After A Bumpy Start, Nicki Minaj’s ‘Queen’ Has Landed

Nicki Minaj performs onstage at the 2018 BET Awards on June 24, 2018 in Los Angeles. The rapper’s latest album Queen arrives today

Leon Bennett / Getty Images

Updated, 1:58 p.m., Aug. 10.

Nicki Minaj fans have made it through the storm for their matriarch: The Queens rapper has, after some stops and starts, released her fourth studio album Queen. Yesterday, the platinum-selling rap star launched her Queen radio show on Apple’s Beats 1 last night, where she announced today’s release date and previewed tracks from the LP. Now, the album is available on Apple Music.

Fraught with teetering shade, Internet trolling, a flip-flopping release date and awkwardly timed collaborations, the lead-up to this album has been, let’s be honest, a shambles — and has subsequently genuinely baffled rap fans.