Nicki Minaj’s Mentor Helps Her Earn A New No. 1

Nicki Minaj has been teasing a new album since the fall of 2024, but so far, details about when fans will hear another project remain vague. She originally announced a special deluxe edition of Pink Friday 2 was on the way, but just days after getting fans’ hopes up, she revealed that she had changed her mind. Instead of continuing her Pink Friday 2 era, the rapper decided to focus her efforts on a brand new full-length.

Since then, Minaj has been largely quiet, likely hard at work on whatever is coming next. The hip-hop superstar did make time recently to join her friend and longtime collaborator Lil Wayne on a remix of one of his recent tunes, and their combined efforts have produced another smash for the duo.

Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne Debut at No. 1

Minaj and Wayne debut their new tune “Banned From NO” at No. 1 on the Rap Digital Song Sales chart. Wayne earns his fourteenth career champion on Billboard’s list of the top-selling rap tracks in the United States, while Minaj beats him by 10 smashes.

Nicki Minaj Hits 100 Top 10s

Minaj also comes out on top when looking at the total number of top 10s both artists have collected, as “Banned From NO” marks her one-hundredth smash to reach that uppermost region. Wayne, who has collected 75 top 10s, wins when it comes to total appearances on the ranking. He increases his total to 168 placements, while Minaj trails by just a few, and she’s now up to 160.

Lil Wayne Lands Four New Hits

Wayne dominates the Rap Digital Song Sales chart this week with four placements on the 10-spot roster. In addition to “Banned From NO,” three other tracks taken from his recently-released Tha Carter VI album make the list. “Sharks” with Jelly Roll and Big Sean, “Hip-Hop” with BigXthaPlug and J. Jones, and his solo cut “Welcome to Tha Carter” open at Nos. 5, 8, and 9, respectively.

“Banned From NO” Remix Sells 5,000 Copies

Luminate reports that in its first several days of availability, the remix version of “Banned From NO” — which was originally a solo cut by Wayne on Tha Carter VI — sold 5,000 copies. That sum is enough to help the tune debut inside the top five on both the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales and the all-genre Digital Song Sales tallies.

ForbesNicki Minaj Makes History With Her Brand New Top 10 BestsellerBy Hugh McIntyre