Nicki Minaj has leveled up again. The superstar Hip-Pop rapper, singer and actress has landed the one of the five covers of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People issue.
Young Money Records founder Lil Wayne wrote the piece praising Minaj who appears in the “Icons” section and is referred to as a “Chart Breaker.” In it he talks about how Nicki Minaj has rose from rapping on The Come Up DVD to becoming the “icon” that she is today.
From Wayne via TIME:
You know, in New York they used to have these street DVDs. It just so happened that I appeared in one, and when I looked at the finished product, Nicki Minaj was on a part of the DVD. I was like, “Woooooow!” She was just being Nicki without the glitz and glamour. When I heard the first two and four bars, it wasn’t even about her rapping better than any female rapper. It was about, man, she’s rapping better than other rappers—period.
I always wanted more for my artists and saw Nicki’s potential from the first moment I laid eyes on her. She’s reached far beyond everything I would have imagined. Man, she’s so influential and doing all the right things. She’s an icon, a boss and a role model to all these young girls out here on how to do it the right way. Her work ethic speaks volumes and has yielded these results. The scary thing is she’s still going. Ha! Nicki Minaj will go down as one of the best to do it in the history of music.
Kendrick Lamar is also featured in the 100 Most Influential People issue under the “Artists” category. His piece is written by Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza. Other recognizable names who appear in the issue are President Barack Obama, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Steph Curry, Ryan Coogler, Idris Elba, Ta-Nehisi Coates and Usain Bolt.
Photo: TIME
