Nicki Minaj attended the Billboard’s Sixth Annual Women in Music event at the Capitale on December 2, 2011 in New York City.

Taylor Swift and rising star Nicki Minaj headlined a list of Women in Music industry that was topped by Atlantic Records’ Julie Greenwald, who appeared alongside boss Lyor Cohen, CEO of Warner Music.

Billboard editorial director Bill Werde said he was repeatedly asked why Billboard still ranks its Women In Music honorees, which was expanded from 30 to 40 this year. “We believe in taking an editorial stance to keep the industry striving to work harder,” he said.

That sentiment was echoed by Minaj, who told ABC News’ Robin Roberts during an onstage Q&A that she dealt with a lot of rejection before reaching her current place in the pop culture stratosphere. “I’ve had a lot of doors closed in my face,” she said. “I’m no different than any struggling artist that just tried one last time.”

Friday’s event fell on a particularly busy day for Minaj, who debuted her new single “Roman In Moscow” from her upcoming album “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded” on iTunes just minutes before walking the red carpet. She also revealed plans for a one-of-a-kind Barbie doll made in partnership with Mattel, to be auctioned off next Wednesday at Divine Design’s five-day gala in Beverly Hills on CharityBuzz.com.

Minaj told Roberts that the new album is “so much fun from beginning to end” and will explore multiple genres. “It’s … grimy,” she said.

Although Swift and Minaj never shared the stage at Billboard’s event, a career highlight for both artists from 2011 was performing Minaj’s “Super Bass” at Los Angeles’ Staples Center earlier this year. Minaj credits Swift’s early praise of the song, and subsequent shout-outs on radio and tweets to her fans, as having a direct impact on the song’s path from “Pink Friday” bonus cut to her highest-charting single to date. “I just saw her last week, and I told her, ‘This is not something I’m saying to the cameras. This is something you had a hand in.’ This just shows the power of her words.”

Both honorees had important people to thank for helping them in their way to the top. Swift credited her parents with teaching her the importance of personal responsibility and integrity in her career. “It’s just easier to stand by the decisions you’ve made [yourself],” she said, noting that she sits in on every management and publicity meeting to make sure she’s on the same page as her team on every decision.

And Minaj had a message for the room of fellow honorees at the end of her acceptance speech. “To everyone out there, I am so proud of you for showing me this can be done. You can be your own boss, and make your own music, and project an image you believe in and keep good morals and all that good stuff.”

The event closed with a performance by S-Curve recording artist Andy Grammer, who paid tribute to Swift with an acoustic version of her hit “Mine” and dedicated his own single “Keep Your Head Up” to Minaj and the rest of this year’s honorees. [Source]

There are many reasons people love to bash the Grammys, but one of the most frequent punching bags is the Best New Artist category. Whether it goes to someone music fans have never heard of (2010’s Esperanza Spalding), an act who’s been around forever (2001’s Shelby Lynne), or one that even at his or her peak seemed unworthy at best (notorious 1981 flash-in-the-pan Christopher Cross), Best New Artist is a perennial head-scratcher.

By Recording Academy rules, the award is for a musician or band who releases an album during the year of eligibility that establishes their “public identity” as an artist. That doesn’t mean it’s their first album or that they suddenly appeared on the scene just that year, because, really, no act just materializes out of thin air and makes their way to the Grammys without years of unseen road, club and studio work.

But a look at this year’s nominees is proof that in an age of mixtapes, YouTube, features and blog love such “new” acts as Bon Iver, Nicki Minaj, Skrillex and J. Cole are practically veterans by the time the Academy decides to shine its spotlight. In fact, of all this year’s nominees, only country trio the Band Perry are truly “new,” and they formed in 2005, then gigged around and dropped a few singles until their only full-length studio recording was released in late October of last year.

Nicki released three mixtapes between 2007 and the time she signed with Young Money Entertainment in 2009. From that point on, she became the queen of features, showing up for guest verses on songs by Robin Thicke, Teairra Marie, Mariah Carey, Bobby Valentino, Usher, Mya, Ludacris, Jason DeRülo and many others prior to dropping her first album, Pink Friday, in November 2010.

On the same tip, Cole started posting his earliest rhymes online nearly a decade ago before being signed to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation label. He, too, released a series of mixtapes, scored guest shots on songs by Jigga, Wale, B.o.B, Young Chris and Miguel, worked the road and seeded the Net with new music for more than three years before finally unleashing his major-label debut, Cole World: The Sideline Story, in May. Like Minaj, by the time his debut hit stores, Cole was practically a household name and had already been touted as one of the biggest young stars in the business. [Source]

Nicki Minaj is already coming off a winning weekend, with two American Music Awards, and the good news doesn’t stop there: Billboard has decided to name her its rising star of 2011.

She is slated to get the honor at Billboard’s “Women in Music” event on Dec. 2 in New York City.

Nicki will have one her biggest fans on hand as well – Taylor Swift is also being honored as the woman of the year.

Nicki Minaj said Wednesday she was “deeply honored to be recognized by Billboard.” She said she and her fans have come a “mighty long way” but are not close to where “God will take us.”

The rapper and singer has emerged as one of music’s most popular entertainers since releasing her debut album “Pink Friday” a year ago Tuesday. Her hits include “Super Bass” and “Moment 4 Life.”

She announced Tuesday night the release date of her new album, “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded,” will be on Valentine’s Day 2012, reports MTV.

“Its only right to announce it on the anniversary of Pink Friday right barbz???” Nicki tweeted on Tuesday. [Source]