Nicki Minaj conquered the charts with “Your Love” and has every celebrity in the industry basically calling her the second coming of Jesus, so, it’s kind of like a big deal that her new single has arrived.

For her next surefire smash, Nicki has teamed up with Will.i.am for an “OMG” sized hit, “Check it Out”. It’s got repetitive, mindless lyrics, generic production, auto-tune galore, some watered-down version of what is supposed to be ‘rapping’, and yet somehow it’s more addictive than crystal meth (and probably just as damaging to the brain, too). You can attribute this to three things: Will.i.am’s uncanny ability to create earworm after earworm, Nicki’s larger than life personality, and the catchier-than-the-flu sample of “Video Killed the Radio Star” that “Check It Out” is built around.

Nicki might want to work on some original material in the future, though. “Check it Out” relies heavily on “Video Killed the Radio Star”, while “Your Love” did the same with Annie Lennox’s “No More I Love You’s”. She’s gonna have to top the charts without rehashing old hits if she wants to meet the insane amount of hype that’s currently resting upon her shoulders.

Anyway, “Check It Out” is the next big hit, it’s the jam, it’s catchy, and you’re gonna get real sick of it once radio put it on ultra-heavy rotation, so enjoy it while you can.

“Check It Out” will officially impact Top 40/Mainstream radio on September 14. It’s officially listed as “Will.i.am & Nicki Minaj”, so it appears to be a joint single for the pair. You can check out the mixtape version of the song below.

I don’t mind a few of Trey Songz’s tunes here and there (I’ll admit, his last album had some real bangers), but his new Nicki Minaj-assisted single “Bottoms Up” has to be the biggest pile of derivative urban garbage that I’ve ever heard. But, since I’m such a kind sweetheart, and I know that there are a lot of Trey & Nicki stans out there, I’ve pulled a Mother Theresa and posted the official video for you all. I mean, maybe if I was really drunk I could kind of lazily dance to this at the club while I waited for the next song to come on, so it’s not all bad.

According to Trey, the Anthony Mandler-directed video is “different” to anything that he’s ever done before. Maybe it’s different for him, but it basically looks exactly the same as every other Anthony Mandler clip out there. Mandler doesn’t even try to switch up that tired old lighting scheme that he’s used in his last twenty videos.

And, just when I was loving Nicki Minaj, she had to go and do this. *pouty sad face*

Maybe I’m just not intelligent enough to understand the beauty of “Bottoms Up”, as Youtube user TheSweet22401 stated in a comment they left on the video.

“who eva disliked this video is clearly non smart. i luv roman zolanski/Nicki”

Makes sense.

So far, “Bottoms Up” has reached #21 on the R&B charts. It’s taken from trey’s fifth album Passion, Pain & Pleasure, which drops September 14.

Remember when Trey used to do cute songs like “Can’t Help But Wait”?

Nicki Minaj was an open book this week when she sat down with Billboard.com for an extensive new interview, clocking in at nearly 30 minutes.

Answering questions from fans on Twitter, Nicki discussed her upcoming debut album Pink Friday, her fantasy female super group, changing her rapping style, working on her second single, the lessons she’s learned since hitting the big time, going to India to study Ghandi if she wasn’t famous (Sure Nicki), Lil’ Wayne, the difference between her mixtapes and her album and a whole lot more.

Meanwhile, Nicki’s hit “Your Love” is showing no signs of slowing down, and is still sitting at #1 on the Rap charts and #14 on the Hot 100. There’s not much info on her next single yet, but one of the future follow-ups is set to be a “pretty song” titled “Right Through Me”, which will drop closer to the album’s release date. If the next single is a hit, then Nicki should start looking into doing a few things internationally. If she wants to be in the same league as the Missy’s, Kim’s and Eve’s, then she’s going to have to extend her reach outside of the US.

Check out the full Billboard interview below.
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Blog favorite Nicki Minaj has premiered the official music video for her chart topping single “Your Love”, which is currently sitting at #1 on the Billboard Rap charts.

The video doesn’t have the big budget of Nicki’s underrated flop “Massive Attack”, but it makes up for that with a cohesive storyline and a lot of creativity. In the clip, Nicki is a samurai in training who falls in love with her sensei. She then runs into trouble when one of her fellow students also takes a liking to Nicki’s man (I don’t know why – he’s not that cute), and then the two battle it out in a winner-takes-all fight to the death.

