Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded: Difference between revisions
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''Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded'' received generally positive reviews from [[music criticism|music critics]].<ref name="Metacritic"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.anydecentmusic.com/review/4353/Nicki-Minaj-Pink-Friday-Roman-Reloaded.aspx|title=Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded by Nicki Minaj reviews|publisher=[[Any Decent Music?]]|accessdate=2012-04-05}}</ref><ref name="Gill">{{cite news|last=Gill|first=Andy|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-nicki-minaj-pink-friday-roman-reloaded-island-7621985.html|title=Album: Nicki Minaj, Pink Friday Roman Reloaded (Island)|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|publisher=Independent Print Limited|date=April 6, 2012|accessdate=2012-04-06}}</ref> At [[Metacritic]], which assigns a [[Standard score|normalized]] rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an [[Weighted mean|average]] score of 59, based on 24 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews".<ref name="Metacritic">[http://www.metacritic.com/music/pink-friday-roman-reloaded ''Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded'' Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic]. [[Metacritic]]. Retrieved on 2012-04-03.</ref> Although he complimented its first-half as "an amusement park for production lovers", [[Allmusic]] editor David Jeffries criticized the album's "iffy pop" and called it "a frustrating mix of significant and skippable."<ref name="Jeffries"/> Kyle Anderson of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' praised its "vivid prog-rap bangers", but viewed that too many tracks "leave Minaj simply treading the territory of other radio divas."<ref name="Anderson">{{cite journal|last=Anderson|first=Kyle|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20584367,00.html|title=Pink Friday Roman Reloaded review - Nicki Minaj Review|journal=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|publisher=[[Time Inc.]]|location=New York|issue=1202|date=April 13, 2012|accessdate=2012-04-05}}</ref> Adam Fleischer of ''[[XXL (magazine)|XXL]]'' wrote that the album is "a quasi-concept album revolving around Roman, without ever fully fleshing out the character; it’s also part rap album, part pop album without finding a way to seamlessly balance the two pursuits."<ref name="Fleischer">{{cite journal|last=Fleischer|first=Adam|url=http://www.xxlmag.com/reviews/2012/04/nicki-minaj-pink-friday-roman-reloaded/|title=Nicki Minaj, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded|journal=[[XXL (magazine)|XXL]]|publisher=[[Harris Publications]]|date=April 3, 2012|accessdate=2012-04-03}}</ref> Randall Roberts of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' commended its "minimal, bouncy hip-hop tracks" for highlighting Minaj's "charm and achievement", but wrote that the album "drives off a cliff" with "dance pop songs as simple as they are generic", and ultimately called it "a disjointed, artistically confused release".<ref name="Roberts"/> |
''Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded'' received generally positive reviews from [[music criticism|music critics]].<ref name="Metacritic"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.anydecentmusic.com/review/4353/Nicki-Minaj-Pink-Friday-Roman-Reloaded.aspx|title=Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded by Nicki Minaj reviews|publisher=[[Any Decent Music?]]|accessdate=2012-04-05}}</ref><ref name="Gill">{{cite news|last=Gill|first=Andy|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-nicki-minaj-pink-friday-roman-reloaded-island-7621985.html|title=Album: Nicki Minaj, Pink Friday Roman Reloaded (Island)|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|publisher=Independent Print Limited|date=April 6, 2012|accessdate=2012-04-06}}</ref> At [[Metacritic]], which assigns a [[Standard score|normalized]] rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an [[Weighted mean|average]] score of 59, based on 24 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews".<ref name="Metacritic">[http://www.metacritic.com/music/pink-friday-roman-reloaded ''Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded'' Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic]. [[Metacritic]]. Retrieved on 2012-04-03.</ref> Although he complimented its first-half as "an amusement park for production lovers", [[Allmusic]] editor David Jeffries criticized the album's "iffy pop" and called it "a frustrating mix of significant and skippable."<ref name="Jeffries"/> Kyle Anderson of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' praised its "vivid prog-rap bangers", but viewed that too many tracks "leave Minaj simply treading the territory of other radio divas."