She teased that she had something big coming on Friday (May 14), and Nicki Minaj wasn't kidding. The beloved New York rapper has been taking a break from social media to tend to more pressing concerns like becoming a new mother, but there has been much more on the rapper's agenda. Her Barbz have been anxiously awaiting news about her next album, a follow-up to Queen that was shared back in 2018. Minaj has been reluctant with sharing information about the project, but her Friday drop will keep her fans occupied in the meantime.
Just ahead of midnight, Nicki Minaj surprised her fans on Instagram Live and revealed that her 2009 mixtape Beam Me Up Scotty would hit streaming services. The DJ Holiday-hosted record is hailed as Nicki's breakout project that helped put her on the mainstream map, so it makes sense that it should make an appearance on streaming services.
However, fans will find the tracklist has been amended and some songs weren't included, like Nicki's Rihanna, Busta Rhymes, and Brinx-assisted track "Mind on My Money." Three unreleased songs lead the tracklist, including "Seeing Green," a song that finds Minaj reuniting with her YMCMB family, Drake and Lil Wayne. While on Livestream, Drake made a rare appearance when he shared a screen with Minaj and revealed that he was the one who sent her the record.
"What made you think that I would sound good on that?" Nicki asked Drizzy. He answers with a smile, "I mean, it was just...can I say who else is on it or no?" Nicki said she wanted to keep it a surprise. "Okay, alright. Well, it'd just been a really long time since—it was just, it didn't feel right with you not being on it," said Drake. "That's the best way I could put it. Like, it was fun the other way, but it's epic this way."
"So, we just...you know I had some real heart-to-hearts with you lately, just about the fact that it's like, it's just your world. Nobody does this sh*t better than you," he added, mentioning that he gets that right now her priority is her son. "When you're gone, I'm not gon' lie, I'm trying to speak for everybody. We really miss you. We really miss your presence. We miss the bars. We miss the excitement that you bring."
Drake continued to say that he's been putting a bit of pressure on Nicki to get back to her pen game, and she admitted that he helped get her out of her writer's block. They will apparently see each other face-to-face this weekend when he visits her at her home. Check out Nicki Minaj's Live below and watch her exchange with Drake near the end.