Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded
Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded is the second album by rapper and singer Nicki Minaj. It was released on April 2, 2012, by Cash Money Records, Universal Republic Records and Young Money Entertainment. Looking to transition from her debut album, Pink Friday, Minaj wanted to make a follow-up record about "just having fun". Stylistically, the album is divided by a first half of hip-hop tracks and a second half of dance-pop songs. As executive producer, Minaj enlisted a variety of collaborators.
Upon its release, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded received generally mixed reviews from critics, who were ambivalent towards Minaj's exploration of dance-pop. It debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 selling 253,000 copies in its first week, making it Minaj's second number-one album in the country, and her first to debut at the top of the chart. With that, Minaj became the first female rapper to peak at number one with her first two studio albums. In November 2024, the album was certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for moving four million album-equivalent units, becoming Minaj's highest-certified album in the US yet. Internationally, the album peaked at number one in Canada and the United Kingdom, and reached the top five in Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand.
The album was promoted with six singles. Its lead single "Starships" peaked at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was later certified Diamond by the RIAA. Follow-up singles "Right by My Side" and "Beez in the Trap" experienced moderate success on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. "Pound the Alarm" and "Va Va Voom" peaked at numbers fifteen and twenty-two on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively. "Automatic" was released as a single only in France, where it peaked at number 102 on the SNEP chart. The album was additionally promoted through the Pink Friday Tour and the Pink Friday: Reloaded Tour, which visited North America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania throughout 2012 following the album's release.
The album was reissued in November 2012, as Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded – The Re-Up. In addition to the original album, the reissue includes seven new songs and an additional DVD, which was filmed during the Pink Friday Tour.
Background and development
Following the success of Minaj's debut studio album, Pink Friday, Cash Money CEO, Brian "Birdman" Williams announced to Billboard that Minaj was aiming for a first quarter release in 2012. In November 2011, Minaj announced on Twitter that the album would be released on February 14, 2012, though it was later rescheduled for release on April 3. The album primarily focuses on Roman Zolanski, one of Minaj's alter egos that was first featured on Pink Friday. The standard artwork was released on March 1, 2012, and the deluxe artwork was revealed on March 8, both through Twitter.When Minaj was asked on Twitter to describe the album in one word, she tweeted "freedom". In an interview following the premiere of the album's lead single, "Starships", Minaj told Ryan Seacrest, "I've never had this much fun recording music in my life. My first album I was very guarded. I felt like I was making music to please everyone else. I had to be politically correct, but this album I am just creating music, and there's such a big difference. Literally in the studio we were cracking up laughing, having fun, and enjoying ourselves. The music itself you're going to get every side that I've ever shown and then a little bit extra. I've tried to make it very, very balanced, because I don't ever want to be boxed in, and that's always what drives me. So I made a very diverse album." She added that with her first album, "I was a too open Nicki Minaj. It felt more to me like a diary, the songs were more introspective and stuff like that...with this particular album I felt that it was time to give people a moment to enjoy the lyrics, and enjoy the beats, and enjoy the voices. When I was going to do my first album people would say, 'What is she going to talk about? Is she just going to talk about sex?' So I made it my business to make an album that did not talk about sex at all. I made it my business to make an album that wasn't a vulgar album, because my mixtapes I was very, very...outlandish on my mixtapes. With this album I'm going back to not necessarily to that sound, but that feeling. The feeling of 'I don't care what you think!' That's what it is." Minaj also spoke on the concept behind her first two albums, saying: "Sometimes I felt the first album was a little too revealing, too emotional at times, and the other thing about your first album is that you've had all these emotions pent up inside to release and that's what you do on your debut. On the second album I was more concerned about just having fun".
As executive producer, Minaj enlisted a variety of producers, including Alex da Kid, Alex P, Pop & Oak, Benny Blanco, Blackout, Carl Falk, Cirkut, David Guetta, DJ Diamond Kuts, Dreamlab, Dr. Luke, Flip, Hit-Boy, Jimmy Joker, J. R. Rotem, Kane Beatz, Kenoe, KoOol Kojak, M.E. Productions, Pink Friday Productions, Rami Yacoub, RedOne, Rico Beats, Ryan & Smitty, Nikhil S. and T-Minus. Minaj also collaborated with different artists for the album, which includes: Cam'ron, Rick Ross, 2 Chainz, Lil Wayne, Nas, Drake, Young Jeezy, Chris Brown, Bobby V, and Beenie Man.
