Oh no. Nicki won’t release her new album ‘Queen’ on June 15, instead it will be out on August 10, as she tweeted earlier today.

People are suggesting that her label pushed for the original release date, but Nicki says: “I love my label, but I’m happy that I’ve always been blessed to have the freedom and the creativity to do what I want when I want how I want it. Trust me, it’s the better choice.” (Quote via pitchfork.com)

Nicki announced on the red carpet of the ‘Met Gala’ that she will release her new album called “Queen” on June 15.

xxlmag.com sat down with Producer J.Reid and talked about how he helped Nicki Minaj return to rap.

XXL: How did you first link up with Nicki Minaj to record “Chun-Li” and “Barbie Tingz”?
J. Reid: One of my partners—Brinx Billions—was working with Nicki. He did a record with her and it was so crazy that she was like, “Who did the beat?” He told her that I did it and she was like, “We might need to fly him out here.” My first trip to meet her was Miami. I went out there so excited. She was just like, “I love your music. You’re talented, I’m just trying to put some stuff together.” So I was like, “I’m ready.” From that, it’s just been ballgame. Coming back and forth, going in and out of town, working at home and showing out.

When did that meeting happen in Miami?
It was probably late December. Everything came to fruition around that time. She was looking to start her project—she probably had already started it. But the certain sound she wanted, I was able to cater.

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Nicki Minaj has revealed plans to “focus on rap” for her next studio album.

The singer has discussed plans for her third outing, explaining that she aims to avoid making pop songs for the new collection.

“I was thinking if I really wanted to, I could go back and make another pop song… but I’m choosing not to do it,” Minaj told US radio station Hot 97.

“I’m choosing to get back to my essence and feed the core hip-hop fan. I feel like I need this because it’s just a more powerful platform for me. Even when I’m on stage performing my rap songs, it’s more organic.”

She added: “I’ve been getting back to that place where I was before I dropped my first album which is ‘kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill everything’. I agree that Nicki Minaj should focus on rap… now.
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However, the star insisted that she does not regret releasing pop tracks, saying: “I wanted to experiment. My whole career has been a playing field to try new things.

“I never put a limit on myself. You should be able to try whatever the hell you want, as long as you keep your integrity.”

Minaj’s new collection will serve as the follow-up to 2012’s Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, which topped the US and UK charts.

Source: View