Nicki Minaj dropped her much-anticipated album Queen — her answer to one-hit wonder rapper Cardi B, who threatened to dethrone her with the summer’s runaway hit “Bodak Yellow”.
“My 4th album is out now. #Queen…” Nicki wrote on Instagram just before noon on Friday.
The cover photo shows Nicki perched seductively on a tree branch, with an Egyptian-inspired headdress and an embellished sarong with matching pasties.
“This is my favorite album,” Nicki said on her Queen Radio show on Apple Music’s Beats 1. “It is the best album I’ve ever done.”
The 19-track album was delayed for months while Nicki cleared samples, including one by alternative pop legend Tracy Chapman, who is best known for her 1988 hit single “Fast Car”.
After announcing a new release date scheduled for next week, Queen appeared on Apple Music, Spotify and other music platforms on Friday.
