Maps of Music

The Pinkprint (2014)

Where the lyrics of The Pinkprint take you, and where it was really made.

The album's title borrows from Jay-Z's The Blueprint, but Minaj says the body of work is not inspired by it.

Key places

Jungle City Studios, New York (2014)

Recording site Jungle City Studios — One of the studios where sessions for the album were held. The listed location is the New York City candidate coordinate. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Evdon Studios, Toronto (2014)

Recording site Phase One Audio Group — Listed among the studios where sessions for the album took place. The point is at Toronto city centre, not the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Glenwood Recording Studios, Burbank (2014)

Recording site The Enterprise (Burbank) — Listed among the studios where sessions for the album took place. The point is at Burbank city centre, not the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Luke's In The Boo, Malibu (2014)

Recording site Bob Dylan's garage studio (Malibu) — Listed among the studios where sessions for the album took place. The point is at Malibu city centre, not the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Record Plant, Hollywood (2014)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — One of the studios where sessions for the album were held. The listed location is the Hollywood candidate coordinate. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Conway Recording Studios, Los Angeles (2014)

Recording site Conway Recording Studios — One of the studios where sessions for the album were held. The listed location is the Los Angeles candidate coordinate. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• The Pinkprint: third studio album by rapper Nicki Minaj
• Released December 15, 2014 by Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Republic Records
• Moves away from the dance-pop elements of Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2012) and returns to Minaj's hip hop roots
• Executive produced by Minaj alongside Birdman, Lil Wayne and Ronald Williams
• Singles: Pills n Potions, Anaconda, Only, Bed of Lies, The Night Is Still Young and Truffle Butter

Background

• In 2013 Minaj said she would start writing for the album after finishing her supporting role in her first feature film, The Other Woman (2014)
• Minaj said the album would focus on rap and feed the core rap fan
• In November 2014 she said she had recorded 25 songs and that cutting tracks from the final list was her biggest problem
• She described the record to MTV News as personal and an emotional rollercoaster
• Minaj hoped for features from Rihanna and Drake; Rihanna did not appear on the album
• The album title was inspired by Jay-Z's The Blueprint (2001), though Minaj said the body of work is not

Recording

• Sessions took place at studios in New York, Toronto, Burbank, Malibu, Hollywood and Los Angeles
• Two songs recorded during the process were inspired by the Irish singer-songwriter Enya
• Bed of Lies started as a demo by singer-songwriter Skylar Grey, later sent to Minaj, who wrote and recorded her own verses
• In August 2014 Minaj's manager said Beyonce wanted to remix Flawless with her, in exchange for a feature on The Pinkprint
• Beyonce visited Minaj in the studio during the verse writing and encouraged her
• Drake and Lil Wayne appear on Only; Truffle Butter also features Drake and Lil Wayne

Cover

• Artwork released November 2, 2014, created by Joe Perez's design studio, which works for Kanye West's creative team Donda
• Pink sandy splatter with a thumbprint in the middle
• Black background on the standard version, white background on the deluxe version

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

• Billboard's Niki McGloster called it her best album to date
• Metacritic gave it 70 out of 100 based on 25 reviews, indicating generally favorable reviews
• Pitchfork editor Meaghan Garvey said the finale lifts it from an occasionally transcendent break-up album to something more intriguing
• Spin's Brennan Carley felt the emotionally vulnerable songs were counterintuitive, though her rapping stayed on point
• The New York Times' Jon Caramanica found the album full of compromises and half-successes
• Entertainment Weekly's Kyle Anderson criticized the ballads as ponderous
• The A.V. Club's Sheldon Pearce said it is the closest Minaj has come to balancing her tendencies

Reappraisal

• Robert Christgau in Cuepoint praised the narrative arc of the vulnerable songs but felt the bonus tracks define the album more
• Randall Roberts of the Los Angeles Times said the combination is often, if not always, intoxicating

Records

• Debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 with 244,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, 198,000 of them pure sales
• Stayed at number two in its second week and held that spot for three weeks
• Sold 682,000 pure copies in the US as of December 2015
• RIAA certified it double platinum in February 2016
• Charted in the top ten in Canada, Norway and Sweden, and in the top twenty in Australia, Croatia, Finland and Greece
• Received a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album in 2016
• Anaconda peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100
• Has sold over eight million units worldwide
• The 10th anniversary vinyl re-release re-entered the Billboard 200 within the top 40

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The title was inspired by Jay-Z's The Blueprint, but Minaj said the body of work is not inspired by it
• Truffle Butter was first an iTunes-exclusive track before reaching US radio in March 2015
• Physical deluxe versions were shipped worldwide with an instrumental version of Anaconda by mistake during the first week of retail
• Grand Piano is the only song on the standard version that is not a hip hop song, with no rapping or drums
• Anaconda heavily samples Sir Mix-a-Lot's Baby Got Back
• Some initial physical copies left out Jessie Ware's feature on The Crying Game due to a printing mistake

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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