We finally got over the H1N1-type viral presence that her mentor Lil Wayne has had on the music world for the last 2 years. Love her or hate her (there seems to be no in between), Nicki Minaj is every freakin' where! Equipped with neon-colored attire, the street annunciation I've hopelessly been trying to get my teenage nieces to drop, poppable chewing gum, and an an amazing push-up bra, she's the "NEW BARBIE." The Black Barbie statement rings memory bells from old Lil' Kim lyrics, and Nicki Minaj seems ready and positioned to fill the Queen B's stilettos. After hearing her talk (realizing I don't speak chickenhead fluently) and her mixtape, I admit I didn't take her seriously...Then I heard her on a song with Robin Thicke. WTH? Through questioning, I found out she's considered, like, a REAL FEMALE RAPPER.

A friend of mine overheard some teens debating on who the best female rapper is: Lil Kim or Nicki? He showed his age by tweeting, "I can't believe it! Where's MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, and even Eve in this list?" I had to check my maternal and conscious ear for a second. How can we fault the youth for being drawn into the mirage that is Nicki Minaj?

When we want to think of dope female rappers, the only name that has lasted from the last decade and seems halfway relevant actually is Miss Kim. She made a name for herself by using sexual freedom as a form of female empowerment and made being verbally freaky nothing to blush about. Crotch poses and all, Lil Kim has had the most longevity, and thus she is arguably the Queen of female rappers for this generation. If you doubt it, then try naming some rappers from the 90s that are still relevant today- both male & female. Drawing a blank? MC Lyte, Latifah, Eve, even Lauryn Hill didn't stay in the game long enough to hold the title much less the attention of the present day 15-21 demographic.

We can try blaming that on the labels for not backing dope female rappers such as Lady Luck and others who had industry buzz. We can try blaming Remy Ma and Foxy for making silly mistakes that interrupted their careers and landed them writing their next album from a cell. We can try blaming ourselves for nodding our heads to the very music that our minds denounce. Or we can try blaming Nicki Minaj for doing what she's told: be marketable and make money. She's not the first, and definitely not going to be the last female artist CREATED to sell records.

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Coming Soon- Part 2: "Nicki Minaj- The Bird Brand"