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With the recent deficit of femcees in the game, the future of females in hip-hop depends on the success of Nicki Minaj’s debut album Pink Friday. The Young Money starlet spoke with V103’s Greg Street about how important it is for her album to succeed, and hopes that it will encourage more ladies to pick up the mic

“They won’t look to sign other female rappers because they’ll say, ‘Her buzz was so crazy and if she couldn’t do it, then no one can do it.’ And I don’t want that to happen, so I’m doing this as well for all the girls,” explained the “Your Love” hitmaker. “I hope that with the success of the album—because I know it will be successful, I believe it will be successful—I hope that this opens doors for all of the girls everywhere.”

She also shared that she was initially scared to be a solo artist after associates warned her that female rap was over and that record companies wouldn’t give her proper support. “Even as far as I’ve come right now, it’s a testament in my mind,” she said. “So I hope the female rappers will understand how big it is, just for our culture, that the album does well.”

In addition, Nicki spoke about her excitement regarding Lil Wayne’s November release from jail, and that his absence has made her realize how important he is to the Young Money family. “He didn’t deserve to go in in the first place, and it’s kind of crazy how much of a void it’s been without him,” she stated. “We really didn’t realize that Wayne is the glue that holds Young Money and Cash Money together, I feel, so I’m just very thankful that he’s finally coming home.”

Pink Friday is slated for a November 23 release, and is expected to include contributions from will.i.am, Swizz Beatz, and Alex Da Kid.