Dec. 15, 2014. That was the date when Nicki Minaj released her most recent solo studio album, The Pinkprint. In the time since then, things done changed.
In the music world, Lil Wayne and Baby had an industry divorce, SoundCloud rap has taken over and a former reality TV star is leader hip-hop's new class. In the real world, O.J. Simpson got out prison, cryptocurrency has taken over and a former reality TV star is leader the free world.
All the while, Harajuku Barbie has been semi-quietly plotting her return. With her recent push song releases and media appearances, it looks like Nicki SZN is finally upon us. So what can we expect from her new album?
In the last three-plus years, the Queens rapper's life has been under the microscope more than ever, as we've seen changes in her relationship status, family legal issues play out and beef boil over. However, in the time leading up to now, Nicki hasn't revealed many details about the as-yet-untitled album—which has tentatively been dubbed NM4 by fans—other than broad strokes.
“I know it’s going to be my best body work and I always love to be in real time, see my fans reacting to something," she told DJ Whoo Kid last June. "That’s what I’m looking forward to now. Obviously, I’m not telling them when my album is coming out, but I know that it’s gonna be amazing because I want to thank the people who’ve rocked with me for all these years.”
Now that the Young Money first lady is preparing her big comeback, XXL dives through the news over the past few years to dig up details on her highly-anticipated project.