Niki Minaj is the first lady of Lil Wayne’s Young Money and she recently won Best Female in the Underground Music Awards. People get caught up in the fact that she’s pretty and sometimes hypersexualized, not realizing that she is very talented. Homegirl can spit, but she also studied drama at New York’s F.H. LaGuardia H.S. aka “The Fame School” (also my alma mater). Understand the talent that is about to be unleashed!

I’ve been disappointed with the way people have been interviewing her. OK, let’s say, the way men have been interviewing her. Every Minaj interview so far involves the interviewer shamelessly flirting or making lame sexual innuendos, which of course she plays along with because that’s a part of the game. But it shows that female emcees still aren’t taken seriously. As a journalist who primarily focuses on hip-hop, and a woman who is a hip-hop head, that’s frustrating. I want to see a real Nicki Minaj interview. I’m not knocking the flirting and sex talk, but it’s been done before, find a different angle (or at least, be creative about it). Plus, I think she has a better story than that. However, in any event, I wish her much success as this isn’t about the journalists (just a side rant).

She has recently released a new song called “Still I Rise” that you can download here. (Courtesy Jobari Johnson of hiphopgame.com)

http://www.myspace.com/nickiminaj

GangstarrGirl