Nicki Minaj is celebrating her fifth top two album with Beam Me Up Scotty.
Nicki returned with an old mixtape this month as a surprise for fans and much to her own surprise, the Barbz helped her recycled project reach No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. Previously released twelve years ago in 2009, Beam Me Up Scotty was Nicki Minaj‘s third mixtape and one of her most iconic early releases.
Upon re-releasing it on May 14, the rapper added three new tracks including a collaboration with her Young Money crew Drake and Lil Tunechi (Seeing Green), a solo track called “Fractions” and a remix to “Crocodile Teeth” by dancehall sensation Skillibeng. The album debuts at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart for the week ended May 29 after moving 80,000 equivalent album units in its first week.
Nicki was truly stunned by Beam Me Up Scotty‘s No. 2 debut on the chart after making the project available on streaming services for the very first time more than a decade after its initial release. She had nothing but gratitude for her devoted fans when she took to Twitter to celebrate her chart debut.
“80K wow. My 12 year ago self would be so proud,” she wrote. “No videos, lyric videos, no tik tok challenges, no radio & no heavy playlisting due to it coming as a surprise. Didn’t even drop w clean versions to the songs. Long live #BeamMeUpScotty I love you guys so much. Thank you so much.”
Of the 80,000 equivalent album units earned, album sales were 11,000 and streaming units were 63,000 which is equivalent to 85.57 million on-demand streams of the album’s tracks. Nicki has earned her fifth top two album on the Billboard 200 chart having secured two No. 1 albums and now three No. 2s over the course of her decorated career.
The rapper’s previous leaders include Pink Friday (2010) and Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2012) while she previously earned the No. 2 spot on the chart with 2014’s The Pinkprint and 2018’s Queen.
“I love you guys so much. Thank you. Can’t wait to share my album with you real soon,” Nicki wrote on IG. “I have to say this. Don’t care who takes it the wrong way. #BeamMeUpScotty no singles #SeeingGreen is over 5 mins with no hook. Singles now r 2-3 mins, catchy hook, #Fractions is just rapping for over 3 mins, no hook). no videos (which is always the biggest push for females, myself included), no RADIO, very little play listing due to a surprise release (artists get over 100 playlists for big launches) no TikTok challenges (which has become EXTREMELY helpful to all artists.”
