The 2010 MTV Video Music Awards are getting a double dose of Nicki Minaj. Earlier today, the network announced that the Young Money raptress would be performing during the pre-show broadcast, and now, the Best New Artist nominee is getting her swerve on in a new promo clip for the ceremony.
Set to the tune of her hit “Your Love,” a young Nicki poses in the mirror, dreaming of one day ruling rap. But as the clip progresses, Minaj is shown dolled up like a classic ’50s debutante and zooms into the present as she hops on a motorcycle and speeds through the California streets.
“Ever since she was little, she dreamed of dominating the world of rap,” says the announcer. “Now the world—and every man in it—is beneath her stilettos.”
Debuting tonight on MTV’s 10 spot, the promo clip is an early taste of what Minaj will bring during her performance at the pre-show event, airing on Sunday, Sept. 12, at 8 p.m. The award show, hosted by Chelsea Handler, will follow at 9 p.m.
Nicki was featured in Paper Magazine this month. It seems the shoot she did for this was when she shot the ‘Bottoms Up’ music video with Trey Songz, solely because of the white hair. To read her article and to see another image from this shoot, click here to visit in our gallery.
Shoutout to @TeamMinajUSA and @Nickiinfo for providing the scans with us.
will.i.am.’s new single with our own Rap Mistress is going to be added to radio stations on September 14th. Make sure you start requesting it then, because we want another #1 for Nicki!
Listen to people discuss Nicki Minaj on the “My Mic Sounds Nice” that aired on BET this past Monday. Obviously there are many different opinions about her, but listen to what professionals say. They start talking about her at the 2:31 mark.
Check out even more videos of Nicki last night in concert at Tampa, FL! In the videos above, she performed the following: ‘Up All Night’, ‘All I Do Is Win’, ‘Hello, Good Morning’, ‘Hold Yuh’, ‘BedRock’, and last but not least, ‘Your Love’.
To see the previous videos of Nicki performing more of her songs, click here.
There is now a Casting call for all Actors, Models, Dancers, and Singers! Auditions for The Monster Video are From; August 30th From 1-6 PM and Tuesday August 31st From 1-4:30 PM. The Address is 1674 Broadway, NYC Which is on the corner of West 52nd St and Broadway Ave. Ages to Apply are from : 17-27! A $25 Fee May be required, No food or Drinks are allowed, and please come camera prepared (you might be filmed) If you have any questions please call; 212-541-4000 ! Goodluck!
Watch these clips of Nicki live at the Last Damn Show last night in Tampa, FL. In the videos above you can see her perform hits such as ‘My Chick Bad’, ‘Bottoms Up’, and more! She also performed one of her memorable solo songs, ‘Itty Bitty Piggy’! We’ll be updating this post with more videos (if they’re uploaded). You can also check out some pics over at our photo gallery.
Thank you for the heads up, @NickiINFO and @TeamBarbieWave!
Forbes just delivered the 2010 Hip-Hop Top 20 Earners list, with Jay-Z, Diddy and Akon topping the list and earning $63 million, $30 million and $21 million, respectively. The kings of hip-hop are, yes, all men. But the biggest news in hip-hop protégés is a woman: Nicki Minaj.
The Associated Press’ Mesfin Fedaku can tell you who she is: “The in-your-face, highly animated sex kitten and protégé of rap prince Lil Wayne, has not only emerged as hip-hop’s leading female, she’s outdoing her male counterparts, too.”
Though Menaj, 26, has yet to release a studio album, she’s well on her way to becoming the next Queen Latifah. Or, for the matter, another Eminem (a Dr. Dre protégé), 50 Cent (another mentored by Dr. Dre), Chris Brown (L.A. Reid), Bow Wow (Snoop Dog) or even Justin Bieber (Usher).
Minaj, whose real name is Onika Maraj, has costarred on songs with Lil Wayne, Drake, Usher, Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera and Diddy. Upcoming: Kanye West’s new CD. Lil Wayne signed her to his Cash Money imprint last year.
Where did she come from? Like most other protégés, it seems like hers is a story of a hip-hop Schwab’s soda fountain. Discovered and made into a star.
