( CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL PHOTO SET IN THE GALLERY )

Nicki Minaj is on the rise, the Queens M.C. is doing her thing in 2010, not only has she resurrected a New York rap scene but at the same time she has placed herself at the top of the list of the best female M.C. in the game right now. Nicki sat down with XXL to shed some light on all the rumors, where she sees herself in the game and what influence Young Money CEO Lil Wayne had in her life. Check out some excerpts from her interview.

Your buzz has been growing more and more each month. How has that felt for you?

Yeah, I guess it has been growing, thank God. I dunno, it’s been an exciting whirlwind. I never really know what to expect. But the buzz has definitely been heightening, so I’m happy.

When did you first start to feel that things were coming together for you?

I definitely think that, when I shot the [“Up Out My Face”] video with Mariah Carey, I started feeling like, Wait a minute, this is not something I really ever envisioned for my life just nine months before that. click to read more »

Here’s a new feature track with Nicki Minaj on it. It only includes her verse, which I don’t find to be bad at all? No info on who’s track this is, enjoy!

Nicki Minaj’s success was obtained quicker than expected. She’s one of the only females, if not the only female in the rap game right now that’s making noise. Although she’s only looked at as a rapper, her music style includes rapping and singing. Nicki actually speaks to XXL Magazine about where she sees her career going.

“You know what, I’m a female entertainer,” Nicki clarified, “but I don’t let it offend me when people call me a female MC or female rapper, because I just look at it as a challenge.”

“I’m about to climb over every single barrier and just put females on a different map altogether,” she continued. “So I take it as it comes. Like, I don’t think in five years people will consider me a female rapper—I’ll be, like, an entertainer. But, as of right now, I get it. I started off in the underground hip-hop circuit, so I’m a female rapper right now. But it’s just the beginning.”

Be sure to pick up your copy of the magazine as it hits newsstands on April 20th!

Source: Global Grind

At least the album will be coming as anticipated!

Rihanna is celebrating girl power with her first headlining tour. The pop superstar has announced dates for her 2010 North American tour with supporting acts Nicki Minaj and Ke$ha.

The “Last Girl on Earth” trek, which kicks off July 2 in Seattle, will make 25 stops across the U.S. and Canada, playing a mix of amphitheaters and arenas throughout the summer, wrapping August 25 at Chicago’s United Center. The “Rude Boy” hitmaker will be joined by rising stars Nicki Minaj and Ke$ha, who will open all dates on the Live Nation production. Tickets go on sale beginning April 9 at LiveNation.com.

Before she hits the Western hemisphere, Rihanna will embark on a sold-out European tour on April 16 in Antwerp, Belgium, and perform on “American Idol” on April 7.

The fashionista’s “Last Girl on Earth” outing promises to be a visual spectacle unlike anything she’s done before. Pre-sale tickets for fan club members are available beginning Wednesday, April 7, at 10 a.m. local time. Citi cardmembers will also have access to pre-sale tickets starting Wednesday, April 7 at 12 p.m. local time through Citi’s Private Pass Program.

Rihanna “Last Girl on Earth” 2010 North American Tour Dates
click to read more »

Just about every hip-hop fan has an opinion about Nicki Minaj. Whether her ubiquity is seen as a blessing or a nuisance is to be debated, but her presence is unavoidable. The game has never been ashamed of crowing one femcee at a time and at the moment Minaj is Little Miss Popularity. But what do her predecessors think of her? Foxy Brown is a fan, Rah Digga says she’s “awesome,” Trina shared her 31st birthday with her, Lil Kim hasn’t commented and Eve…

“I am a fan of the fact that she’s a female MC in the game. I gotta be honest, I don’t really know many of her records. I’ve seen a few things, honestly I don’t [remember them] and I’m being really real. I don’t really know her that well,” she tells VIBE. “When she was on [the “My Chick Bad” music video] set, she was nice as shit. To me, if her music was dope and she would’ve been an asshole than I wouldn’t have been a fan. I’m more a fan of hers as a person.”

