'' The Pinkprint '' was officially released on December 15 , 2014 , and debuted at number two on the US '' Billboard '' 200 , with first week sales of 244,000 overall units ( 198,000 in pure album sales and 46,000 combined album-equivalent units and streams ) . Upon release , the album received generally positive reviews from critics . '' Billboard '' magazine 's Niki McGloster called it " her best album to date " . Sheldon Pearce of '' The A.V. Club '' thought that '' The Pinkprint '' is " the closest Nicki Minaj has ever gotten to balancing her tendencies " . Randall Roberts from the '' Los Angeles Times '' wrote that throughout the album , " she 's intent on channeling her talent to explore and document her many moods . The combination is often , if not always , intoxicating " . At the 58th Grammy Awards , Minaj received three more Grammy Award nominations , including a second Best Rap Album nomination for '' The Pinkprint ''
58th Grammy Awards
58th Annual Grammy Awards
Nicki Minaj