NEWS
Nicki Minaj has been the celebrity crush of many throughout the years, and she’s now celebrating her natural beauty with a throwback video that shows off her authentic features.
On Thursday (August 17), the Pinkprint rapper shared the clip on Instagram, showcasing a young Nicki before the glitz and glamor.
“25 never looked better,” she wrote of the clip on Instagram. “No surgery. No wigs. Just a brand new Colgate smile.”
Fans celebrated the old Nicki in the comments, with one writing: “And she still looks like this. UNTOUCHED FACE,” while another added: “Always natural always beautiful, always perfect always stunning.”
The nostalgic throwback comes after Minaj got her Barbz excited with a new snippet from her forthcoming album earlier this week, which in turn caused her upcoming album Pink Friday 2 to become the second-highest trending subject on Twitter on Monday (August 14).
The sleek, R&B clip was revealed in two videos posted to Nicki’s IG account. One clip sees Nicki listening to the new track while posing for a photo shoot, while the other sees the New York-bredrapper sitting amongst some close peers in the studio lip-syncing along to the new track.
Nicki Minaj first announced Pink Friday 2 back in June, and shared that her long-awaited follow-up to 2018’s Queen would serve as the sequel to her 2010 debut.
“Dear Barbz, I’ve been trying to find the right time to tell you this for a few days. Due to some really exciting news that I’ll share with you guys @ a later time, I’ve shifted the album date just a tad bit,” she wrote.
“Trust me, it’ll be WELL WORTH THE WAIT…but since I AM shifting the date just a tad, I’d like to give you guys a tiny SIP of some more album tea so that I don’t have to get cussed out so…here it goes: MY NEW ALBUM WILL BE RELEASED ON 11.17.23- And she shall be called #PinkFriday2.”
She added: “I love you guys so much. I am so grateful for the years of support & love you guys have given me. At times maybe I didn’t even deserve all that you have poured into me. Nonetheless, you. will. love. this. album.”
Minaj also revealed plans to hit the road, saying that an accompanying tour will follow early next year. “I will give tour deets closer to that time, but obviously the tour will start around the first quarter of 2024,” she wrote. “I’ll also share the REAL album cover at a later date.”
The original Pink Friday was a blockbuster success, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 while spawning a string of hit singles like “Super Bass,” “Moment 4 Life” and “Your Love.”
The album has since been certified 3×platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2012 Grammy Awards, alongside Minaj’s other nominations for Best New Artist and Best Rap Performance for “Moment 4 Life.”
Most recently, Nicki called out anyone who may have an issue with some of the new music she’s got coming down the pipeline, writing on Twitter: “When you are a rapper, you know the history of the greats & when you are an internet personality, you do not.
“So if you knew the history of the very culture you are trying to penetrate, you’d sitcho goofy ahh df down. It costs you nothing to stfu. PINK FRIDAY 2 11/17/23.”
NEWS
There is no question that Clipse’s Let God Sort Em Out made a serious impact and continues to hold weight. The project showed that hip hop is not limited by age and proved that a long-awaited return can still land in a major way regardless of the time away.
If you need a reminder, the Virginia duo’s fourth studio album debuted comfortably within the top five of the Hot 200. It secured the number four position and moved an impressive 118,000 units in its first week.
On top of that, it picked up a win at this year’s Grammys, earning Best Rap Performance for “Chains & Whips.” The album also received four additional nominations, including Best Music Video, Rap Album, and Album of the Year.
It is hard to believe the project will officially hit its one year mark this summer on July 11. Even so, Pusha T is making it clear that both supporters and critics should not be overlooking it anytime soon.
While performing at Coachella yesterday, King Push told the crowd that LGSEO still sits at the top, regardless of genre.
He said, “‘Let God Sort Em Out’ is still the album of the motherfckin year. Whole new year, still album of the year,” per Kurrco. “Album of the motherfcking year until we drop again. We don't care who dropping. It don't matter.”
That is a strong statement for obvious reasons, especially considering the recent claims surrounding Push himself.
Over the same weekend, hip hop social media lit up after several alleged reference tracks connected to Quentin Miller and Push began circulating. Three tracks surfaced in total, but one that drew the most attention was an alleged record titled “Real Gon’ Come.” It is said to come from the DAYTONA era, around 2017 to 2018.
The situation gained traction because fans remember the past tension between Drake and Pusha T before Drake’s clash with Kendrick Lamar. During that feud, Pusha accused Drake of using ghostwriters on tracks like “Infrared,” which appears on DAYTONA. On that song, he raps, “The bigger question is how the Russians did it /
It was written like Nas, but it came from Quentin.”
Reactions have been mixed. Some people argue it is not a major issue since Miller’s alleged contributions were limited to hooks. Others point out that the songs were never officially released, so they see no real problem. Meanwhile, critics view it as clear hypocrisy on Pusha T’s part, a perspective that DJ Akademiks has also supported.
