Barbz and Kenz a new Nicki Minaj album is closer than you think. Nicki’s Cash Money boss, Birdman, has revealed that the rapper is prepping the release of her Pink Friday follow-up for the first quarter in 2012, which presumably means that we’ll soon hear what the “Super Bass” songstress has been cooking up for the highly-anticipated release.There’s even some talk that Nicki, who is reportedly hard at work on her sophomore LP, could drop a new single by year’s end. Hold on to your pink wig.

“Nicki’s back in the studio, so we’re looking to drop Nicki in the first quarter,” Brian “Birdman” Williams said in an interview with Billboard.com. He went on to dish that Minaj could potentially drop new music sometime before year-end. “Maybe this year? I don’t know,” he added about releasing a single before 2012 strikes. “We’re really thinking it out. But she’s in the studio, and we’re looking real soon, because she’s ready to go and we’re ready to go with her.”

Earlier this month, BET reported that Minaj posted a blog post about how her alter-ego Roman would play a part in her new music. Although the post was later removed, the MC teased that Roman is out for revenge.

“Roman will be in rare form this time. You know why? Cuz he no longer gives a f—,” she wrote. “He has two more weeks in boarding school. We’re going to pick him up now. When he lands, he will address the nation in the form of music. He will also announce the date.”

Whether or not Roman will have anything to do with this record, Minaj’s Pink Friday producer Kane Beatz recently told MTV News, “We got one so far. She’s in L.A. goin’ crazy. … She just started, so she’s really picking her music and picking the songs. She’s real selective. She’ll pick all the beats before she even starts writing, so right now, we’re just getting music together, and it’s goin’ crazy right now.” [Source]

Singer Nicki Minaj posed for a portrait with her awards for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist and Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album at the 2011 American Music Awards held at Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE on November 20, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.

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Singer Nicki Minaj attended the 2011 American Music Awards held at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on November 20, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.

Nicki Minaj hit the American Music Awards 2011 like a pink-wigged robot, decked out in a cyborg-looking outfit to perform David Guetta’s “Turn Me On.” She then would perform “Super Bass” (to the glee of Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez) before returning to the stage to accept a couple AMA trophies.

One of the unintentionally funny moments from the American Music Awards was when Nicki won for Favorite Rap/Hip Hop Album. Wearing massive heels and long green dress, Nicki needed help from an AMA staffer (or security guard) to walk all the way across the stage.

And luckily he was there to help here, because Minaj slipped once or twice even with his help.

Later, Nicki won her second award (Favorite Rap/Hip Hop Artist) and made it a point to inspire her fans with her acceptance speech.

“Chase your dreams, I never thought that this could be possible … Shout out to all the female rappers, past, present, and future.” [Source]

Nicki Minaj was seen sporting a ring on her engagement finger whilst accepting an award at the American Music Awards at the Nokia Theatre in L.A. Speculation has arisen that her Young Moneylabelmate Drake has proposed to the woman he has always publicly gushed about.

The 25-year-old Toronto MC recently said an interview with the Daily Beast: “All jokes aside, Nicki is somebody I could spend my life with because I think we understand each other.”

The ‘Headlines’ star continued by adding, “If there’s any woman in my life that’s the ideal woman for me, it’s definitely Nicki. I like the stripped-down Nicki. I like Nicki with no makeup, black hair, some casual clothes in a recording booth rapping an amazing verse. That’s sexy to me.”

Nicki was last known to be dating her hype man Scaff Breezy, but onlookers have noticed the obvious chemistry between the two rappers with producer T-Minus hinting there “could be something” between the pair after spending time in the studio with them. [Source]