Hit-making rapper Nicki Minaj returned to music in a big way in 2022. The “Super Bass” rapper received the Video Vanguard Award at the MTV Video Music Awards and has been releasing music in the lead-up to her highly-anticipated fifth studio album. It turns out that her album may not be that far off.
Nicki Minaj released her hit single ‘Super Freaky Girl’ in 2022
In early 2022, Minaj signaled her return to music with two new singles: “Do We Have a Problem?” and “Bussin'”, both collaborations with rapper Lil Baby. In August 2022, she released “Super Freaky Girl,” a hit single sampling Rick James’ ubiquitous 1981 song “Super Freak.”
“Super Freaky Girl” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and became her first solo No. 1 of her career. She previously topped the chart in 2020 with collaborations with Doja Cat and Tekashi 6ix9ine, “Say So” and “Trollz,” respectively.
By debuting at No. 1, Nicki Minaj achieved a big feat: she was the first female rapper to debut at No. 1 with a solo song since Lauryn Hill‘s “Doo Wop (That Thing)” debuted at No. 1 in 1998.
Nicki Minaj said her fifth studio album is coming ‘soon’
With several singles released throughout the year, many have wondered if and when Minaj will release her next album, considering her last studio album was 2018’s Queen. In a new interview with the City Girls’ JT for i-D, Minaj gave a hint as to the timeline of her fifth studio album’s arrival. When JT asked what she has planned, Minaj responded plainly, “The fifth album.”
“I’m not gonna say when it’s gonna come out, but the album will be out soon,” she said. “And I am working on a nail design company, where people will be able to buy my press-on nail with dope designs. I was already working on that before someone auctioned my press-on nail for $50,000 or whatever they spent on it.”
Minaj lost a nail during her MTV VMAs performance earlier this year, and a fan sold it online for a hefty payday.
While she’s continuing to work on and release music, Minaj acknowledged that she wouldn’t need to release any more music if she needed to, and that her status as a hip-hop legend wouldn’t be in question if she retired.
“If I never rap again, I will still leave this earth as an icon,” she said. “I guess there is a little less fear now at this point in my career because I realize that my fans aren’t going anywhere. I’ve paid my dues.”
She released ‘Queen Radio: Volume 1’ in 2022
Minaj gave fans a little taste of the new — and the old — with the release of her Queen Radio: Volume 1 compilation album in August 2022, a few weeks after the release of “Super Freaky Girl.” The album was named after her Queen Radio radio show, which aired on Apple Music.
In addition to featuring some of Minaj’s most beloved hits from “Super Bass” and “Starships,” the collection also included new songs like “Super Freaky Girl” and her Skeng collab “Likkle Miss.”
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