre-chorus repeats, an echo effect is added to her vocals, and "blooming" chants are sung to create the song's chorus. The song's lyrics revolve around someone who has wronged her but she still loves. "Bed of Lies" features guest vocals from singer-songwriter Skylar Grey and is a slow-tempo song built over triumphant production, pianos, rolling drums and booming bass. The song opens with Grey's chorus and a restrained keyboard set before Minaj begins to rap about an ex-lover. "Grand Piano" is the final song on the album's standard version and is the only song on the album that features no rapping from Minaj. The song is a ballad that contains pianos and violins, with lyrics revolving around Minaj "feeling stupid" and feeling "played" by a former lover.

Singles

"Pills n Potions" was released as the lead single from the album on May 21, 2014. Minaj announced the release at the 2014 Billboard Music Awards. The song peaked at number 24 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

"Anaconda" was released as the second single from the album on August 4, 2014. The song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Minaj's highest-charting single in the U.S. to date.

"Only" which features Drake, Lil Wayne, and Chris Brown, was released as the third single from the album on October 28, 2014. The song has so far peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Minaj debuted the album's fourth single "Bed of Lies", featuring Skylar Grey, at the 2014 MTV Europe Music Awards which she also hosted. It released on iTunes on November 16, 2014. The song has so far peaked at number 70 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Release and promotion

See also: The Pinkprint Tour

In August 2014, Minaj confirmed that the album will be released in the fourth quarter of the year. On September 9, 2014, Minaj announced through her Twitter account that the album would be released on November 24, 2014. In late October, her management announced that the album had been rescheduled for release on December 15. On October 31, 2014, Minaj released a trailer for the album, directed by Khalil Kavon, which features a mixture of Minaj's recent videos with cut-aways to a thumb being fingerprinted in pink ink. The album was made available for pre-order on iTunes on December 3, 2014 with the intro track "All Things Go" as an instant download. On November 2, 2014, Minaj released the album's deluxe artwork, which was designed by Joe Perez's design studio. The deluxe cover features a "sandy" textured pink "splatter" which features a thumbprint placed in the middle of a white background. The artwork for the standard edition of the album features the same image with a black background. The official track listing for the album was released by Minaj on December 1, 2014, and features guest appearances by Ariana Grande, Beyoncé, Drake, Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, Jeremih, Meek Mill, Lunchmoney Lewis, and Skylar Grey.

During the first week of retail availability, it was discovered that physical deluxe versions of The Pinkprint were unintentionally shipped worldwide with an instrumental version of "Anaconda" instead of the original track.

In contrast to the vibrantly-colored wardrobe and hairpieces she had become associated with earlier in her career, Minaj embraced a more understated image during promotional runs for The Pinkprint. She opined that "You can either continue doing costumes or you can just say, 'Hey guess what? This will shock them even more. Doing nothing will shock them even more.'" On December 6, 2014, Minaj appeared as a musical guest on an episode of NBC's Saturday Night Live alongside host James Franco. She performed three songs from the album: "Bed of Lies", "Only" and "All Things Go". She also participated in a few sketches.

During album release week, Minaj visited a few talk shows in promotion for the album. On December 15, Minaj appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show for an interview and also performed "Bed of Lies". On December 16, Minaj appeared on The Today Show for an interview and another performance. That same night, she appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon for an interview. On December 18, Minaj appeared on 106 & Park as the show's final guest artist to discuss the album and the show's legacy. On December 19, Minaj appeared on The Real for an interview.

Minaj is set to support the album with a seventeen date European tour, the tour will start on March 16 in Stockholm, Sweden, and will stop off in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Norway, Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands before ending on April 12 in Glasgow. Trey Songz will be the opening act.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	71/100
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Billboard
Exclaim	8/10
HipHopDX
Los Angeles Times
New York Daily News
Pitchfork	7.5/10
Rolling Stone
Slant Magazine
Spin	7/10

The Pinkprint has received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 71, based on 22 reviews. Billboard editor Niki McGloster gave the album a positive review saying that "While it's too early to tell if The Pinkprint is a classic, it's safe to say it's 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". Samantha O’Connor from Exclaim! gave a positive review saying that "Nicki is more personal, more timeless and more connected to her own artistry here, serving some of the most superlative work of her established career on The Pinkprint". Marcus Dowling from HipHopDX gave a positive review saying that "The Pinkprint runs a middle path between pop over exertion and real lyricism, creating an everything for someone aesthetic that Nicki doesn't allow to shift into wastefulness. As such, it is an ambitious undertaking Nicki has wrangled in highly entertaining fashion". Randall Roberts from Los Angeles Times reviewed the album saying "If the late-add dance track confuses things, it's hard to fault Minaj. Throughout The Pinkprint, she's intent on channeling her talent to explore and document her many moods. The combination is often, if not always, intoxicating".

