Henrick Vartanian
Nicki Minaj has achieved a lot this past year, from her top selling debut LP, Pink Friday to being named MTV’s #6 Hottest MC in the Game , the first female to make the list in the history of MTV.
Making her way up the ranks, this native girl from queens, NY recently said she is surprised by her own rise to stardom.
She tells MTV NEWS: “A part of me expected it, because I wanted it so bad, but I never saw all of this.”
On location this week, and between takes shooting her new music video for “Moment 4 Life” with Drake, Minaj talked about becoming the queen of rap, a tight and otherwise strict boys’ club, normally dominated by male rappers and MC’s.
“You know, I never would’ve imagined that I would’ve signed to [Lil] Wayne, number one.” She explained. “[I] never imagined that Young Money/ Cash Money would be the hip-hop crew,” added the female MC who actually outsold, one of her idols: Mr. Kanye West – in weekly sales, that is.
She admits her own surprise saying; “To be signed to them is one thing, but to be signed to them when they’re at their height, when this has become like an insane movement? No, I never imagined that, because when Wayne first called and reached out, I thought it was a joke.
“I’ve wanted this for a very long time, but I couldn’t — not even with a crystal ball — I could not have predicted these things would really happen this way.”
Minaj’s album Pink Friday, a record-breaking success has sold 658,439 units, according to Nielsen Sound Scan. Minaj’s own brand of spunky “straight-shooting” yet approachable demeanor make her one of the strongest and personable voices in today’s rap.