Nicki Minaj spills on her Sophomore LP

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

Last year, fans did not learn of Pink Friday until the album was right around the corner. Nicki Minaj built so much buzz, due to her collaborations with Ludacris and Usher, which were followed by her hit single, "Your Love." This momentum had Nicki Minaj more popular than Drake, who had released an album.

Upon releasing her debut album, Nicki Minaj broke records for female rappers, which had remained for decades. After her debut album, Nicki Minaj fans were already wanting to hear her next album. The entire Cash Money label is preparing to release new albums this year. Currently, the label is pushing Drake and his upcoming Take Care.

While the focus is on Drake, Nicki Minaj is also working on her new album. Nicki Minaj briefly spoke on her new album during the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards and revealed her Roman Zolanski personality would be featured heavily. Following her performance, over the weekend, Nicki Minaj again stated most of her new songs would be from Roman's point of view.

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Lil Wayne, Drake, and Nicki Minaj to appear on "Don't Get It Twisted"

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

Upon signing mixtape stars, Drake and Nicki Minaj, to his Young Money label, Lil Wayne focused on making them into mainstream stars. Wayne introduced Drake to the masses before going to Riker's Island. Drake would become the face of the crew over the summer.

Nicki Minaj created her own buzz when she landed on two of the spring's biggest tracks, "My Chick Bad" and "Lil' Freak." Working with two established veterans, Ludacris and Usher, was big for her. It was impressive because neither are associated with her crew.

Lil' Twist has also had a large following over the past few years. But, as a younger member of the crew, he has not had the publicity of the big three. This will all change this year. Twist has been recording his new album for months and he plans to release it this summer. As expected, the album will be star-studded, featuring appearances from Lil Wayne, Drake, and Nicki Minaj, but the album will also feature other big names. Sean Kingston and Justin Bieber will also appear on his album, Don't Get It Twisted.

Recently, a video was filmed for Lil' Twist's "Dayo" single, featuring guest appearances from Birdman, the head of the operation, and Mack Maine.

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Nicki Minaj very excited about Touring with Lil Wayne

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

For the first time since signing Drake and Nicki Minaj, Young Money will be at full strength. With Lil Wayne in prison for most of last year, the crew still dominated. But, Lil Wayne is now free and the stars are working on their follow-up albums.

The focus was intended to be on Drake while Lil Wayne was behind bars, but Nicki Minaj stole the show. She landed herself collaborations with Usher and Ludacris before the start of spring. In the summer, she released her hit, "Your Love."

Ever since the release of "Your Love," Nicki Minaj became the focal point of Young Money. High profile disses from Lil' Kim did not hurt her image, either. When she released Pink Friday, Nicki Minaj became the first female rapper in years to set various records.

Lil Wayne was proud of his team and was not shy about letting them know. Now that he is out of prison, he has major plans to keep their winning streak going. Wayne wants them to all go on tour now that they are all together. Nicki Minaj is glad Lil Wayne is out and is a personal fan of his. For the first time in her career, she will be touring with him and Nicki is very excited about that.

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Nicki Minaj talks about Her Favorite Collaboration

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

In a short period of time, Nicki Minaj has become one of the top rappers in the game. It did not hurt her by signing with Young Money. For most of 2009, the label was marketing Drake, who already had a strong following.

Lil Wayne pushed Drake into the spotlight as he prepared for his prison sentence. He told the rest of the Young Money artists to get hot. The next artist to have buzz would be the next one promoted. Nicki took him up on his challenge and revived female rap.

Despite only being a superstar for one year, Nicki has several collaborations under her belt. She has worked with Ludacris, Jay-Z, Game, Usher, Kanye West, Rick Ross, and many other big names. Recently, Nicki Minaj said she would not be doing anymore collaborations, unless it is with Britney Spears.

A month has passed since Nicki Minaj made this statement and Spears has yet to respond. Looking back, Nicki talked about her favorite collaborations. Even though she has recorded with the "in-crowd" of the hip hop game, Nicki Minaj's favorite collabo came from the Young Money crew. Nicki said her favorite collaboration of all-time came with Lil Wayne. Before signing with Young Money, Nicki Minaj recorded a mixtape song with Lil Wayne, named "Sunshine." It remains her favorite after three years.