<ref name="Anderson">{{cite journal|last=Anderson|first=Kyle|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20584367,00.html|title=Pink Friday Roman Reloaded review - Nicki Minaj Review|journal=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|publisher=[[Time Inc.]]|location=New York|issue=1202|date=April 13, 2012|accessdate=2012-04-05}}</ref> Adam Fleischer of ''[[XXL (magazine)|XXL]]'' wrote that the album is "a quasi-concept album revolving around Roman, without ever fully fleshing out the character; it’s also part rap album, part pop album without finding a way to seamlessly balance the two pursuits."<ref name="Fleischer">{{cite journal|last=Fleischer|first=Adam|url=http://www.xxlmag.com/reviews/2012/04/nicki-minaj-pink-friday-roman-reloaded/|title=Nicki Minaj, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded|journal=[[XXL (magazine)|XXL]]|publisher=[[Harris Publications]]|date=April 3, 2012|accessdate=2012-04-03}}</ref> Randall Roberts of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' commended its "minimal, bouncy hip-hop tracks" for highlighting Minaj's "charm and achievement", but wrote that the album "drives off a cliff" with "dance pop songs as simple as they are generic", and ultimately called it "a disjointed, artistically confused release".<ref name="Roberts"/> |
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''[[Rolling Stone]]'' writer [[Jody Rosen]] called it a "[[filler (media)|filler]]-free mega-pop album" and commented that "the energy never flags".<ref name="Rosen">{{cite journal|last=Rosen|first=Jody|authorlink=Jody Rosen|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/pink-friday-roman-reloaded-20120406#ixzz1rIivwsyl|title=Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded|journal=[[Rolling Stone]]|publisher=[[Jann S. Wenner]]|date=April 6, 2012|accessdate=2012-04-07}}</ref> Tom Ewing of ''[[The Guardian]]'' complimented its "half-dozen tracks of blistering, filthy, idea-jammed hip-hop" and wrote in conclusion, "the record is too long, horribly inconsistent, and makes no attempt to marry its rap and pop impulses. But that doesn't matter – at their best the styles are wedded anyway by a particular frenzy, a sense that Minaj comes with no off switch or lower gear."<ref name="Ewing">{{cite news|last=Ewing|first=Tom|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/apr/05/nicki-minaj-pink-friday-review?newsfeed=true|title=Nicki Minaj: Pink Friday Roman Reloaded – review|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|publisher=[[Guardian Media Group|Guardian News and Media Limited]]|at=section G2, p. 22|date=April 5, 2012|accessdate=2012-04-05}}</ref> Genevieve Koski of ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' called the album "an intermittently great, but ultimately scattershot effort that’s undermined by its efforts to please everyone", writing that after its "Minaj-as-Roman" tracks, the album "suddenly transforms into pure, unfiltered Euro club-pop."<ref name="Koski">{{cite news|last=Koski|first=Genevieve|url=http://www.avclub.com/articles/nicki-minaj-pink-friday-roman-reloaded,71843/|title=Nicki Minaj: Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded|newspaper=[[The A.V. Club]]|publisher=[[The Onion]]|date=April 3, 2012|accessdate=2012-04-03}}</ref> |
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===Commmercial performance=== |
===Commmercial performance=== |
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Revision as of 02:08, 12 April 2012
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Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded is the second studio album by hip hop artist Nicki Minaj. It was released on April 3, 2012 in standard and deluxe editions through Universal Republic Records (Universal Music Group), Young Money Entertainment, and Cash Money Records. Minaj worked on the album with a variety of producers such as Hit-Boy, Dr. Luke, Ester Dean, Rico Beats,[2] RedOne and Oak. Minaj also worked with several artists including Cam’ron, Rick Ross, 2 Chainz, Lil Wayne, Nas, Drake, Young Jeezy, Chris Brown, Bobby V, and Beenie Man. She confirmed through her Twitter account that she will embark on a tour in May 2012, starting in Australia.[3]
The album's lead pop single, "Starships", premiered during On Air with Ryan Seacrest on February 14, 2012 and was released to iTunes on the same day. It debuted at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at number 5, marking her second solo arrival in the Top 10 of the chart, after "Super Bass". The album's second single, "Right by My Side" featuring Chris Brown impacted US Rhythmic and Urban radio on March 27, 2012.
Background
The album puts focus on the return of Roman Zolanski, one of Minaj's alter egos that was first featured on her 2010 debut album, Pink Friday. Cash Money co-CEO, Brian "Birdman" Williams announced to Billboard that Minaj was aiming for a first quarter release in 2012.[4] In November 2011, Minaj announced on Twitter that the album would be released on February 14, 2012, but later in January 2012 she pushed the album to April 3, 2012.
