Departing from the dance-pop elements of her previous album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2012), The Pinkprint is driven by Minaj's traditional hip hop roots.

The Pinkprint spawned six singles; "Pills n Potions", "Anaconda", "Only", "Bed of Lies", "The Night Is Still Young", and the initially iTunes exclusive track "Truffle Butter".

In 2013, Minaj stated that she would begin writing material for her third album later that year, after production was completed for her supporting role in her first feature film The Other Woman (2014).

[2] In November 2013, Minaj described the project as "next level", "very different from anything I've done", adding that she had explored pop music but never had the intention to continue with the genre.

[4] In August 2014, Minaj's manager informed her that Beyoncé wanted to make a remix of "Flawless" with her and in return she would feature on The Pinkprint.

[5][6] During the album's production, Minaj worked with a variety of people including Dr. Luke, Ester Dean, Boi-1da and Detail.

[8] In September, Minaj stated that "it was her best album to date" saying she had grown as a writer and was able to speak about topics that she had felt uncomfortable sharing two years ago.

Lyrically, the song revolves around a "complicated regret" in which Minaj admits she denied her love for a man in order to stop him from breaking her heart.

[18] "The Crying Game" features initially uncredited vocals from British musician Jessie Ware, before being officially credited at a later date.

During the song, Minaj alternates between "devastating verses and pensive crooning" whilst Ware adds "haunting" and "soulful" vocals to the chorus.

Minaj raps in a "trance-like" style as she demands things from her male partner, which hints at oral sex, and is described as a "fetish obsession with seeing their man on all fours".

[18] "Feeling Myself" features singer-songwriter Beyoncé, and is built over a West Coast synth, driving bass and drums along with bells and whistles incorporated into the production.

[18] "Want Some More" (with uncredited vocals from Jeremih) features lyrics that see Minaj stroking her own ego and check anyone who dares to doubt her worth.

[18] The lead single, "Pills n Potions" is a slow-burning piano ballad that contains prominent elements of hip hop, R&B and pop.

[18] "Bed of Lies" features guest vocals from singer-songwriter Skylar Grey and is a slow-tempo song built over triumphant production, pianos, rolling drums and booming bass.

[24] The song samples Sir Mix-a-Lot's "Baby Got Back" and peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Minaj's highest-charting single in the US at the time.

[25] Additionally, the song peaked within the top ten in countries including Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

[28] According to FMQB and Republic Records, "Trini Dem Girls", featuring LunchMoney Lewis, impacted US radio stations on September 1, 2015.

[29][30] The album's title was announced as well as the premiere of the track "Lookin Ass" and its Nabil Elderkin-directed music video on February 12, 2014.

[34] On November 2, 2014, Minaj released the album's artwork, which was created by Joe Perez's design studio, who works for Kanye West's creative team Donda.

[36] On December 1, 2014, the track listing was released to the public, and confirmed collaborations with Ariana Grande, Beyoncé, Drake, Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, Jeremih, Meek Mill, LunchMoney Lewis, Jessie Ware and Skylar Grey.

[43] In contrast to the vibrantly-colored wardrobe and hairpieces she had become associated with earlier in her career, Minaj embraced a more understated image during the first promotional runs for The Pinkprint.

On November 9, 2014, Minaj performed a medley of "Super Bass", "Anaconda", and "Bed of Lies" at the MTV Europe Music Awards, and also hosted the show.

On December 6, 2014, Minaj appeared as a musical guest on an episode of NBC's Saturday Night Live alongside host James Franco.

Minaj also opened the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards with a performance of "Trini Dem Girls", then "The Night Is Still Young" and "Bad Blood" with Taylor Swift.

Minaj supported the album with a 17-date European tour which commenced on March 16, 2015, in Stockholm, Sweden and stopped off in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Norway, Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands before ending on April 12, 2015, in Glasgow, Scotland.

[52] On October 13, 2024, Minaj announced that The Pinkprint would be available to purchase on vinyl on November 22 for the album's tenth anniversary.

"[64] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times found the album to be "full of compromises and half-successes" as Minaj is "capable of grand technical feats, rapid cadence switching and complex rhyme patterns, but generally she puts those fireworks to the side when diving deep into her feelings.

Club's Sheldon Pearce praised her honest songwriting and concluded that The Pinkprint is "the closest Minaj has ever gotten to balancing her tendencies".

[57] Randall Roberts from the Los Angeles Times stated that throughout the album, Minaj is "intent on channeling her talent to explore and document her many moods.