Nicki Minaj Will Bring Gag City to Y100's Jingle Ball

In 2010, Nicki Minaj released her seminal album, Pink Friday. After a trilogy of mixtapes, her official debut album launched the then-27-year-old to a level of superstardom she had yet to experience.

Led by the single "Super Bass," the album masterfully combined rap with elements of pop on the record, helping Minaj create her space in the male-dominated hip-hop industry at the time. Now, 13 years later, she's revisiting what made that album so special on her fifth studio album, Pink Friday 2, released last week.

Minaj is set to take the stage at the Amerant Bank Center as part of iHeartRadio Y100's Jingle Ball on Saturday, December 16, along with Marshmello, AJR, Flo Rida, Ludacris, LANY, Nicky Jam, Shaggy, and others. She also recently announced her Pink Friday 2 World Tour, which, for South Florida fans, disappointedly includes only one Florida date at the Amway Center in Orlando on March 22. (There is still hope she could announce additional dates, as there is surprisingly a four-day gap between her Orlando and Charlotte shows.)

Barbz, as Minaj's stans are called, haven't received a solid body of work from the rapper since 2018's Queen, leaving them desperate for new music. So naturally, when she announced that she was releasing Pink Friday 2, expectations were high, and she knew it. The Young Money star pushed the release date not once but twice, quickly ditching the original October 20, 2023, release date. According to Pitchfork, Minaj cited the release of Lil Wayne's joint album with 2 Chainz, Welcome 2 Collegrove, as the reason she settled on the December 8 release date.

In a recent livestream, Minaj stated she was proud of the album. "This entire album will be the biggest gift I have ever given humanity thus far," she expressed. "I have never in my life been so in love with something that I'm working on."

Many fans believe Minaj has been teasing this album since 2020, with her cryptically tweeting "PF2." However, according to her, during that time, she was experiencing writer's block that stopped her from releasing a new album sooner.

Days before her fifth studio album was released, fans launched a meme inspired by Pink Friday 2's cover art. On her album, Minaj is photographed standing inside a pink-colored train as she flies through a pink-hued city that the Barbz have affectionally dubbed Gag City. Fans began making memes showing different skylines, attractions, and homes of the AI-generated city. They went as far as to invite everyone from Ice Spice to Marge Simpson to visit Gag City, and celebrities happily played along. Even Chili's — yes, the casual-dining restaurant chain — played into it, posting an AI version of one of its buildings emitting pink smoke.

Minaj played along on X, formerly known as Twitter, writing, "As we begin to prepare for landing, please make sure your tray tables are put back up & your seat belts are tightly fastened. The captain has activated the 'no bathroom' sign. If you look out the window, you'll begin to see the beauty…clear waters, pink dolphins…#GagCity #PF2."

The rollout was a success for Minaj, whose album was certified gold two days after its release and broke Spotify's record for the biggest debut for an album by a female hip-hop artist with 41 million streams in a weekend. According to Hits Daily Double, she's set to sell 170,000 to 190,000 within the first week; the publication called it "the biggest female rap debut of 2023."

Now, with a tour in the works for 2024, her latest Pink Friday era is only just beginning.

iHeartRadio's Y100 Jingle Ball. With Nicki Minaj, Marshmello, AJR, Flo Rida, Ludacris, LANY, and others. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, at the Amerant Bank Arena, 1 Panther Pkwy., Sunrise; 954-835-7000; amerantbankarena.com. Tickets cost $20 to $81 via seatgeek.com.