Nicki Minaj review, Pink Friday 2: Queen of rap rests on her laurels instead of proving why she still deserves the crown

Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Get our Now Hear This email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The first sound we hear, on opener “Are You Gone Already”, is Nicki playing with her child, and the track radiates a newfound level of introspection that’s come with bringing a life into the world. In the most unexpectedly profound moments of Pink Friday 2, like the outright gospel banger “Blessings”, Nicki slows down and looks inward. While some moments of interpolation are more inspired, like the distorted strains of Blondie’s “Heart of Glass” on “My Life”, Nicki’s increasing reliance on recognisable samples can start to feel like cruise control. Aside from the obvious Rick James flip on single “Super Freaky Girl”, there’s also “Pink Friday Girls”, which adds relatively little to Cyndi Lauper’s anthemic “Girls Just Want To Have Fun”.