IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Nicki Minaj

Gone are the days of gritty female rappers like Lil’ Kim and Missy Elliot, who owned the early 2000’s with their ghetto street cred.

Enter 2011 and there is a new rapping sensation who has catapulted onto the scene. Bursting with talent, quirkiness and lots of pink everywhere, Nicki Minaj has become synonymous with the female rap genre. Dethroning all of her predecessors with both glamour, grace and wit – a definite new breed of rapper.

With the current state of the music scene it is very difficult to stay relevant, with artists having to tread a thin line between remaining in the spotlight but not overexposing themselves. So has it become a matter of clever marketing? Absolutely!. Nicki and her entourage have combined genius marketing with formidable talent to create a monster, enrobed in pink.

Its all formula really – blend all of the current winning strategies in the industry to create an overall package. Collaborations, one of those strategies… was the foot in the door for Nicki. With most pop songs requiring an urban edge and often relying on some appeal from the likes of Kanye or Pitbull, it was becoming a matter of eenie meenie. Naturally some serious strings were pulled to get her noticed, which resulted in her collaborating with serious heavyweights including Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears and Rihanna.

Through her invaluable contributions and confidence on all her collaborative ventures it soon became clear that this pink chameleon was destined for even bigger things. So was it surprising that a solo album would follow? Was it surprising that it is so good? Definitely no on both counts. Pink Friday, with Songs like Your Love, Right Through Me and the smash hit Super Bass, has cemented her into her own superstar persona. Its no surprise that Billboard Magazine dubbed her the “First Lady (Gaga) of Hip Hop).

Ok, so she may not have a meat dress but the put on British accent, pink and blonde wigs and sharp wit are dynamite and not to mention animal friendly! Its all in the marketing… and talent of course!