Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday 2: Gag City Reloaded was initially scheduled to release on Sept. 13. Unfortunately, the project didn’t arrive on streaming platforms, nor did she give much of an update on its ETA. However, on Sunday (Sept. 15) night, the “Anaconda” hitmaker revealed that she’s ditching the deluxe completely for a new LP: Pink Friday 3.
“I’ve decided to do a brand new album,” she began on Twitter before sharing that she will still perform “Mamita” and the tentative “Anxiety” throughout her current tour. Minaj continued, “I’ll announce the new date within the next couple [of] weeks. The new music is just too good to be thrown away on a deluxe album.”
She later promised a possible pre-release offering: “Last night (Sept. 14), the songs I recorded were just way too iconic. I love you guys so much. You know that. I know you do. I’ll still give you something leading up to the announcement, so no worries.”
Pink Friday 2 arrived 13 years after its chart-topping predecessor. The 22-song collection contained pre-loved tracks like “Red Ruby Da Sleeze,” “Last Time I Saw You” and “Super Freaky Girl,” while features came from Lil Wayne, J. Cole, Drake, Lil Uzi Vert and Future, among others.
It sold a whopping 228,000 album-equivalent units, subsequently making Minaj the female rapper with the most chart-topping projects — just one ahead of Foxy Brown.
As for why the Heavy On It founder opted out of Pink Friday 2: Gag City Reloaded, she explained, “As my first album as [Papa Bear’s] mama, it’s just very special to me for so many reasons you guys aren’t aware of. I put every song on there in a specific order... one or two songs is no big deal, but [adding] five to seven songs feels a little sloppy right now.”