On March 1, 2012, Minaj revealed the album artwork for through Twitter.[5] The deluxe album artwork was released on March 8, 2012.[6] The deluxe album includes three bonus tracks and a T-shirt of the artwork.
When Minaj was then asked to describe the album in one word, she responded, "FREEDOM."[7] In an interview following the premiere, Minaj told 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 it there's such a big difference. Literally in the studio we were cracking up laughing, having fun, and enjoying ourselves. The music itself your 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, she "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 vulgur album, because [on] my mix tapes I was very, very...outlandish on my mix tapes. 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."[8] Minaj confirmed that the album will include 22 tracks.[9] Minaj told MTV that "April 3 is gonna be a doozy. It's gonna be crazy, it's gonna be important for hip-hop and pop culture. It's gonna be very big."[10]
Singles
The album's official lead single is "Starships". Ryan Seacrest premiered the single on February 14, 2012 on his radio show. It was released to the iTunes store on the same day.[11] "Starships" officially impacted US Top 40/Mainstream and Rhythmic radio on February 21, 2012. It debuted at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, and peaked at number 5, marking her second solo arrival in the Top 10 of the chart, after "Super Bass". Minaj became the highest charting female rapper in the UK with the single reaching number 3 on the UK Singles chart. "Starships" also managed to reach the Top 10 in several other countries worldwide.[12] As of March 28, 2012 the song is certified Platinum in the United States. Filming of the "Starships" music video began on March 13, 2012 and ended on March 15, 2012.[13][14]
The second single is "Right by My Side" featuring Chris Brown.[15] It officially impacted US Rhythmic and Urban radio on March 27, 2012.[16][17]
Promotional singles
Minaj released the first promo single "Roman in Moscow" on December 2, 2011, however, it is not included on the album's official tracklisting. It debuted at number 64 on the Billboard Hot 100.[18] Minaj initially said that the single "is like a teaser to Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, when I say it's a teaser, it's like a trailer to the movie, it's like setting the stage and I just wanted to touch the surface. It's the wackest thing on Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded". She elaborated on the lyrics of the song: "Well, [Roman] was there [in Moscow] secretly because [his mother] Martha wanted him to go there, so they put him in this thing with monks and nuns; they were trying to rehabilitate him, but I can't tell exactly what happened, you'll just see it in the video format, but let's just say he got out of there."[19] The music video was filmed on December 18, 2011.
The second promotional single is "Stupid Hoe", an electro hop, and happycore[20] song, released to iTunes on December 20, 2011 and produced by Diamond Kuts, credited as T. Dunham. It debuted at number 81 on the Billboard Hot 100. Minaj filmed the video for "Stupid Hoe" on December 19 and December 20, 2011. The music video was released January 20, 2012 on Vevo. It attained 4.8 million views within 24 hours of its release, breaking the Vevo record.[21] Following the release of the video, the song jumped to number 59 on the Hot 100.[22]
Minaj premiered "Roman Reloaded" featuring Lil Wayne, on February 23, 2012 on radio station Hot97. It was released as a digital download on February 24, 2012 as the third promo single. It debuted at number 70 on the Billboard Hot 100.[23][24]
"Beez in the Trap" featuring 2 Chainz got it's premiere at DJ Flex's radio show at Hot97 on March 20, 2012.[25][26] Minaj filmed the video on March 18, 2012. The video was released on April 6, 2012.[27][28][29]
Other notable songs
"Turn Me On", a single from David Guetta's album Nothing but the Beat, will appear on the deluxe edition of Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded. It reached number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Va Va Voom" was initially planned to be the lead single, it was scheduled to impact Rhythmic radio on February 7, 2012[30] before being pushed back to February 14, 2012 for both Rhythmic and Top 40/Mainstream radio,[31][32] however, the label scrapped its release at the last minute and decided to go with "Starships" as the lead single instead. Minaj filmed the music video for "Va Va Voom" on December 21, 2011.[33][34] On April 5, 2012, a fan asked Minaj on Twitter if there would be a music video for the song. Minaj replied: "Already shot one. May or may not release it"[35]
