Birdman Not Surprised by Nicki Minaj’s Album Sales

While the music industry is tallying up the success of Nicki Minaj's 'Pink Friday' debut, Cash Money patriarch and lablehead Brian "Birdman" Williams is not at all surprised by the album's initial sales. Minaj's debut sold close to 400,000 copies, giving her the second highest debut for a female rapper in history. In 1998, 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill' sold 422,624.

"Lauryn Hill did some numbers, that's what our goal was to try and capture that, but maybe next time," Birdman told The BoomBox. "As far as her music, it's a given, she's around the best, which is [Lil Wayne], the best team which is us as a whole. She studies the mold and she follows it. My thing to her is hard work pays. We salute Nicki, we're very happy for her and how she's growing and how she keeps growing."

"Nicki is a great student of the game. We speak a lot. She wants to learn and she does learn. She puts time into her craft and her dedication. I think she'll be one of the biggest business women in the game because she has that business mind, [she's] not just an artist. Nicki is one of the people in the future who you're going to see who takes on different channels."

Minaj also showed her gratitude to fans for the impressive numbers. Tweeting her more than one million followers a heartfelt "thank you," for their support and shouting out Hill, and the previous top-selling debut from a female rapper record holder, Missy Elliott. "I am in the company of 2 amazing groundbreaking women & for that, I am beyond grateful. S/O to Lauryn and Missy," she wrote.