Nicki Minaj Performance ("Bang Bang" with Jessie J and Ariana Grande). "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
Bang Bang (Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj song) "See anybody could be good to you/You need a bad girl to blow your mind." Vulture's Lindsey Weber thought the song was "no Lady Marmalade" but praised it saying "it's catchy enough to make a huge splash in the music history". Chris Martins from "Spin" stated that the song is "powerful", and credits Minaj for the song's noteworthy energy. "What makes the track so big? Well, um, ask Nicki Minaj." He goes on to further praise Minaj's performance on the song, affirming that "The "Anaconda"-taming MC rips a few mics on the loud and proud pop-soul song". Lewis Corner from