Minaj performed "Roman Holiday" live at the 54th annual Grammy Awards Ceremony on February 12, 2012. The performance, choreographed by Lady Gaga's former choreographer Laurie Ann Gibson, was much discussed and highly controversial.[36]
When asked by a fan on Twitter if the song "Marilyn Monroe" would become a single, she replied "Eventually".[37]
Also on Twitter, Minaj said that she would shoot possibly 8 or 9 music videos for the album. She said that she would or would like to film videos for Champion, Roman Holiday and Marilyn Monroe. She also said that 'eventually' she would 'release a DVD of the album tour'.[38]
Other Charted Songs
The songs "Pound the Alarm" and "Whip It" charted at number 79 and number 98 during the first week of sales on the UK Official Singles Top 100 chart, due to high sales from the album.[39]
Reception
Critical response
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [40] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B[41] |
| The Guardian | [42] |
| The Independent | [43] |
| Los Angeles Times | [44] |
| Pitchfork Media | 6.7/10[45] |
| Rolling Stone | [46] |
| Spin | 8/10[47] |
Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded received generally positive reviews from music critics.[48][49][43] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 59, based on 24 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews".[48] Although he complimented its first-half as "an amusement park for production lovers", Allmusic editor David Jeffries criticized the album's "iffy pop" and called it "a frustrating mix of significant and skippable."[40] Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly praised its "vivid prog-rap bangers", but viewed that too many tracks "leave Minaj simply treading the territory of other radio divas."[41] Adam Fleischer of XXL wrote that the album is "a quasi-concept album revolving around Roman, without ever fully fleshing out the character; it’s also part rap album, part pop album without finding a way to seamlessly balance the two pursuits."[50] Randall Roberts of the Los Angeles Times commended its "minimal, bouncy hip-hop tracks" for highlighting Minaj's "charm and achievement", but wrote that the album "drives off a cliff" with "dance pop songs as simple as they are generic", and ultimately called it "a disjointed, artistically confused release".[44]
Rolling Stone writer Jody Rosen called it a "filler-free mega-pop album" and commented that "the energy never flags".[46] Tom Ewing of The Guardian complimented its "half-dozen tracks of blistering, filthy, idea-jammed hip-hop" and wrote in conclusion, "the record is too long, horribly inconsistent, and makes no attempt to marry its rap and pop impulses. But that doesn't matter – at their best the styles are wedded anyway by a particular frenzy, a sense that Minaj comes with no off switch or lower gear."[42] Genevieve Koski of The A.V. Club called the album "an intermittently great, but ultimately scattershot effort that’s undermined by its efforts to please everyone", writing that after its "Minaj-as-Roman" tracks, the album "suddenly transforms into pure, unfiltered Euro club-pop."[51]
Commmercial performance
The album debuted in at number one on the UK Albums Chart and the UK R&B Albums Chart.[52][53] Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded is the first album by female rap artist to chart at number one in the United Kingdom, with first week sales of 47,462 copies.[54] The album also debuted at number one on the Scottish Albums Chart.[55] On the Australian Albums Chart, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded debuted at number five and on the Australian Urban Albums Chart it debuted at number two.[56][57] For the week ending April 16, the album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart selling 253,000 copies in its first week. This marked Minaj's second number-one album in that country following her last studio album Pink Friday which peaked at number one in February, 2011 and selling 375,000 in its first week.Pink Friday Roman Reloaded Went #1 In US,UK,Canada,and Japan the last Rap Artist to do this was Eminem in 2010 Nicki Minaj is the only female rapper to have 2 Albums go #1 on the Billboard 200 [58]
Tour
In March 2012, Minaj announced the Roman Reloaded Tour, which will begin in May 2012.