It’s nice video, but the ending is a little to dramatic to the point of corniness. I would’ve liked to see some more of Nicki’s humor and fun side, but other than that, it’s a great effort.

If you’re one of the many people who worship Nicki’s every move, then you can look forward to her debut album when it hits stores on November 23.

MTV recently caught up with femcee Nicki Minaj on the set of her music video “Your Love”. You can’t see much from the interview, but it looks like part of the video is going to have a sexy geisha theme.

In case you haven’t heard yet, “Your Love” recently topped the Billboard rap charts, making Nicki the first female to do so unaccompanied since Missy Elliott back in 2002 with “Work It”.

“I was not planning on putting the song out at all,” she told MTV News over the weekend on the “Your Love” video set. “But then I heard it one day, somebody told me it was online. And I was like, ‘No way, no way in the world that song is out.’ I went and listened to it and was really upset. It wasn’t mixed, it wasn’t finished, it wasn’t anything — I wasn’t gonna use it at all. But then radio started playing it.”

The best thing about “Your Love” becoming a hit is that Nicki will actually be able to perform it by herself, without having a million rappers in tow to do their feature spots like most Hip-Hop artists do.

There’s no release date for the video yet, but with the song riding the charts I’m sure it won’t be too long yet. Take a look at Nicki on the set below.

Producer-writer Sean Garrett wants to move out of the shadows and become a solo star in his own right, today premiering the official music video for his new single “Get It All”. The song is from Garrett’s upcoming sophomore album, and features his “Massive Attack” collaborator Nicki Minaj.

The video follows the 31-year-old Garrett back in high school as a student, stalking the halls in search of his sweetheart. It’s then all made relevant by Nicki, who comes in to drop a verse, play with her hair, pose and look cute.

Besides trying to forge out a solo career, you can also except to see Garrett on upcoming projects from Rihanna and Jamie Foxx.

Peep the video below, because the song ain’t that bad.

In her recent cover story for VIBE, femcee Nicki Minaj has opened up about the poor performance of her highly-anticipated debut single “Massive Attack”, which failed to crack the Hot 100 or rap charts upon it’s release.

“Massive Attack was the record she wanted to go with,” says [the producer] Sean Garret, sounding a little bit defensive. “I think it’s a different sound. She wanted to make a statement. She definitely has a different direction for her album and her career than where most people think she wants to go.

Ask Nicki how she feels about the response and she looks way before answering. “It was important for me to do something not everyone thought I was gonna do…People close to me have their preferences,” says Nicki, lowering her voice, “their favorite Nicki thing, and I have to stand up sometimes and block out the noise.” [source]

Congratulations and respect to Nicki for coming from the left a little and trying something fresh and different – and then having it fail miserably. However, now the boring, radio-friendly “Your Love” is shaping up to be a huge hit, already reaching #51 on the Hot 100 and going top ten on the rap charts.

No surprises there.

The legendary Lil’ Kim has finally broken her silence for a new tell-all interview with ThisIs50.com, laying everything on the line in one of the most honest interviews she’s done since leaving jail back in 2006.

Kim talks about label problems, her beef with Diddy and Drake, touring, her future plans, jail time, what she’s been doing while she’s out of the spotlight and much more.

And yes, of course Kim address her current beef with Nicki Minaj, fulfilling her previous promise and airing out all the behind-the-scenes drama that she’s been hinting at over the past few weeks.

The Queen Bee claims that Nicki has been taking “subliminal shots” at her for a long time in various interviews and through other outlets, disrespecting her in addition to ripping off her image. Kim then goes deeper into a drama surrounding a track that the pair were meant to do for Baby’s album, which Nicki supposedly had pulled because she didn’t want to be on the same song as Kim, which Kim of course took as a sign of disrespect.

Listen to the first two parts of the interview below. The rest of the interview will be uploaded in the coming days.

[Part 1]

[Part 2]

That Lil’ Kim reign on Nicki Minaj just won’t let up, with new footage surfacing today of Kim and her crew going in on Nicki during a discussion about the Young Money femcee on the back of Kim’s tour bus.

Part of Kim’s new circle of friends is femcee Keys, who you may remember from a Nicki Minaj diss video that made it’s rounds over the internet earlier this year. Well Kim and Keys have been pretty tight lately, with Kim even bringing the up & comer on stage during shows for the sole purpose of dissing the Harajuku Barbie.