Composition
Stylistically, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded is divided into two parts, the first of which focuses mainly on hip-hop tracks while the second contains dance-pop. Minaj raps in her alter ego "Roman Zolanski" in a number of the former's tracks over hard-edged beats and mostly sings on the latter half. The pop songs, categorized Pitchforks Ryan Dombal, "range from brittle Euro-trance to milquetoast R&B to washed-out balladry". Music critic Kitty Empire cites the song "Pound the Alarm" as a "compromise" between the album's two stylistic halves.Promotion
Singles
"Starships" was released as the lead single from the album on February 14, 2012. The song was an international hit, peaking inside the top ten in over fifteen countries. In the United States, the song charted at number five on the Billboard Hot 100. The song is also Minaj's second most certified single to date. "Right by My Side" was sent to US rhythmic radio and US urban radio on March 27, 2012, as the album's second single. The song, which features additional vocals from Chris Brown, has since peaked at number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Beez in the Trap", which features 2 Chainz, was sent to US rhythmic radio on May 29, 2012, as the third single from the album. The song peaked at number 48 on the Billboard Hot 100."Pound the Alarm" was released as the fourth single from the album. It was sent to US Top 40/Mainstream radio on July 17, 2012. The song peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 as well as in the top ten in other countries including Australia, Canada and the UK. "Automatic" impacted French contemporary hit radio on October 18, 2012 as the fifth single from the album. It peaked at number 102 on France's SNEP chart. "Va Va Voom" was released as the sixth and final single from the album. It was sent to US Top 40/Mainstream radio on October 23, 2012. The song peaked at number 22 on Billboard Hot 100 and in the top 20 in Canada and the UK.
Live performances
Minaj performed "Roman Holiday" at the 54th Grammy Awards on February 12, 2012, making Minaj the first solo female rapper to perform at the award show. The controversial performance borrowed elements of the classic horror film, The Exorcist. Minaj said in an interview with Rap-Up, "I had this vision for to be sort of exorcised—or actually he never gets exorcised—but people around him tell him he's not good enough because he's not normal, he's not blending in with the average Joe. And so his mother is scared and the people around him are afraid because they've never seen anything like him. He wanted to show that not only is he amazing and he's sure of himself and confident, but he's never gonna change, he's never gonna be exorcised. Even when they throw the holy water on him, he still rises above." MTV said the performance "was the most elaborate of the night's Grammy performances and had everyone talking."On February 26, 2012, Minaj performed "Starships" live for the first time along with "Moment 4 Life", "Turn Me On" and "Super Bass" at the 2012 NBA All-Star Game. She also performed "Starships" on the eleventh season of American Idol on March 29, 2012. In April 2012, Minaj held album signings in New York City, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and London. That month, she traveled to the UK for a week of promotion. On April 4, 2012, she performed a 40-minute mini-concert for BET's 106 & Park. She performed "Starships", "Right by My Side", and "Super Bass" in Times Square, hosted by Nokia, on April 7, 2012.
On April 19, 2012, HMV held a competition for fans, where 500 winners would get the chance to meet Minaj in one of their stores in Bayswater, London, where she would sign their albums. Minaj also made an appearance on The Graham Norton Show, which was aired on April 20, 2012, and on that same day, she visited BBC Radio 1 for an interview with Nick Grimshaw.
To further promote Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, Minaj embarked on her first concert tour, entitled the Pink Friday Tour. The tour comprised 41 show dates, including, 19 in North America, 15 in Europe, 4 in Asia, and 3 in Oceania. The tour began in May 2012 with shows in Australia and Asia. The tour then continued on to Europe and North America in June, July, and August 2012. The tour came to a close on August 14, 2012, in New York City at the Roseland Ballroom. The final show was a part of a free Pepsi promotional concert. The tour was officially announced by Minaj on May 1, 2012, featuring a stage resembling Barbie Dreamhouse. Minaj stated that she will play radio and outdoor festivals in conduction with arenas and theaters. She described the tour as being "intimate yet big". Laurieann Gibson served as creative director and choreographer for the tour. Minaj also embarked on the Pink Friday: Reloaded Tour, which visited arenas throughout October and December 2012.