Track listing
The track listing and track lengths per Nicki Minaj's official website and Amazon.com, respectively:[59][60]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Roman Holiday" | Onika Maraj, Winston Thomas, Larry Nacht, Safaree Samuels | Blackout, Pink Friday Productions | 4:05 |
| 2. | "Come on a Cone" | Maraj, Chauncey Hollis | Hit-Boy | 3:05 |
| 3. | "I Am Your Leader" (featuring Cam’ron and Rick Ross) | Maraj, Hollis, William Roberts II, Cameron Giles | Hit-Boy | 3:33 |
| 4. | "Beez in the Trap" (featuring 2 Chainz) | Maraj, Maurice Jordan, Tauheed Epps | Kenoe | 4:28 |
| 5. | "HOV Lane" | Maraj, Ryan Marrone, Garrick Smith, Samuels | Ryan & Smitty | 3:13 |
| 6. | "Roman Reloaded" (featuring Lil Wayne) | Maraj, Dwayne Carter, Ricardo LaMarre, Samuels | Rico Beats, Pink Friday Productions | 3:16 |
| 7. | "Champion" (featuring Nas, Drake, and Young Jeezy) | Maraj, Tyler Williams, Nikhil Seethram, Aubrey Graham, Jay Jenkins, Nasir Jones | T-Minus, Seethram* | 4:56 |
| 8. | "Right by My Side" (featuring Chris Brown) | Maraj, Andrew Wansel, Warren Felder, Ester Dean, Jameel Roberts, Ronny Colson | Andrew "Pop" Wansel, Oak, Flip*, JProof* | 4:25 |
| 9. | "Sex in the Lounge" (featuring Lil Wayne and Bobby V) | Maraj, E. Wilson, M. Hall, Dwayne Carter, Bobby Wilson, Safaree Samuels | M.E. Productions, Pink Friday Productions | 3:27 |
| 10. | "Starships" | Maraj, Nadir Khayat, Carl Falk, Rami Yacoub, Wayne Hector | RedOne, Rami, Falk | 3:30 |
| 11. | "Pound the Alarm" | Maraj, Khayat, Falk, Yacoub, Bilal Hajji, Achraf Jannusi | RedOne, Falk, Rami | 3:25 |
| 12. | "Whip It" | Maraj, Khayat, Alex Papaconstantinou, Bjoern Djupstom, Hajji, Hector | RedOne, Alex P | 3:15 |
| 13. | "Automatic" | Maraj, Khayat, Jimmy Thornfeldt, Geraldo Sandell | RedOne, Jimmy Joker | 3:18 |
| 14. | "Beautiful Sinner" | Maraj, Alexander Grant, Ester Dean | Alex da Kid | 3:47 |
| 15. | "Marilyn Monroe" | Maraj, Daniel James, Leah Haywood, Ross Golan, Jonathan Rotem | J. R. Rotem, Dreamlab* | 3:16 |
| 16. | "Young Forever" | Maraj, Lukasz Gottwald, Kelly Sheehan, Henry Walter | Dr. Luke, Cirkut | 3:06 |
| 17. | "Fire Burns" | Maraj, Wansel, Felder | Wansel, Oak | 2:59 |
| 18. | "Gun Shot" (featuring Beenie Man) | Maraj, Daniel Johnson, Moses Davis, C. Grossett | Kane Beatz | 4:39 |
| 19. | "Stupid Hoe" | Maraj, Tina Dunham, Samuels | DJ Diamond Kuts, Pink Friday Productions | 3:16 |
| Total length: | 68:59 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20. | "Turn Me On" (David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj) | Maraj, David Guetta, Giorgio Tuinfort, Dean | Guetta, Tuinfort, Black Raw^ | 3:19 |
| 21. | "Va Va Voom" | Maraj, Dr. Luke, Allan Grigg, Max Martin, Walter | Dr. Luke, Kool Kojak, Cirkut | 3:03 |
| 22. | "Masquerade" | Maraj, Gottwald, Benjamin Levin, Max Martin, Walter | Dr. Luke, Benny Blanco, Cirkut | 3:48 |
| Total length: | 79:09 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23. | "Press Conference" (featuring Charlemagne and Safaree "SB" Samuels (track 20 on standard edition)) | Maraj, Samuels, Lenard McKelvey | 21:03 |
| Total length: | 100:13 | ||
- Notes
- (*) denotes co-producer.
- (^) denotes additional production.
- "Press Conference" is a discussion about the album between Onika Maraj, Safaree Samuels, and Lenard McKelvey.
- On the edited version of the album, the explicit version of "Starships" is used.
Charts and certifications
- Pages with empty short description
- 2012 albums
- Nicki Minaj albums
- Cash Money Records albums
- Young Money Entertainment albums
- Albums produced by Alex da Kid
- Albums produced by David Guetta
- Albums produced by Dr. Luke
- Albums produced by Hit-Boy
- Albums produced by J. R. Rotem
- Albums produced by Kane Beatz
- Albums produced by RedOne
- Albums produced by T-Minus