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The first lady of Lil Wayne’s Young Money Records Nicki Minaj has her eyes set on being the newest face in the always steamy pot of female MC’s. Initially putting her work in the streets with various mixtapes, a key DVD magazine appearance would lead her to meeting Weezy in the flesh. She makes her national introduction with Sucka Free (Young Money) hosted by the man himself.

Surprisingly Minaj flows better than even some of her male counterparts. On “Sunshine” she spits over Jay-Z’s flossy hit. She brags about being the bad chick Wayne has longed to add to his squadron; while other femcees need not apply.

On “Baddest Bitch” she sings her own hook over Trina’s “Single Again.” Minaj utilizes a cadence similar to her New Orleans boss to breathe a new life into the track: “I am running this sh*t, I’m so exhausted / Batter up bi***es, but approach with caution / You be talking slick, and I honestly could see why / You don’t know me and I’m not talking about T.I.” Additionally she adds her bars to Gucci Man’s “Freaky Girl” on “Wanna Minaj;” keeping on trail with the premise of the original track.

Her salacious bad girl persona might be a great initial draw for most that are new to Minaj, but it does tire out halfway through the tape. Her boasts on the a cappella infused “Who’s Ya Best MC?” seemed to be back more by swagger than actual solid lyricism. She also gets bested by Jadakiss on “Firm Biz 08” and her attempt of switching up the subject matter with “Autobiography” fails as a viable closer.

Even though she’s wet behind the ears as far as being an all around MC, Nicki is still one to watch. Nicki Lewinsky does a lot of boasting about how ill her style is, however President Carter may have found a good fit for his Young Money label.

Nicki Minaj

“Dead Wrong”

Nicki Minaj Featuring Lil’ Wayne

“Sunshine”