From: Youtube.com

2010 will mark the resurgence of the female MC. And it will lie in the ample cradle of creativity currently inhabited by Nicki Minaj. Using her alluring sexuality as a springboard for her focused ingenuity on the microphone, the woman that was born Onika Tanya Maraj hopes to crush all of the false illusions of women in hip-hop. Looking to blend her beautiful genes, knack for wordplay and eccentric imagination into a successful, career-boosting concoction, Minaj plans on releasing her debut album in November. After gaining a co-sign from her CEO, the incomparable Lil Wayne, and co-starring on tracks with Mariah Carey and Usher, Nicki looks to have comparable or even greater success in the current state of hip-hop than her Young Money label mate, Drake.  But her main mission may be to create a new breed of the femme MC–someone who brings not only beauty and sensuality to their lyrics, but also thoughtfulness, compassion, ego, bravado and an affinity for a mean shoe game. Below is a 2008 interview with Nicki Minaj, before her imminent rise to fame.

[Reprinted From BlackPower.com (12/15/2008)]

Nicki Minaj has been grinding independently for about four years, but her claim to fame came about with an appearance on the widely circulated Come Up DVD series–which just happened to have a cameo by Dwayne Carter himself. The instantaneous chemistry between the two artists led to a powerful alliance and put Nicki down with the self-proclaimed “Best rapper alive.” The newest edition, and first female, of the Young Money imprint is way more than meets the eye. Aggrandizing her God-given talents of singing, acting and writing at the prestigious LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York City (The Fame school), she has invented more than one way to skin the “Hollywood” cat.

Cost Magazine: So can we get a formal introduction for the people who don’t know who you are?

Nicki Minaj: My name is Nicki Minaj, also known as the baddest bitch in the world. I just landed from outer space. Shout out to everybody in New York City–that’s where I’m from. I did a lot of s**t with Weezy F. Baby–shout out to Young Money. Now I’m just taking over the planet all by my lonesome, being a boss bitch.

CM: That’s a very interesting name. Where did you come up with that, or is that like a childhood thing?

NM: It’s based on my real name, which is Maraj. So when I really started eating these bitches, they started to call me Minaj–because I got a nasty flow. Ya Dig?

CM: I dig. What made you want to get into music?

NM: I just love music…it makes me happy. Sometimes it makes me cry, sometimes it makes me sad, but I love it.

CM: How does it feel to be the first female artist to sign with Lil Wayne; the biggest selling artist in Hip-Hop [in 2008]?

NM: I’m not signed to anyone at the moment, but you know, that’s my family. I’ll probably be signing my deal–I’m not sure who I’m signing with now–I’m just doing a lot of shopping, but we’ll be doing that at [the beginning of 2009]. But as far as being surrounded with the Young Money camp, it feels great because he’s the best at what he does. So it’s an honor.

CM: I’ve read so many times in interviews that Wayne has an extremely tenacious work ethic. How hard does he really grind in the studio?

NM: Oh he goes hard. He works very, very hard and he pushes everybody to the utmost. He’s a professional, he goes very hard.

CM: Well, I guess he’s not the only one working hard, since you just got nominated for [the 2008] UMA Female Artist Of The Year Award.

NM: Well, I won the UMA Female Artist of the Year Award, and I’m nominated for the Southern Entertainment Award (SEA) Award. That’s like the underground thing for the south, so I’m nominated for that. It’s an honor to win the UMA–and hopefully I’ll win the SEA Award—but a lot of people have been supporting me, so that feels like ‘damn something I’m doing is being recognized.’ That’s kinda dope.

CM: What does it feel like to get to that point so early in your career?

NM: I don’t know, I mean…I guess it’s weird because people like you will think that this is, like, early on in my career. But, I guess…like, artists never feel like it’s early on in their career; we always feel like we’ve been grinding forever, you know what I’m saying? So, I feel like my hard work is paying off, but I don’t necessarily feel like this is early on in my career. I guess to the public it is. So, it feels good…I never thought that one year into my little run I would get a freaking UMA! But I guess it was just meant to happen like that.

CM: While you are snatching up awards, any intentions on winning a Grammy?

NM: Of course. I would love to win a Grammy. I will win a Grammy and I will win an Oscar, because you know I’m an actress. I’m actually a better actress than I am a rapper. But I can’t wait to put my album out because I know it will be Grammy worthy, at least I’ll get a Grammy nomination.

