What WE Did With Old Nicki

EDITORIALIZED BY TI’Juana “Mamarazzi” Hardwell

EDITORIALIZED BY TI’Juana “Mamarazzi” Hardwell

As a lover of Hip Hop, an entertainment journalist and a fan of boss-women making moves, I was inspired to look deep into the alleged “Nicki Hate Train.”

Nicki came onto the entertainment scene and successfully crossed over in a way that no female emcee before her was ever able to do. But somewhere down the line, the people who loved her and quoted her bars word–for-word, hit the snooze button on Nicki Minaj. Now let’s talk about it!

I long for Old Nicki—the one who burst onto the scene with the bangs and pink hair and showed us why she was a 5 Star Chick.

Nicki Minaj quickly commanded our attention, a fresh breath of air to the Hip Hop scene. Not only was she Young Money’s most successful female artist, she also dominated the radio and experienced mainstream commercial success like no female before her.

All of our favorite artists needed Nicki to give their song that WOW factor.

When she released “Pink Friday” in 2010 under Young Money, the album charted at number one on the US Billboard 200. The album was certified platinum 3 times over

by RIAA. Two years later the female Lil Wayne was back at number one with Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded.

As she ascended, she even proved that she could hang with Jay and Ye. She unleashed her inner monster and no one could deny her rightful place as Hip Hop royalty.

The artist with a lot of alter egos went on to earn awards by BET, American Music Awards, Billboard Awards, MTV VMAs and 10 Grammy

nominations before a campaign she dubbed the “Nicki Hate Train” left the station. That train carried beefs with her former American Idol fellow judge Mariah Carey, pop star Miley Cyrus, Lil Kim, Remy Ma, Cardi B, ex Safaree Samuels, Rick Ross, Meek

Mills—and I won’t go on because I’m limiting my typed characters.

As more femcees came behind Nicki, media and Hip Hop fans treated Young Money’s cash cow an old doll and seemingly shelved her. She received harsh criticism with every single released. “This ain’t the record,” “We don’t like the direction,” and “This seems desperate” sums up the opinions of Nicki critics.

We celebrated the NEW female artists and showed little interest in the most decorated female Hip Hop artist.

Rumors about Nicki’s diva behavior and nasty attitude spread like wildfire—whether it was her antics during her time with American Idol or her asking

...Continued

Miley “What’s good?” while most of us watched like, “What’d Hannah Montana do to her?”

But I blame US! We allowed a culture to exist in Hip Hop where women were few. After surviving Biggie vs Tupac, Jay Z vs Nas, 50 Cent vs Ja Rule, we put Nicki up against Every Female MC. That’s too much for anyone to come out unscathed from. Nicki has been forced to defend her throne from every femcee who has touched a mic before and after her.

Male artists have the privilege of being cocky—

helicopters and trains. But little girls’ aspirations to collect dolls is almost always sabotaged by the boys in her family who would rather break the heads off of them, detach their limbs and dangle them outside of car windows.

have to like every single she released.

We didn’t have to side with her on every beef or Twitter war. But we did have an obligation to regard her in the same fashion we do male artists. And that’s to simply let her music exist instead of subjecting her to a cage match with

“Tryna make a new Nicki with a factory They'll never toe to toe on a track with me There'll never be another one after me”-Nicki Minaj, “LLC” (Queen, 2018) something Nicki had been widely criticized for. While men get away with being equally abrasive, Nicki had been labeled a mean girl in many circles. That’s not to say she is innocent but neither is Hip Hop culture.

Growing up, little boys get to collect GI Joes, cars,

And Hip Hop is much like that and Nicki is that Harajuku Barbie.

Right now Cardi B is being pitted against Megan Thee Stallion. Rather than see them both exist, social media wants an old-fashioned mudslinging and wet t-shirt contest.

The way we handled Old Nicki is problematic. We didn’t

every female newcomer.

So yes, we want Old Nicki—more fun, less defensive and with a fighting chance.

She’s no Raggedy Ann. She’s still Nicki. Creating. Evolving. Still legend.

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by Mamarazzi Entertainment Magazine, visit: MamarazziMagazine.com.