Stars don’t just happen–in music or the workplace. Some of what we can learn from the hip-hop protégé system:
You can’t win at work by playing the waiting game: waiting for someone to notice you. Minaj is 26, and has been on her game for years. Bieber put his work up on YouTube, and that’s what got him noticed. Use everything from the water cooler to online social networking, and put yourself out there.
If you’re lucky enough to have found a patron (see above), suck it up–meaning take in all his or her creative and technical assistance. Not to mention his or her contacts with upper management and capital.
Ladies in the house: Best not to count on a prince or a da(i)ddy at work. Specifically, The Artist Formerly Known As Prince, mentored such artists as Sheila E., Sheena Easton and Carmen Electra. One of Diddy’s protégés is none other than Mary J. Blige. They are anomalies.
The seemingly iconoclastic, insider world of hip-hop owes a huge part of its success to big-time corporations. Many labels are owned by Vivendi’s Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group. And hip-hop moguls use the exact same tie-and-cufflink corporate pipeline formula. That is, men shining a light on other men–and far less frequently, other women.
The hip-hop galaxy is as male-dominated as any top corporate boardroom, where women account for only 3% of the chief executives at the helm of the 500 biggest U.S. companies, including Wal-Mart Stores, Exxon Mobil and General Motors.
That foul similarity, according to Queen Latifah is a big problem. “Part of the reason hip-hop was dead is because there were no female MCs, like in the forefront of hip-hop, playing on the radio in the day time, every day.”
Women as well men need to take on protégés. As Carol Hymowitz wrote in “Helping Women Climb the Ladder Is A Business Imperative”: “I’ve met many executive women who seemed far more intent on promoting themselves than championing women who were climbing the ranks behind them.”
Looks like April Fool’s Day found its way to August. Last night, Young Money’s Drake and Nicki Minaj took to their Twitter pages to announce that the pair had gotten hitched, putting the internet into a frenzy. But as it turns out, the joke was really on us.
Reps for each MC have denied that the two are an official item, confirming with E! Online that it was all in jest.
Drizzy pulled the prank yesterday afternoon, first tweeting, “Please refer to @nickiminaj as Mrs. Aubrey Drake Graham and dont stare at her too long. She’s finally mine. .” Nicki followed suit, tweeting, “Yes, its true. Drake and I tied the knot. > RT @drakkardnoir @nickiminaj Baby I am never scared. PROUD is more the word I would use.”
But the union wouldn’t really be all that unexpected. On his track “Miss Me” off his debut release Thank Me Later, Drake raps, “I love Nicki Minaj, I told her, I’d admit it; I hope one day we get married, just to say we f–king did it; And girl I’m f–king serious, I’m with it if you with it.” Guess it isn’t a fairy tale ending after all.
The outspoken MC announced Sunday that he’ll be dropping a new track every Friday until Christmas with his “G.O.O.D. Friday” campaign. On Friday (August 27), West posted “Monster” on his KanyeUniversecity.com blog, an eclectic all-star collaboration featuring contributions from Jay-Z, Rick Ross and Nicki Minaj.
Listen to this brand new leaked track from Nicki that features will.i.am.! Nicki and Will recorded this for her upcoming album, Pink Friday. This track was brought my Young Money HD for their Limelight Exclusive Mixtape.
(CNN) — Three years ago, Nicki Minaj was getting fired from jobs more often than she was paying her rent on time.
The Trinidad-born, New York City-raised artist has written lyrics about having an alcoholic father who once tried to burn down the house with her mom inside.
Certainly, Onika “Nicki Minaj” Maraj seems to be an unlikely candidate to become one of the most intriguing hip-hop artists of today.
After spending the early part of her childhood at her grandmother’s house, Minaj eventually landed in Queens with her parents. By the third grade, she already had an affinity for singing and acting and would later attend the famed LaGuardia Arts High School to study drama.
“I was thinking in my head I was going to be a famous actress,” Minaj says. “When I got out of high school, I didn’t really want to take time and go and audition, I just wanted to get a job and work and get my own place.”
Minaj quickly became bored with the nine to five and decided to give rap music a shot.
Jun 24 - Live @ Jimmy Kimmel
Your Love
Massive Attack
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.” Nicki followed suit, tweeting, “Yes, its true. Drake and I tied the knot. > RT @drakkardnoir @nickiminaj Baby I am never scared. PROUD is more the word I would use.”
