NICKI MINAJ TONES DOWN THE SEXINESS

By T. Cole Rachel
Photography Aldo Rossi

Nicki Minaj might have been born in Trinidad and raised in Jamaica, Queens, but the 25-year-old rapper and one-woman style tornado makes music like she comes from another planet. Minaj’s Harajuku Barbie aesthetic and penchant for autographing the breasts of her devoted female fans notwithstanding, she is arguably one of the strongest female voices to emerge in hip-hop in the last decade. “I don’t mind being called a weirdo,” says Minaj. “There are a lot of people in hip-hop who are probably never going to get what I do. But, by just being myself, I end up touching a lot more people who might never have paid much attention to a female rapper.” Minaj has worked hard to establish her own voice, writing all her own material and not leaning on sex appeal. “I made a conscious decision to try to tone down the sexiness,” she says. “I want people—especially young girls—to know that in life, nothing is going to be based on sex appeal. You’ve got to have something else to go with that.” It was Minaj’s oversize personality and kaleidoscopic raps that drew the attention of her new friend and mentor Lil Wayne, who signed her to his Young Money label in 2009. Since then, Minaj’s progress on her hotly anticipated debut album, Massive Attack (due out this fall), has been slowed only by her popularity as a collaborator. She’s popped up on tracks for artists such as Usher, Robin Thicke, and Mariah Carey. “One of the biggest highlights of this year was being onstage with Jeezy, Wayne, and Drake in the middle of Jay-Z’s set at Madison Square Garden,” says Minaj. “And not only did we do a song together, but I was in a video with Mariah Carey! I still haven’t gotten over that!”.
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I-OCTANE SHOOTS VIDEO FOR MY LIFE




I-Octane recently wrapped up the video shoot for his popular single My Life. The video was shot on location at the Lindsay Crescent studio in Kingston and is now in the editing stages.
Directed by Asha Mchail and the single produced by DJ Frass, it is expected to come with a strong storyline. The artiste says that fans can look out for “something that will depict the everyday twist and turns of life.”
“You know life comes with a lot of surprises – some good some bad. While the video will not be going into all that drama…you will still be getting a ‘little taste’ of my life,” pointed out I-Octane on his upcoming video which he says is expected to be premiering soon.
My Life is presently on the Jamaican charts and feedback coming from the streets is that it is one of the most requested songs in the dancehall right now.
Other singles that has been garnering success for the artiste is Lose A Friend and Think A Little Time
I-Octane recently recorded the song Hold You in My Arms for radio jock turned producer ZJ Chrome. The song is featured on the Cardiac Bass rhythm project.