Pitchfork editor Meaghan Garvey reviewed the album saying that "The Pinkprint singles underwhelm [but] they’re redeemed by the bonus tracks—a thrilling, confounding six-song set that elevates The Pinkprint from an occasionally transcendent break-up album to something far more intriguing". New York Daily News editor Jim Faber gave the album a mixed review saying that "Disappointingly, [Pinkprint] hasn’t taken Minaj further into the surreality that first promised to turn her into Missy Elliott to the 10th power. But there’s no denying the album’s catchiness".

Commercial performance

In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number 22 on the UK Albums Chart selling 17,604 copies in its first week. It is Nicki Minaj's lowest-charting studio album in the UK.

Track listing

The Pinkprint — Standard version

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"All Things Go"	Onika Maraj Matthew Samuels Ester Dean Anderson Hernandez Allen Ritter	Boi-1da Vinylz Ritter[a]	4:53
2.	"I Lied"	Maraj Michael Williams M. Bell Dean	Mike Will Made It Skooly[a]	5:04
3.	"The Crying Game"	Maraj Jessie Ware Andrew Wansel Warren Felder Steven Mostyn	Wansel Felder	4:25
4.	"Get on Your Knees" (featuring Ariana Grande)	Maraj Katy Perry Chloe Angelides Lukasz Gottwald Sarah Hudson Jacob Kasher Hindlin Henry Walter	Dr. Luke Cirkut	3:36
5.	"Feeling Myself" (featuring Beyoncé)	Maraj Beyoncé Knowles Solana Rowe Chauncey Hollis	Hit-Boy Beyoncé[b]	3:57
6.	"Only" (featuring Drake, Lil Wayne and Chris Brown)	Maraj Aubrey Graham Dwayne Carter Jeremy Coleman Gottwald Theron Thomas Timothy Thomas Walter	Dr. Luke Cirkut JMIKE	5:12
7.	"Want Some More"	Maraj Jeremih Felton Xavier Dotson Christian Ward Leland Wayne	Zaytoven Hitmaka Metro Boomin Nicki Minaj[a]	3:49
8.	"Four Door Aventador"	Maraj Asabe Ighile Parker Ighile	Parker	3:02
9.	"Favorite" (featuring Jeremih)	Maraj Robert Williams Felton Darhyl Camper, Jr. Rob Holladay Ward	Darhyl "Hey DJ" Camper, Jr. Minaj[a] Holladay[a]	4:02
10.	"Buy a Heart" (featuring Meek Mill)	Maraj Williams Ward Armond Redmen	Arch Tha Boss Hitmaka	4:15
11.	"Trini Dem Girls" (featuring Lunchmoney Lewis)	Maraj Coleman Gottwald Hindlin Gamal Lewis Theron Thomas Alexander Castillo Vasquez Walter	Dr. Luke Cirkut A.C. JMIKE	3:14
12.	"Anaconda"	Maraj Jamal Jones Jonathan Solone-Myvett Ernest Clark Marcos Palacios Anthony Ray	Polow da Don Anonymous Da Internz[a]	4:20
13.	"The Night Is Still Young"	Maraj Dean Gottwald Theron Thomas Walter	Dr. Luke Cirkut	3:47
14.	"Pills n Potions"	Maraj Dean Gottwald Walter	Dr. Luke Cirkut	4:27
15.	"Bed of Lies" (featuring Skylar Grey)	Maraj Holly Hafermann Daniel Johnson Coleman Breyan Stanley Isaac Vinay Vyas Justin Davey Alexander Grant	Kane Beatz JMIKE Alex da Kid[a] Isaac[a] T.O.D.A.Y.[a]	4:29
16.	"Grand Piano"	Maraj Johnson Dean William Adams Keith Harris Peter Lord	will.i.am Harris Kane Beatz Minaj[a] T.O.D.A.Y.[a] The Mad Violinist[a]	4:19
Total length:				66:51

The Pinkprint — Deluxe version

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
17.	"Big Daddy" (featuring Meek Mill)	Maraj Williams Ronald LaTour Johnny Juliano Daveon Jackson Brock Korsan	Cardo Juliano[a] Yex[a]	3:19
18.	"Shanghai"	Maraj Robert V Sample Steven Nathaniel Pugh Irvin Whitlow Deshawn Kennedy Ward	Chinza//Fly Minaj[a]	3:39
19.	"Win Again"	Maraj Shama Joseph Lasanna Harris	Shama "Sak Pase" Joseph	4:10
Total length:				77:59

