Is Nicki Minaj Trying Too Hard?

Nicki Minaj rocks a fabulous dress and green hair during an appearance on BET's 106 & Park in April of this year. The rapper debuted her video for "Massive Attack."

I saw a tweet on Twitter the other day from a radio host that said Nicki Minaj was trying too hard. I’d rather not name names because I’ve had a celebrity get an attitude with me before over my opinion, which is pretty ridiculous. I’m personally not interested in becoming famous, especially not for a Twitter war with a celebrity, so I’ll stay mum about who it was.

This host had a point: you really cannot turn on the radio without hearing one of her songs or a collaboration she has done with someone. But shouldn’t new artists be trying hard? Isn’t that the point in saying you want to be a success in any profession?

I don’t think she’s too trying hard, I think she’s putting in the effort she’s supposed to. You don’t usually become a success by sitting around and watching TV all day, especially if you want to be a female rapper.

It’s only because she’s worked so hard in the past that she’s gotten the opportunity to do so many collaborations. Before Lil’ Wayne went to jail (and I’m pretty sure it’ll happen again now that he’s out), he was doing a lot of collaborations, too. Drake also does a lot of collaborations. Eminem was in the same boat during the first peak in his career (I’d venture to say he’s starting a second peak now that he’s back). Lady Gaga hasn’t really done many collaborations on the records of other artists, but when she first started, she was eveyrwhere, too.

A lot of people seem to think Young Money’s success is a fluke. It’s really a product of hard work and creativity. All three of the front-runners of Young Money right now (Lil’ Wayne, Drake and Nicki Minaj) are all some of the hardest workers in the business. They don’t take breaks. I saw Drake in concert a couple of months ago and he talked about taking a break to record more music, which really isn’t the long, Caribbean vacations a lot of artists take after they’ve had their round of first-album fame.

It’d be lazy of her to step back now, especially with her first album releasing on Nov. 22nd. She got this much fame with mixtapes and collaborations, so why would she slow down when we are finally getting the chance to hear songs that reflect  her? Just because she’s so diverse and so original, that doesn’t mean she should just sit back and wait for the world to embrace her.

I think Nicki’s doing exactly what she should be–working hard for what she wants.

To celebrate her hard work, I’ve put some of my favorite songs/collaboration of Nicki Minaj’s.

Right Thru Me (if you’re wondering who the hot guy is in the video, find out here)

Your Love

Up Out My Face by Mariah Carey ft. Nicki Minaj

My Chick Bad by Ludacris ft. Nicki Minaj

Bottoms Up by Trey Songz Ft. Nicki Minaj (I reviewed a Trey Songz performance and you can see what I thought here.)

Answered: Who’s the Hot Guy in Nicki Minaj’s “Right Thru Me” Video?

French model Willie Monfret shows off his fit body. He plays Nicki Minaj's love interest in her music video for "Right Thru Me."

After the premiere of Nicki Minaj’s video for her single “Right Thru Me,” women almost broke the Internet with talk about her hunky love interest. I was curious, so I did a little digging.

His name is Willy Monfret and he’s a model from France. His ethnicity is French and African.

Monfret isn’t just a gorgeous face. He was a track star before he became a model, but an injury ended that chapter of his life. But don’t feel sorry for him. In addition to having modeled on numerous fashion campaigns and on the runway, he also has a master’s degree in business and, according to his Myspace, he’s working on a French fashion brand called Shams. Did I mention he’s also a DJ?

He’s the total package–cute, educated and driven.

Plus, he’s on Twitter and Facebook!

While you’re at it, follow me on Tumblr for a more photographic version of popular culture. I always follow back.

If you haven’t seen it yet, you can watch Nicki Minaj’s “Right Thru Me” below. (Look for a post later on Nicki’s natural beauty look in this video.)