Who is she?
A rapper from Queens, New York City, who is perfectly placed to fill the niche in the market for a female MC who can spit as hard and creatively as her male peers. The biggest name in hip-hop agrees: she was pursued by Lil' Wayne to be the face of his Young Money label.
What are her selling points?
The nimble-tongued Minaj - who changed her name from Maraj when she "began eating chicks" with her rapping skills - marries a clipped, precise flow to playful, witty lyrics and a penchant for slipping into patois. Like her predecessors, Lil' Kim and Trina, she's not afraid to get down and dirty ("I get more head than a guillotine," she boasts) but her real forte is surreal wordplay and super-quotable similes.
Such as?
"Bitch, I'm the President/ I be sittin' on an elephant/ countin' all my money where Stella went/ and I don't need my groove back/ unless the nigga lookin' like 2Pac," from her freestyle over Clipse's Grindin'; the gleeful, cartoonish boast of "Your kick-kick game can't injure Nicki/ that's why they nick-nicknamed me Ninja Nicki" from Higher Than a Kite.
Where can I hear her?
You can hear nine tracks at myspace.com/nickiminaj. Her Sucka Free mixtape is available from online retailers.
