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Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2012)

Where the lyrics of Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded take you, and where it was really made.

The album's first half is hip-hop and its second half is dance-pop, and the reviews were mixed on that split, yet it debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200.

Key places

Conway Recording Studios, Los Angeles (2012)

Recording site Conway Recording Studios — Listed in the article as a studio where the album was recorded, in Los Angeles. The point marks the studio's city-level building location. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Jungle City Studios, New York City (2012)

Recording site Jungle City Studios — Listed in the article as a studio where the album was recorded, in New York City. The point marks the studio's building location. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

The Hit Factory Criteria, Miami (2012)

Recording site Criteria Studios — Listed in the article as a studio where the album was recorded, in Miami. The point marks the studio's building location. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Chalice Studios, Los Angeles (2012)

Recording site Chalice Recording — Listed in the article as a studio where the album was recorded, in Los Angeles. The point marks the studio's building location. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Glenwood Place Studios, Burbank (2012)

Recording site The Enterprise (Burbank) — Listed in the article as a studio where the album was recorded, in Burbank. The point is placed at the city centre, not the building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Kinglet Studios, Stockholm (2012)

Recording site Master Plan — Listed in the article as a studio where the album was recorded, in Stockholm. The point is placed at the city centre, not the building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Anchor Recording, Kingston (2012)

Recording site Dynamic Sounds — Listed in the article as a studio where the album was recorded, in Kingston, Jamaica. The point is placed at the city centre, not the building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded is the second studio album by rapper and singer Nicki Minaj
• Released 2 April 2012 by Cash Money Records, Universal Republic Records and Young Money Entertainment
• Divided into two halves: hip-hop tracks first, dance-pop songs second
• Minaj raps as her alter ego Roman Zolanski on many hip-hop tracks and mostly sings on the dance-pop half
• Minaj served as executive producer and enlisted a wide range of producers and guest artists

Background

• Follow-up to the debut album Pink Friday (2010), made to move away from it
• Minaj wanted the follow-up to be about just having fun
• Minaj said the first album felt like a diary and this one was made so listeners could enjoy the lyrics, beats and voices
• The album primarily focuses on Roman Zolanski, one of Minaj's alter egos first featured on Pink Friday
• Producers include Alex da Kid, Benny Blanco, David Guetta, Dr. Luke, RedOne and T-Minus
• Guest artists include Cam'ron, Rick Ross, 2 Chainz, Lil Wayne, Nas, Drake and Chris Brown
• Release was first announced for February 2012 and later moved to April

Recording

• Studios named in the article: Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles, Jungle City Studios in New York City, The Hit Factory Criteria in Miami
• Other studios named: Chalice Studios in Los Angeles, Glenwood Place Studios in Burbank, Kinglet Studios in Stockholm, Anchor Recording in Kingston

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career

• Trinidadian rapper, singer, and songwriter; known as the "Queen of Rap".
• Raised in New York City; began rapping professionally in the early 2000s.
• Gained recognition through three mixtapes released between 2007 and 2009.
• Debut studio album Pink Friday (2010) topped the US Billboard 200 and produced "Super Bass".
• Pink Friday 2 (2023) made her the female rapper with the most US number-one albums (three).
• Known for a dynamic rap flow, witty lyrics, musical versatility, and alter egos such as Roman Zolanski.
• Has sold over 100 million records; ranked by Billboard and Vibe as the greatest female rapper of all time (2023).

Recognition

• Won multiple MTV Video Music Awards, BET Awards, and American Music Awards.
• Named one of Time's 100 most influential people in 2016.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Critics gave generally mixed reviews and were ambivalent towards Minaj's exploration of dance-pop
• Metacritic average of 60 from 30 reviews
• AllMusic editor David Jeffries praised the first half as an amusement park for production lovers but criticized the iffy pop
• AllMusic called the album a frustrating mix of significant and skippable
• Los Angeles Times critic Randall Roberts praised the hip-hop tracks for highlighting Minaj's charm and achievement but said the dance-pop songs were generic
• NME critic Emily Mackay found the disparate music just baffling
• PopMatters critic David Amidon criticized the first half as poorly thought out rap music masquerading as pop
• Rolling Stone critic Jody Rosen gave a positive review and called the album a filler-free mega-pop album
• Spin critic Jessica Hopper praised the rap tracks as nearly flawless

Records

• Debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 253,000 copies in its first week
• Minaj's second US number-one album and her first to debut at the top of the chart
• Certified platinum by the RIAA on 22 June 2012 for one million US shipments
• Sold 785,000 copies in the US during 2012
• Best-selling rap album released in the US in 2012
• Debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart with first-week sales of 47,000 copies
• First album by a female rap artist to chart at number one in the United Kingdom
• Debuted at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart and at number five on the Australian Albums Chart
• Certified quadruple platinum by the RIAA in November 2024 for four million album-equivalent units

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Minaj called the album's mood 'freedom' when asked on Twitter to describe it in one word
• The release date was first set for 14 February 2012 and later moved to April
• Minaj performed Roman Holiday at the 2012 Grammy Awards, becoming the first solo female rapper to perform at that show
• The lead single Starships was an international hit, inside the top ten in over fifteen countries
• Pound the Alarm reached number fifteen on the Billboard Hot 100 and Va Va Voom reached number twenty-two

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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