Though Eve—who met Minaj for the first time in late March and heard the final versions of Ludacris’ “My Chick Bad” a week before the Miami shoot—wasn’t too familiar with the Young Money front-woman’s catalogue, she did think her verse was one-of-a-kind. “I mean, I think it’s unique to who she is. It is what it is. You know what I mean? I thought it was dope,” she says.

“She definitely is a quirky chick. That’s a good word for her. When she had the Freddy Krueger gloves I was like ‘Wow.’ But at the same time, whatever you decide to do, especially in music, you gotta go hard and own it. You can’t be timid wearing Freddy Krueger gloves in a video. If you look insecure, people are going to be like ‘Why are you doing that?’ You gotta fucking own it and she did. I think that’s dope.“

But with Minaj’s growing omnipresence, does Eve feel threatened or propelled?

“Trust me, no one’s competition for me and that sounds cocky but I seriously live in such an Eve world. And not in a crazy-everything-is-me-bubble, it’s just that I’m bulding an empire,” the 31-year-old says. “I go on Twitter and people say ‘Yo, knock Nicki Minaj out of the box, but ultimately we’re all helping each other and I’m happy seeing these chicks in the game. It’s too much testosterone. When I see another female, my immediate reaction is not ‘Oh I gotta go and get my shit right.’ I got 900 other things going on. I can’t keep worrying about what’s coming up behind me.”

Eve is currently working on her fourth album, Lip Lock, set to be released later this year. —Tracy Garraud

This is the unedited BET version of the video with alternate scene footage.

Source: Rap-Up.com

Women can sometimes be catty beings, but not R&B vixen Teairra Mari. The Detroit gal has nothing but love for her “Automatic” collaborator Nicki Minaj.

In an industry where female rappers can barely be counted on two hands, Mari had little to choose from when deciding which femcee to feature on her Jackpot Music-produced record. Yet, the songstress looked to Minaj because she was a devout fan. “I got Nicki on the song because I liked her,” she admits to Rap-Up.com. “I followed her YouTube videos, so I knew what she was about. When I heard ‘Automatic,’ I thought Nicki Minaj.”

The song’s writer, Rico Love, was unaware of who the Young Money star was at the time. “He didn’t know who I was talking about,” she says. “He was like, ‘Who?’ I showed him her videos on YouTube.” Originally, Love opted for another rapper to be on the track. “At first he wanted to get Trina or Lil’ Kim,” Mari reveals. “I love Trina and I love Kim as well, but I thought we should get a fresh girl and Nicki Minaj is hot.”

While many artists later jumped on the Barbie bandwagon, Mari called on her talents before she was a hot commodity. “This was before anything was really popular,” she continues, “because she’s been releasing music.”

“Automatic” featuring Lil Wayne’s protégée will appear on Teairra Mari’s sophomore album, At That Point, slated for a June release.

–Georgette Cline

SOURCE: Rap-Up.com

We know that the livest home audience on 106 Connect is up on all the latest trends in fashion! Now we’re giving you a chance to shine on the show, just like all of the celebrities who swing by.

This week we want you to upload your multi-colored hair and fancy fingernail photos! We’ll choose the coolest photos to be featured on 106!

Are you a lady who has multi-colored hair or fancy fingernails like Nicki Minaj? Then upload your photo now!

Click here to head on over to the BET.com website to upload your photos!

After dropping the explosive video for “Massive Attack,” Nicki Minaj springs into action on the cover of the first single from her debut album. The Sean Garrett-aided song launches on iTunes April 13. The Young Money femcee is looking to collaborate with Kanye West and Swizz Beatz for the project.

SOURCE: Rap-Up.com

( CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PHOTOSHOOT OUTTAKES IN THE GALLERY )

Huge thanks to my friend Billy for donating these to the site!

In a recent interview with VIBE Magazine Lloyd Banks is asked the ever popular question:

Trina, Kim, or Nicki?
[Laughs] Sheesh. I would go with Nicki right now.