EDIT: Hoodrat Barbie Doll = Ingenious Marketing?

Edit: 12/10.. this is the original post that I drafted but didn't post due to it being so long. Once I saw that my blog was being perceived differently than what I intended, I decided to just include the original blog. PS- Stacie Ann, I think I cleaned it up a little. What you think? ;)

Nicki Minaj... *sigh*

Internet and radio stations have been buzzing about a new female rapper from NY making a name for herself with Young Money. Nicki Minaj- known for calling herself a Barbie doll and emulating Lil Kim's infamous crotch exposed pose- can be heard on a few radio hits such as Five Star Chick and I Get Crazy. I've heard a few of her mixtape singles and I've been reading a lot about her lately but, in all honesty, I'm not feeling it or her. The beat is dope on I Get Crazy but pair that with her high-pitched cartoon-esque voice that would even make a child nauseous and there is little left to be desired.

Lyrically, I'm not impressed. Take away the beat and really listen to the words, you are almost instantly dumbed down and may be missing a few brain cells from her excessive use of remedial analogies. Still I Rise from one of her last mixtapes goes in on everyone that makes assumptions about her race and sexual orientation and compares her to Lil Kim yet, ironically, reminds me of the Lil Kim's Shut Up off of The Naked Truth album. As a matter of fact, a lot of the things she does remind me of Lil Kim (black Lil Kim and light Lil Kim) but this isn't about jacking swag, talent (or lack thereof), or music of Nicki Minaj but of the image that she is now presenting to mainstream audiences.

Nicki started out the epitome of what a lot of young urban girls in New York are. She had that "bout to go get a lollipop and 25cent juice from the bodega" look when she was grinding to get signed. Slowly but surely, she mutated herself into what Lil Kim was attempting to be with the extreme makeovers and, while it's actually working out for Nicki, I'm not sure if it's for the best. Most shunned Lil Kim when she went from her wide-nosed, dark hair, thick in the hips image to a blond-weaved, blue eyed, lighter version of her old self. With Nicki Minaj, women and young girls alike are actually embracing her new image. You see grown ass women walking around with blue and pink hair and bright ass eyeshadow calling themselves Barbies and 5 star chicks because Minaj is doing it. I cant even count how many times I have heard some hoodrat chick say "I just had an epiphany... I need to go to Tiffany's". Sad but true.

I see pictures of the old Minaj and the new one and I question "Who is the real Nicki?". Was this Nicki created to be marketed towards younger girls or was this a poor attempt to establish female presence in the rap game? Will calling yourself a Barbie, being sexually explicit and rocking leather corsets really make me want to listen to you? Nope- but, unfortunately, to some misguided little girl that could be the case and that's just sad.

Nicki started out with the imagery that a lot of young girls that aspire to be rappers could actually look up to. While her lyrics were still a bit raunchy and inappropriate for the younger generation, they were at least good enough to get her a record deal. So, why change? Is it ever okay to make your fans think that you can not compete in a male dominated industry unless you give crotch shots, call yourself a Barbie, and auto tune yourself out to the point that you to sound like a trannified version of Lil Wayne? At one time, Nicki represented female empowerment in a world that only men were allowed into. Now, with the help of Lil Wayne and Young Money, she has morphed into the classic and overly sexual "hoodrat" bitch amongst a group of male rappers. When I look at her, I don't see an original rapper. I see a clusterfuck of female stereotypes that were started a long time ago when "No Time" came out.

Sorry, Nicki, we don't need another Lil Kim or Foxy. We don't need another female rapper exposing young girls to the fantasy bullshit of Barbies with blond wigs and surgically enhanced asses. Yes, you got your record deal and people are now talking. Your new image- while a cheap imitation of what we've seen for years- is ingenious. You took something that has been done before and got folks to see you as an "original". However, how much was it worth? The female empowerment and legacy that the original female rappers Roxanne Shante, Queen Latifah, Salt N Pepa, Mc Lyte worked so hard for? Ok, I guess.

To be fair, I'll let her come out with an album before I dedicate a "Why are you breathing?" post to her.(shout out to Don for resurrecting that post)