(Photo: Cash Money Records)

Nicki Minaj’s new album made a substantial imprint on the charts opening week.

The Pinkprint debuted at No. 2 behind on the Billboard 200 selling 244,000 copies in week, 194,000 of which account for physical albums.

Although it sold less than 2012’s Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded at 253,000, the numbers earned Minaj some important notches for 2014. The Pinkprint stands as the year’s second-highest debut for a woman and a rap release. 

Minaj thanked her fans for making it all possible, writing on Instagram, "At a time when most music is stolen, it's truly a blessing when ppl actually go out and purchase your body of work. So thank you to my magical fans for your love and support. I hope #ThePinkprint challenges you to leave your own print on this world. There were times I couldn't even get out of bed to record because I was so broken. With or without these sales it would still be my best and most heartfelt body of work.”

The album lost No. 1 to Taylor Swift, whose 1989 LP sold an additional 331,000 units to return to the top spot. Minaj did however knock J. Cole’s 2014 Forest Hills Drive down from first place to No. 4 and surpassed D’Angelo and The Vanguard's Black Messiah, the week’s second big release. 

D’Angelo’s long-awaited studio effort pushed 117,000 units (110,000 in pure album sales) to take No. 5 on the charts.   

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