“I’m a real b*tch,” says Kim. “I love working with my ladies….I did one of the biggest records, the first Ladies Night records. At the end of the day it’s just about respect. You come in the game you just pay homage to those who paved the way for you…When I first came in the game I had Salt-N-Pepa, MC Lyte, I had all of them in my videos. At the end of the day that’s just what it’s about…It’s okay to say I love you. I love your style, you inspired me.” [source]

Kim’s crew then start calling out parodies of Nicki’s hit song “Roger That”, changing the title to “Copy That!” before laughing. Kim also continued on to say that there is more to the story than meets the eye and it will all be revealed soon.

The most interesting part however is when Kim calls out “Roc” towards the end of the video and throws up the Roc sign, adding further weight to the rumors that she’s signed a new deal with Roc Nation. Her new single is tentatively due out next month, so we should find out the truth by then.

In a brand new interview with Philly radio personality Kendra G, the Queen Bee Lil’ Kim called in to set the record straight over her current beef with Nicki Minaj, which as you know has been making some major headlines across the blogesphere this week.

During the chat, Kim says that certain things have happened behind the scenes that “people don’t know about”, before promising that they will “be aired out” soon. Kim also labels Nicki a “swagga jacka” and says that her recent onstage disses during her current promo tour have been to “remind” everybody where Nicki’s style came from.

She then implies that Nicki has dissed her and hints at behind the scenes drama, before further implying that Nicki has no “class” and isn’t a “sophisticated lady”.

On a brighter note, Kim also spoke about her music career, announcing that she’s aiming for July to drop her brand new single. There hasn’t been an update on Kim’s next album for a while now, but the last news to surface had her working with Timbaland, Polow Da Don, Akon and Detail.

To get the full context of the situation between Kim and Nicki you really have to hear the interview for yourself, so check it out below.

The Lil’ Kim Vs. Nicki Minaj beef took another turn today, with Nicki’s BFF Drake defending his Young Money labelmate live on stage in what was clearly a response to Ray J and Kim’s recent attack on Nicki.

“I can’t say you the baddest BITCH, I can’t do that because I respect you and I love you too much and you look too beautiful, so I’m gonna say you’re the baddest woman to ever do this rap shit!

“I don’t give a fuck what Lil’ Kim or nobody else talkin’ bout, you the baddest chick to ever do this shit! Remember I said that!”

Wow, looks like somebody needs to learn their Hip-Hop history. I’m a gay white boy from Australia and even I know who the true Queens of Hip-Hop are, and it definitely isn’t somebody who hasn’t even dropped an album or had a hit single by themselves.

Girl bye.

Check out Drake’s sweet and kind, yet misinformed, word vomit below, as well as a very special message for Drake and Nicki.

If you thought Lil’ Kim’s onstage mocking of Nicki Minaj was where this femcee beef was going to end then you’ve got another thing coming to you. At a recent show in New York (June 3), Kim brought her ex-boyfriend Ray J on stage, most probably to perform their hit “Wait a Minute” together, but instead of performing the pair took some time out to take a few more shots at the Harajuku Barbie.

“I’m seeing a lot of Lil Kim imposters,” Ray J stated. “I’m not saying no names, but you know who,” he continued, referencing biting Kim’s style after calling Kim the greatest female rapper ever.

Lil Kim added, “We love her. We just want her to pay homage so we can all rock together, that’s all” making an obvious reference to Minaj. “It’s all about respect. You respect me, I respect you. If you don’t respect me then f-ck you. ” [Via ONTD]

As you know, this is the second time that Kim has taken shots at Nicki, after recent footage surfaced of Kim imitating Nicki’s flow at a live show before throwing a wig into the crowd and stating “I’m so above this.”

With a new mixtape in the works, an upcoming album (with A-list production from Timbaland, Polow Da Don and more) and a rumored new record deal with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, could the Queen Bee be trying to drum herself up a little publicity by coming after Hip-Hop’s current covergirl?

Or perhaps Kim is mad that Nicki has publicly paid homage to her nemesis and fellow female rap legend Foxy Brown, even going as far as to strike up a friendship with the rapper, which could seem odd to some since Nicki’s style clearly resembles Kim’s a lot more than it does Foxy’s.