CM: Whets your mentality like on stage? How do you connect with your fans when you’re performing?

NM: I do a lot of s**t talking. You know, I talk a lot of s**t. I’m all about my females and empowering them and just being crazy and playful with them. This is really what I do. Like, I’m all about the people. I love meeting and greeting people and taking pictures–just getting to know them and talking to them. So, when I’m on the stage, it’s like this is the way I can really do it. It’s no other time I can really do it because every other time they are trying to just see me on the internet or on DVDs and s**t. When I’m onstage, I relish that opportunity and I really, really have a lot of crowd participation.

CM: You mentioned that you also act, sing and write. How important is it to you to keep busy outside of hip-hop, especially now with the way sales are going?

NM: That’s exactly why I started really singing a lot because sales are down and, especially for rap and for female rappers, that’s kinda like…Whoa, a double negative. Before I wasn’t really into singing, because I felt like real rappers don’t sing. But now it’s like, you know what, superstars do it all. That’s what I’m doing right now. I’m kinda perfecting my craft and I’m making sure that it does work for me; I can’t put all of my eggs in one basket. I love hip-hop, but you also have to do a lot of other things just so you can have something to fallback on. At the end of the day, that’s just being a smart business person.

CM: I agree 100 percent. Does that include songwriting for other artists?

NM: Oh definitely. I’m actually better at writing R&B, so I’ve been writing some R&B stuff. I just wrote some R&B hooks for Plies, but I don’t know if they submitted it to him. But you never know you might hear that on his next album. I’m definitely into the writing. I like writing R&B way more than I like writing rap anyway.

CM: Where do you see hip-hop going in the future since sales are down?

NM: I can’t predict that. I have no idea. I just know that this business has been so unpredictable. Like, Wayne selling a million in his first week kind of just broke so many barriers. If you have a buzz it can be done, and that just goes to show you that it can be done.

CM: It appears to be a void that needs to be filled in hip-hop, as far as the female MC. Do you feel any pressure to step up to the plate?

NM: I feel so much pressure. I feel like I get that from everybody and I don’t want to let anybody down. Like, I’m a people pleaser and I just want to make everybody proud; so that’s why it might take a regular person 10 minutes to write [sixteen bars], sometimes it can take me a day. So, I’m carrying so much on my shoulders that I feel like I have to rep for the females and I have to put us back–and I will do it.

CM: Ever since the Salt & Pepper and Lil’ Kim days, a lot of female artists have utilized sex as a tool to sell records. Is that a part of your marketing strategy?

NM: Have you ever seen me having sex? Do I have a sex tape out there that I don’t know about? If not, I don’t sell sex, boo. Does 50 Cent sell gun violence when he’s posing on a magazine cover or his mixtape cover with a bulletproof vest and guns? I can’t really answer that question because that question doesn’t really make sense to me.

CM: Do you see yourself following the blueprint that Lil Wayne has set and becoming a huge megastar or do you want to take the underground route like say…Roxanne Shante?

NM: (Laughs) I’m a hurt you! Of course every artist’s dream is to be big, but my thing is never to be seen. I’ll take all of the stuff without the fame if I could. I really don’t like being looked at in cameras; I know that sounds crazy, but I really don’t like all of that stuff.

I would just much rather do music and let people enjoy my music. But, I happen to have a personality that people want to see. So, I do the DVDs and stuff like that. But if it was up to me, I would follow in Wayne’s footsteps–without the scrutiny that he’s gotten. Of course, that will not happen. If you’re successful, you’re going to get that scrutiny regardless–but the fame doesn’t matter to me. Being able to create companies and put other girls on and make other girls [have executive titles at companies], that’s what matters to me. If I have to follow in Wayne’s footsteps with doing my music and being on my grind, then that is definitely what I’m going to do.

CM: Last but not least, any advice for females trying to get into the entertainment business?

NM: I would say to be you. Sometimes saying be yourself seems like it’s corny, but I’ve learned in my little run so far that everything I wanted to do from the get-go is what people love from me now. So, the biggest thing is to be you. And always know that there are a million other people that feel like you, think like you and look like you. That would be my biggest thing for the girls; just be you. And you know what? A bad bitch will always be a bad bitch.