As previously mentioned, hip-hop is not a major preference at UPL. However, we will from time to time cover something or someone in hip-hop who just cannot be ignored. Nicki Minaj cannot be ignored!

BET aired the My Mic Sounds Nice: Women in Hip-Hop special this past August, which discussed the female hip-hop movement (or lack there of). Where are they? Why are they not as prominent as they were in the '90s? Why does it take the co-sign of some male hip-hop superstar to validate the female emcee? And lastly, what is the future of female emcees in hip-hop? This latter question, of course, forced people to discuss the very eccentric Nicki Minaj and rightfully so.

Nicki Minaj represents everything that is right and wrong about hip-hop. On the right side - she is strong, lyrically talented (on some level), willing to battle any male rapper, realizes she is a female and hip-hop needs more of them, etc. On the wrong side - she has fake hair, fake personalities, and arguably a fake butt that is the reason why she has many male supporters. Nevertheless, she's succeeding and filling a void that has been vacant for over a decade. Music-wise, she is helping to redefine hip-hop. Much like Drake, Kanye and Lil Wayne, Nicki has the full respect of the streets as well as the suburbs. Her music can air on nearly every mainstream radio/video outlet whether they lean urban or pop (in other words, black or white). It's an obvious strategy and needs to be recognized as a positive thing in hip-hop.

Below is her new video for "Right Thru Me" from her Pink Friday debut album (which unfortunately has nothing to do with breast cancer awareness) to be released on November 22nd. This is a game changer and any change at this point is good for hip-hop! The acting in this video is not the best though lol...

- uhkeem