Nicki Minaj‘s last album was certified platinum, but she has more modest expectations for her latest effort.
“Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded — The Re-Up,” an expanded version of her sophomore disc, was released Nov. 19, but Minaj says it hasn’t been easy for fans to buy — and she pins the blame on three of the nation’s biggest retailers.
“It is hard to get the album because the stores basically said that the last few re-releases they had put out did not do well and they didn’t want to take a chance,” she said in an appearance on New York radio station Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club. “So, Target and Walmart is not selling the album. Target is actually my biggest retailer — they’ve always been my biggest retailer. They’ve sold the most Nicki Minaj albums ever, so, thank you, Target. But I wish you could’ve sold this one.”
As for Best Buy, the retailer “only took limited [quantities] because they’re like ‘Oh we don’t know, we want to play it safe,’ so it’s very difficult and it kind of sets you up to fail,” she said, adding that some of her fans “have been driving hours, literaly hours, to get one CD. But it is what it is, and I appreciate the support, and I’m excited about the music.”
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“Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded,” which hit stores April 2, was certified platinum after selling more than 1 million units in the U.S. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, selling 253,000 units in its first week.
“The Re-Up” includes eight new songs — including “The Boys,” “Va Va Voom” and “Freedom” — along with a DVD featuring the album’s music videos and 90 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage.
Despite her lowered expectations, Minaj says she’s proud of the album. “At the end of the day, I was happy I was able to put the music out,” she said.