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Kanye West takes Justin Bieber under His Wing

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

Despite being a pop teen sensation from Canada, hip hop has been with Justin Bieber since the beginning of his career. Usher discovered him and has helped him enter the game. Now, he is the biggest sensation in the nation. Currently, Bieber is the MVP of the Celebrity All-Star Game.

Justin Bieber has worked with many rappers and not just the new rappers. Raekwon, among other veteran rappers have called on his services. Kanye West has been a Bieber fan since the beginning. He has wanted to work with him for some time and he finally had the chance.

Kanye West was considered one of hip hop's best producers long before he was considered one of the best rappers. He has been wanting to pass his talents down for years. Despite the urge, the right person did not show up. This all changed when Kanye West met Justin Bieber and he is now teaching him how to make some beats.

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Young Jeezy teams up with Justin Bieber

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

Ever since he came into the game, Justin Bieber has been connected to hip hop. Usher helped introduce him to the game and has been his mentor. Along the way, many of Usher's rapper friends have been introduced to Bieber.

Three years ago, Usher helped Young Jeezy reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100. Usher called upon Jeezy to provide a rap verse for "Love in this Club." The song ended up becoming the first breakout hit of 2008 in the process.

Young Jeezy and Usher have often kept contact, before and after the song. Recently, Jeezy met Justin Bieber and the two hit it off. The two have been recording in a Los Angeles studio to rebuild buzz for Thug Motivation 103.

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Nicki Minaj taking break from Collaborations

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

Last year, Nicki Minaj worked with almost everyone and each of her collaborations was a hit. Her work with Usher and Ludacris, among others, led to her own successful debut. It also led to her feud with Lil' Kim. Still, Nicki Minaj is one of the most popular rappers in the game.

In the midst of her success, Nicki Minaj has made a shocking confession. She has decided to take a break from collaborating. While she loves recording with other artists, she is tired at the moment. For the next 24 months, Nicki Minaj will not be working with anyone, not even Young Money.

The only way Nicki Minaj would break her committment of not collaborating is if Britney Spears agreed to work with her. Despite only being two years deep in the game, Nicki Minaj feels she has worked with everyone in the game and she is looking for something else to do in her career and her next step is going pop.

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Throwback Video of the Day: P. Diddy ft. Usher and Loon - "I Need a Girl Pt. 1"

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Nicki Minaj talks "Pink Friday" debut

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

Having been on the mixtape scene for three years, Nicki Minaj made her entrance into the game last year. Ever since joining Young Money, she has completely revived the female rap game. Earlier this year, Nicki collaborated with Ludacris, Usher, and many others, along with feuding with Lil' Kim.

It is hard to believe Nicki Minaj has yet to release an album with all she has done. Her single, "Your Love," was released right at the start of summer and is still receiving heavy radio play. Despite being the hottest rapper in the game, Nicki Minaj is nervous about the release of her debut album.

With Pink Friday coming before the end of this year, the female rap game is focusing on Nicki. For this album, Minaj has the pressure on her and needs to bring her A-game. Even with the accomplishments so early in her career, Nicki Minaj feels the weight of every future female rapper in the game. She feels if she does not do as well as expected, Young Money will not sign more female rappers.

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Dr. Dre teams up with Justin Bieber

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

Dr. Dre continues to expand his brand as he moves farther and farther outside of hip hop. The man was credited with inventing the sound that goes along with Gangsta rap. Had it not been for Dr. Dre, the tough beats on tracks by Tupac and Snoop Dogg may have never come to be.

Following his time with Death Row Records, Dr. Dre went into business by himself. His first post-Death Row track was "Been There, Done That," a heartfelt goodbye to Gangsta rap. A few years later, Dre added Eminem to the roster of his Aftermath label and the world has not been the same since.

Before the days of Eminem, no one would have predicted Dr. Dre working with white artists, regardless of the genre. Dr. Dre, like many other hip hop bosses, has proven to be a businessman first. Due to this, he works with anyone who is trying to do something different. In his book, talent is talent and this is the reason he has teamed up with Usher protege, Justin Bieber. He has been creating beats for the teen sensation for some time.

The collaboration has been kept under wraps, but Dr. Dre and Justin Bieber feel their work will go down in history books right beside G-Funk.

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