Almost all the big releases of the year are in the rearview, so now it’s the queen’s time to shine. Nicki Minaj has shuffled around the release date of her long-awaited comeback album, Queen, a few times this year; first moving it all the way to August to avoid the rush of competing projects from the likes of Kanye West and Kid Cudi, Travis Scott, and Drake (and incidentally avoiding being drowned in the tide of The Carters’ joint project, Everything Is Love), then pushing it back a week to allow for sample clearances.
It looks like Nicki would rather feed the streets than wait for that sample, though, because she announced on her inaugural episode of Queen Radio on Apple Music that she would be returning the release date back to the original August 10 target, unleashing the heavily-anticipated album early to appease her enthusiastic fan base. It also helps her avoid the rush for Ariana Grande’s Sweetener, which could help drive sales. Meanwhile, her only competition on the week is Trippie Redd thanks to his own album, Life’s A Trip, being pushed back. It’s his major label debut, so he’s unlikely to constitute much of a threat; this weekend belongs to the queen alone.
Nicki Minaj, Queen
There’s been a lot of speculation about Nicki Minaj’s return after a relatively quiet four-year break between albums. Her last project was 2014’s The Pinkprint, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 244,000 equivalent units in its first week, aided by the inescapably catchy but controversial single, “Anaconda.”
After a two-year run that found Nicki embroiled in scandals from the beef between then-boyfriend Meek Mill and label-mate Drake to her own brother’s conviction for sexually assaulting a minor, Nicki’s had a rough go of it. She eventually ensconced herself in the studio for the early part of 2018, emerging with a pair of feisty singles that displayed a rejuvenated, lyrically-focused Nicki. “Chun-Li” turned out to the be the more popular single over “Barbie Tingz,” receiving a significant promotional push that included late-night performances and a big-buget music video casting Nicki as a Triad-style mob boss.
Unfortunately, follow-up single “Bed” with Ariana Grande wasn’t as well received, leaving the final reception for Queen up to its release date performance. It does look like Nicki is putting a lot of pressure on the album to succeed; unlike the last time she released a full-length project, Nicki’s going to see plenty of comparisons between her work and Cardi B’s impressive debut Invasion Of Privacy as fans eagerly watch to see if the queen can retain her crown after so much time away.
Trippie Redd, Life’s A Trip
TenThousand Projects just might have a hit on its hands with the versatile and youth-centric Trippie Redd, who’s already making waves in the underground scene with features on projects from the likes of XXXTentacion, Travis Scott, and fellow up-and-comer Kodie Shane. He gained further notoriety in the scene for public feuds with Soundcloud stars Tekashi 69 and XXX. His song “Dark Knight Dummo” featuring Travis Scott was a breakout hit, leading to a platinum certification by the RIAA. While he hasn’t established a solid musical identity as yet, his ability to transition from emo crooning to high-speed spitting will almost certainly be on display throughout his long-awaited debut.
