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Nicki Minaj Joins The Billion Views Club With ‘Anaconda’
Minaj’s groundbreaking hit continues to rack up massive numbers seven years after its initial release.
Nicki Minaj made history when YouTube announced that “Anaconda” had reached the one billion view mark on the platform. Minaj achieved another accomplishment with her first billion, becoming the first solo female rapper to join the elite club.
“Anaconda” was first released in anticipation of Minaj’s seminal album, The Pinkprint, which was released on December 15, 2014. The song dropped on August 4, 2014 via Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records, and Republic Records.
“Anaconda” served as the second single from the album, the song was produced by Polow da Don, DJ Spydr, and Da Internz, and samples Sir Mix-a-Lot’s seminal “Baby Got Back.” Minaj’s exacting style was evident in the song’s creation, with Nicki reportedly working through 27 versions of the song before getting it perfect.
“Anaconda” was an immediate sensation and one of the biggest rap songs of the era. It peaked at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song also peaked within the top ten in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
Colin Tilley directed the video for the song, which was released on August 19, 2014. The video features a cameo appearance by Drake, making the video a thrilling meet-up between rap superstars. Following the video’s release, it broke the 24-hour streaming record on Vevo by accumulating 19.6 million views in its first day of release.
“Anaconda” was nominated for Best Rap Song at the 2015 Grammy Awards. The song was also nominated for two categories at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards, Best Female Video, and Best Hip-Hop Video, taking home the award for the latter. On August 30, 2014, eleven days after the release of the music video, “Anaconda” was Vevo certified for receiving over 100 million views. The track quickly became one of the most beloved songs in Minaj’s hit-filled discography.
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