NEWS
Nicki Minaj has saluted her devoted fan base for sticking by her as Pink Friday 2 continues to break records.
The Barbz leader penned a heartfelt note to her fans — whom she’s deemed to be the greatest ever — on Instagram on Sunday (January 14) as Nicki learned that PF2 has sold over a million units and is eligible for a platinum certification.
“WTFFFFFFFF #PinkFriday2 has officially sold 1 MILLION in the US!!!!!! Thank you to every single one of you listening/supporting this album, the best label Republic Records, the GREATEST artists in the WORLD of our generation featured when I needed them the most every INCREDIBLE & GENIUS producer,” she wrote.
“Everyone who had ANYTHING to do with the music, every radio station, PD, DJ, interviewer, post, reaction video, VOGUE , #PapaBear, Zoo, PATTY DUKE, JUICE, and the um, ummmm…greatest fan base of all time… the barbz. BARBZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!! #HeavyOnIt GOD is good see you on TOUR!!!!”
Billboard 200: #4(=) @NICKIMINAJ, 'Pink Friday 2' 52,000 (505,000 units since release). *peak: #1*
— chart data (@chartdata) January 14, 2024
All of @NICKIMINAJ's albums have now sold at least 1 million total units in the US. pic.twitter.com/5P6X9eqOrU
— chart data (@chartdata) January 15, 2024
According to Chart Data, Minaj’s new LP crossed the million-unit sales mark in the U.S. on Sunday (January 14). Now, all of Nicki’s albums have sold at least one million units.
Pink Friday 2 is still holding strong on the Billboard 200 where the project currently sits in the No. 4 slot after debuting at No. 1 in December.
Minaj’s latest offering broke another record last week by becoming the fastest album by a female rapper to surpass one billion streams on Spotify.
The Young Money hitmaker is now also the first female rapper in history to have five albums surpassing one billion streams on the streaming platform.
2010’s Pink Friday, 2012’s Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, 2014’s The Pinkprint and 2018’s Queen have all previously reached the milestone.
Pink Friday 2 also set a new record on the Billboard Hot 100 last month when 17 of its 22 songs landed on the chart, the most from any album by a female rapper.
Nicki beefed up PF2 by adding another collaboration with Future to streaming services over the weekend as they joined forces again for the ATL Jacob-produced “Press Play.” They already teamed up on the album for “Nicki Hendrix.”
NEWS
There’s a high probability that Jorja Smith has new music coming this summer. The British singer revealed plans for her What Are the Odds LP on Thursday (July 2), with the album set to arrive on Aug. 21 via FAMM.
Smith reunites with producer P2J — who served as a primary collaborator on her 2023 album Falling or Flying — for the entirety of the project. J Money and P2J will continue to build on the inventive U.K. garage sound Smith has been exploring, alongside a mix of grime and house.
“This album came together really naturally. There was never a big plan; it was just me making music that felt right in the moment,” Smith tells Billboard. “Working with P2J, we started experimenting with different sounds, pulling from U.K. garage, grime and house (funky house, Afro house) and it all grew from there.”
She continues: “The music feels uplifting, but the lyrics can be a bit sad at times. They’re about growing up, love, loss, friendships and figuring things out as I go. I trusted my instincts with this one, and I think you can hear that throughout the record.”
Smith kicked off the album’s rollout in May with the self-assuring “What’s Done Is Done,” and it continues on Thursday (July 2) with a second single, “Alive,” which finds the R&B singer joining forces with Afrobeats pioneer WizKid. The duo basks in the love-drunk euphoria of the honeymoon phase of a bubbling relationship and heads to Paris for the visual.
“Making this with P2J and WizKid felt really easy,” Smith adds of the collab. “We wrote and recorded it together in London. I think we captured that feeling when you’re at the beginning of something with someone and everything feels exciting. I’ve always loved WizKid’s music and the way he’s opened so many doors for Afrobeats around the world, so it feels really special and a big honor to have a song with him.”
What Are the Odds serves as Jorja Smith’s third studio album and contains 12 tracks. Outside of WizKid, the only other feature comes from grime artist Devlin.
When the project lands on Aug. 21, Smith will hit the stage later that night at London’s All Points East, as she’ll be co-headlining the Victoria Park show with Tems. 2026 has already been a busy year for J Money, who served as a musical guest on the debut season of Saturday Night Live UK in April.
The 29-year-old also collaborated with Mobb Deep’s Havoc for a remix of her “Blue Lights” classic and lent “Price of It All” to Amazon MGM Studios’ Bait soundtrack.
Find the What Are the Odds cover art and tracklist below.
What Are the Odds tracklist:
