Nicki Minaj is topping the charts with her long-anticipated “Pink Friday 2” album, released on Dec. 8 (her 41st birthday). The album returns to Minaj form, matching an early 2010s vibe with modern dance music that the Trinidadian-American rapper and singer is known for.
As Finurah previously reported, Nicki Minaj, whose net worth is estimated to be between $100 million and $150 million, is the richest female rapper.
‘Pink Friday 2’ By The Numbers
Debuting at No. 1 on Billboard 200, her fifth album “Pink Friday 2” is set to sell a little less than 200,000 in its first week. Her debut album in 2010, “Pink Friday,” made the No. 2 spot on Billboard 200, selling 375,000 copies in its first week.
“Pink Friday 2” marks Nicki Minaj’s first No. 1 Billboard album. “The Pinkprint” (2014) debuted at No. 2 in the first week, with 244,000 units sold, and “Queen” (2018) did the same, at No. 2 with 185,000 copies sold.
While the exact amount Minaj has earned from her albums is difficult to pinpoint, in 2010, when she was featured on Kanye West’s “Monster,” she stated that she made $50,000 just for “a verse.” In 2015, Minaj reportedly made between $300,000 and $500,000 for performing at a bar mitzvah.
On the Road
Nicki Minaj is scheduled to start a world tour, Gag City, beginning on March 1, 2024, in Oakland, California, and ending on June 7 in Berlin, Germany, The Los Angeles Times reports.
This tour promises to be popular. In 2015, Minaj’s Pinkprint Tour topped the highest-grossing tours list that year, making $13 million on the North American leg.
Other Business Ventures
Minaj has appeared in film and on TV and in 2012, according to Reuters, Minaj got $12 million for being a judge on “American Idol” for one season.
Here are some of Nicki Minaj’s business ventures that paved the way for female artists turning entrepreneurs.
“Pink Friday 2” launched with a perfume inspired by the album, Billboard reported. The perfume, Pink Friday 2 Eau de Parfum, is retailing for $42 for a standard 1.7-ounce bottle and $22 for a traveler size. It went on sale on Nov. 27 and is sold exclusively at JC Penny.
According to Rolling Out, the 1.7-ounce perfume, which comes in a set of encased mannequin heads with wigs to resemble the rapper’s appearance, has sold out twice — as a preorder for the album and in stores.
An collection of all her fragrances is being auctioned for $10,000 on eBay.
In addition, Urban Outfitters released an exclusive “Pink Friday 2” T-shirts along with electric blue “Pink Friday 2” vinyl records.
In 2012, there is the Pink Friday nail polish in collaboration with OPI for her first “Pink Friday” album. The collab featured six limited-edition nail polish bottles, with names like Save Me and Super Bass Shatter, according to Refinery29. Each nail polish retailed for $8.50 in 2012. Some have tried selling their Pink Friday OPI polish collections for as much as $200 on eBay, touting its discontinuation.
Nicki Minaj also had two deals with MAC for her lipstick line. The first deal was struck in preparation for her debut album in 2010. It included a Pink 4 Friday, which were four opportunities of the week to get a limited-edition pink satin formula lipstick, Pink Nouveau, for $14.50 on MAC’s website, Tamptalia reported.
On Sept. 21, 2017, the Queens rapper and MAC reunited for two more colors, Nude and The Pinkprint, for $17.50 each, Elle reported. On e-commerce websites like Every Market, the Nude and Pinkprint are auctioned for $70.
The original 2010 lipstick is available on eBay for about $110.
In late 2019, she dropped her highly anticipated collaboration with the luxury label, Fendi, called Fendi Prints On. It included a 127-piece collection with pops of pink and metallic offering monogrammed pink leggings, vintage fur bags, and knit dresses. Pieces ranged from $220 to $10,900 for a Fendi Bomber Jacket.
Money In, Money Out
In 2021, Minaj agreed to pay singer Tracy Chapman $450,000 to resolve a copyright infringement case. Chapman had sued Minaj in late 2018, alleging copyright infringement over Minaj’s song “Sorry,” which heavily borrowed from Chapman’s 1988 track “Baby Can I Hold You.” Despite “Sorry” never being officially released, it was played on the radio, leading to the legal battle, The New York Times reported.
Nicki Minaj is currently defending herself against jeweler and stylist Brett Alan Nelson for damaging a 66-piece set that she was loaned. She is being sued for damages totaling $26,239.50.
