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In an astonishingly short period of time, Minaj has been nominated for three Grammy Awards (Best New Artist, Best Rap Album, and Best Rap Performance), named the 2011 Rising Star by Billboard magazine, and garnered Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist and Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album honors at the American Music Awards for her 2010 debut, Pink Friday. (Her second album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, is scheduled to be released imminently.) Her appeal extends far beyond her legions of young female fans—whom she calls not her “little monsters” but her little sisters—to adults captivated by the unexpected cadences of her raps and the raw honesty of her words. Given her strong sartorial, and rhetorical, proclivities, Minaj would seem to prefer a riotous, club kid–ish catwalk show. But here she is at Carolina Herrera (“so regal and special”) and at de la Renta (he has been known to watch her videos on YouTube). Then again, why wouldn’t this wildly individualistic performer, whose five-year plan includes an autobiography, a stack of Grammys, and movie stardom, defy assumptions? It isn’t the first time. Minaj discovered the power of costume when she dressed as Freddy Krueger for the “My Chick Bad” video with Ludacris two years ago. “It made me feel so free. It was me inside.”
In an astonishingly short period of time, Minaj has been nominated for three Grammy Awards (Best New Artist, Best Rap Album, and Best Rap Performance), named the 2011 Rising Star by Billboard magazine, and garnered Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist and Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album honors at the American Music Awards for her 2010 debut, Pink Friday. (Her second album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, is scheduled to be released imminently.) Her appeal extends far beyond her legions of young female fans—whom she calls not her “little monsters” but her little sisters—to adults captivated by the unexpected cadences of her raps and the raw honesty of her words. Given her strong sartorial, and rhetorical, proclivities, Minaj would seem to prefer a riotous, club kid–ish catwalk show. But here she is at Carolina Herrera (“so regal and special”) and at de la Renta (he has been known to watch her videos on YouTube). Then again, why wouldn’t this wildly individualistic performer, whose five-year plan includes an autobiography, a stack of Grammys, and movie stardom, defy assumptions? It isn’t the first time. Minaj discovered the power of costume when she dressed as Freddy Krueger for the “My Chick Bad” video with Ludacris two years ago. “It made me feel so free. It was me inside.”
After seeing Ms. Minaj at the Grammys, Stefano Tonchi, the editor of W magazine, wanted to include her in its July music issue, again dressed in Givenchy. “I think she is courageous in what she does,” he said. But the rapper, whose press at this point was being handled mostly by her label, was busy touring with Lil Wayne and could not arrange a time.[NYT]
In a faux interview, the lady Weezy goes on a seven-minute diatribe about the state of music and how Tupac has influenced every single aspect of the rapper's life. "If you know anything about ... Lil Wayne ... you would know that all I do is defy the odds. Tupac was my hero, nowadays n----- just f----- up the game," Minaj says, imitating Wayne's voice.
n the space of two years, hip-hop star Nicki Minaj has made the leap from little known Lil Wayne protégée to object of national obsession, via a number-one album, seven singles simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100—a first for any artist—and a series of scene-stealing cameos, including an epic verse on the Jay-Z and Kanye West track “Monster.” Along the way, she’s established a zany look (all neon, all the time), introduced countless alter egos, and become the first female rapper since Missy Elliott to be cast not as a sidekick but as a bona fide swaggering leading lady.
