A neo soul record that incorporates elements of jazz and funk, it focuses on themes including double lives, love-hate relationships, true love, betrayal, and the music industry.

N'dambi, born Chonita Gilbert, began her music career at age 18 as a background vocalist for Gaye Arbuckle, a gospel singer in her native Dallas, Texas.

[3] Gilbert cited Slave, Heatwave, The Jacksons, Betty Davis, Isaac Hayes, Smokey Robinson, and The Sylvers as influences in writing and recording the album.

[5] In a 2010 interview, she stated that, when writing her songs, she occasionally drew from personal experiences, but more often focused on storytelling: "I think of the place, the time, the setting of a story, and invent a situation that shines a light on a particular issue or theme.

[6] "Can't Hardly Wait" is a mid-tempo song chronicling a love-hate relationship that drew comparison to Badu's "Tyrone".

[3][5] Pink Elephant was subsequently released in the United Kingdom on February 22, 2010; the UK edition of the album included two bonus tracks, an a capella version of "Can't Hardly Wait" and a remix of "The World is a Beat".

[1] To promote Pink Elephant, Stax released the recipe for a vodka-based cocktail named in honor of the album.

[21] Writing for Billboard, critic Gail Mitchell praised both the album's lyrics for "keenly observ(ing) life's frequent ironies", as well as N'Dambi's vocals for being "rich" and "earthy".

Mitchell went on to single out "Nobody Jones", "What It Takes", and "Can't Hardly Wait" as highlights and concluded that N'Dambi is among the few artists "who can truly make the listener feel a song.

[1] Bradley commended N'Dambi for building her music's backing track around her lyrics, instead of the other way around, and praised her storytelling songwriting for creating a "mini-drama".