The Pinkprint — iTunes Store version

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
20.	"Truffle Butter" (featuring Drake and Lil Wayne)	Maraj Graham Carter Paul Jefferies Maya Jane Coles	Nineteen85	3:39
Total length:				78:58

The Pinkprint — Target and UK version

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
20.	"Mona Lisa"	Maraj Noel Fisher Andre Proctor	Detail	3:28
21.	"Put You in a Room"	Maraj Proctor Rasool Diaz Brian Soko Fisher	The Order Detail[a]	2:59
Total length:				84:26

The Pinkprint — Japanese version

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
20.	"Wamables"	Maraj	3:02
Total length:			81:01

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies a co-producer
• ^{^[a]} signifies an additional vocal producer

Sampling credits

• "Buy a Heart" contains excerpts of "Stay", as performed by Henry Krinkle and "Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)", as performed by Alicia Keys.
• "Anaconda" contains a sample of "Baby Got Back", as performed by Sir Mix-a-Lot.
• "Grand Piano" contains interpolations from "Rush Rush", as written by Peter Lord.
• "Truffle Butter" contains a sample of "What They Say", as performed by Maya Jane Coles.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic.

Performance

• Nicki Minaj – primary artist
• Beyoncé – featured artist
• Chris Brown – featured artist
• Drake – featured artist
• Ariana Grande – featured artist
• Skylar Grey – featured artist
• Jeremih – featured artist
• Lunchmoney Lewis – featured artist
• Lil Wayne – featured artist
• Meek Mill – featured artist
• Jessie Ware – featured artist (uncredited)
• Lukasz Gottwald – vocals
• Theron Thomas – vocals
• Henry Walter – vocals
• Candice Boyd – vocals (background)

Producers

• Dwayne Carter – executive producer
• Bryan "Birdman" Williams – executive producer
• Ronald "Slim" Williams – executive producer
• Nicki Minaj – co-executive producer
• A.C.
• Anonymous
• Arch tha Boss
• Boi-1da
• Darhyl "DJ" Camper Jr.
• Cirkut
• Da Internz
• Dr. Luke
• Warren Felder
• Keith Harris
• Hit-Boy
• Hitmaka
• Rob Holladay
• Parker Ighile
• Breyan Stanley Isaac
• JMIKE
• Johnny Juliano
• Kane Beatz
• Alex da Kid
• The Mad Violinist
• Metro Boomin
• Mike Will Made-It
• Nineteen85
• Polow da Don
• Allen Ritter
• Sak Pase
• Skooly
• T.O.D.A.Y
• Vinylz
• Andrew Wansel
• will.i.am
• Yex
• Yung Exclusive
• Zaytoven

Technical

• A.C. – instrumentation, programming
• Jon Armstrong – recording assistant
• Chris Athens – mastering
• Todd Bergman – engineer, recording assistant
• Boi-1da – instrumentation
• Noel Cadastre – engineer
• Cirkut – instrumentation, programming
• John Cranfield – recording assistant
• Aubry "Big Juice" Delaine – engineer, mixing
• Dr. Luke – instrumentation, programming
• Rachael Findlen – engineer, recording assistant
• Ashanti "The Mad Violinist" Floyd – strings
• Serban Ghenea – mixing
• Clint Gibbs – engineer
• John Hanes – engineer, mixing
• Jaycen Joshua – mixing
• JMIKE – instrumentation, programming
• Dustin Kapulong – recording assistant
• Ryan Kaul – mixing assistant
• Caleb Laven – vocal editing
• Omar Loya – engineer
• Fabian Marasciullo – mixing
• Manny Marroquin – mixing
• Cameron Montgomery – recording assistant
• Irene Richter – production coordination
• Allen Ritter – instrumentation
• Ramon Rivas – recording assistant
• Tim Roberts – mixing assistant
• Phil Seaford – mixing assistant
• Ben Sedano – recording assistant
• Brandon Mr. B Speed – engineer
• Brian Springer – engineer
• Chris Tabron – engineer
• Vinylz – instrumentation
• Stuart White – engineer
• Daniel Zaidenstadt – engineer

Miscellaneous

• Joshua Berkman – A&R
• Michael Brady – A&R
• Kidus Henok;– A&R
• Safaree "SB" Samuels – A&R

Charts

Chart (2014)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)	19
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)	32
Illegal chart entered Germany2	69
Irish Albums (IRMA)	31
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)	25
UK Albums (OCC)	22

Release history

Country	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
Germany	December 12, 2014	CD Digital download	Young Money Cash Money Republic
United States	December 15, 2014

External links

• Official website
• The Pinkprint discography at Discogs