When Nicki Minaj released her debut album ‘Pink Friday’ in the November of 2010 she watched the set become one of the fastest selling albums to impact the charts in the last decade within weeks.
In its first month the Rap & R&B-flavoured release sold over 1 million units in the United States alone.
This week, almost a decade after its unleashing, the album has pushed the rapper’s discography to unparalleled heights on a sales front.
Find out how below…
The album reached sales of 4 million units worldwide long before the chart system factored streaming data into the chart equation and today, thanks to units the project and its singles have moved in markets in and outside of the United States, its global sales figure now raps to the beat of an estimated 20 million.
Driving its popularity nine years after its launch?
Though Minaj stands as the highest-selling female rapper of all time, she cannot boast of having the highest-selling album to be launched by a female rapper as that record is held by Lauryn Hill and ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ which has moved 19 million copies to date.
On a pure sales front, Lil Kim and Missy Elliott and their respective sales figures stand right behind Minaj’s on the list of highest-selling femcees, but find themselves forced outperformed by charismatic newcomer Cardi who takes their spot behind Nicki should one view that list through the lens of streaming.