STAR THEORY
RICHARD DYER:
"Stars are representations of persons which reinforce, legitimize or occasionally alter the prevalent preconceptions of what it is to be human in society"
'A star is an image not a real person, that is constructed (as any other aspect of fiction is) out of a range of materials'
"Stars are commodities produced and consumed on the strength of their meanings"
NICKI MINAJ
"She has a body like Marilyn and a mouth like Eminem. No wonder Nicki Minaj is the hottest female rapper in the world." - Interview by Simon Hattenstone
Onika Tanya Maraj, born December 8th 1982, also known as Nicki Minaj is a Trinidadian-born American rapper, singer and songwriter. Minaj earned public attention after releasing three mix-tapes between 2007-09. She has been signed to Young Money Entertainment since 2009.
"You should never feel afraid to become a piece of art. It's exhilarating."
- Nicki Minaj
PINK FRIDAY (2010)
Pink Friday is the debut studio album for Nicki Minaj, released on November 19th 2010. After signing a recording contract with Young Money Entertainment in 2009, Minaj began planning the album that same year and work continued into 2010. The album was promoted with eight singles, including international single "Super Bass" and US Billboard Hot 100 top 40 singles "Your Love", "Check it out", "Right Thru Me", "Moment 4 Life" and "Fly".
Within the music video of "Super Bass", there is a lot of bright and pastel colours used. This is to connote an innocence and feminine presentation of Nicki Minaj, despite the lyrics contradicting that. Nicki also wears a heavy face of make up and wig, presenting her as very fake, but also what every young girl aspires to be when younger. Her clothing is very provocative as well, although she is more covered up within the close up shots of her rapping while wearing a pink leopard print jumpsuit, whereas in the next scene we see her wearing denim hot pants, a white vest top which shows her bra and a lot of cleavage, presenting her as sexy and attractive to the male gender.
PINK FRIDAY:ROMAN RELOADED (2012)
Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded is the second studio album by Nicki Minaj. It was released on April 2nd, 2012 by Young Money, Cash Money and Universal Republic. Looking to transition from her debut studio album , Pink Friday (2010), Minaj wanted to make a follow up record about "just having fun". The album was promoted with five singles. The lead single was "Starships" and follow up singles included "Right By My Side", "Beez in the Trap, "Pound the Alarm and "Va Va Voom".
Within the music video for "Starships" there is also bright colours used, to create a sense of youth and fun. There is also a lot of long shots used to show her body and sexualise her a lot more. Her costume consists of very skimpy and small bikinis, making sure to focus on her body. She still focuses on being very Barbie like, which is a continuous representation of Nicki throughout many years.
THE PINKPRINT (2014)
The Pinkprint is the third studio album by Nicki Minaj. It was released on December 12th 2014, by Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Republic Records. Minaj wanted to make a follow-up record influenced by her traditional hip hop beginnings. The Pinkprint was supported by the singles "Pills n Potions", "Anaconda", "Only", "Bed of Lies", "Truffle Butter", "The Night Is Still Young" and "Trini Dem Girls". The Prinkprint received generally positive reviews from critics, although of course there were some bad ones, "Spin" magazines Brennan Carley said "Minaj forces herself into her own box, muting her own strengths and songwriting abilities in favour of excising her emotional demons".
Within the music video of 'Anaconda' Minaj is very sexualised throughout. Her costume has very little material and shows a lot of skin, this is not uncommon for Nicki Minaj but was a shock as this certain video was a lot more provocative than previous ones before. In most shots she is surrounded by attractive women, but yet we still only really notice Minaj. She continues to use the 'Barbie' persona to represent herself, using a lot of vibrant pink colours and showing her body which can look artificial.
OVERALL IMAGE
Throughout Nicki's career she has kept her 'Barbie' persona but has gone through stages where it has been lowered and heightened. People have mixed reviews about Nicki and how she presents herself through media. A bad presentation was at the VMA'S when she 'called out' Miley Cyrus, Minaj came across very aggressive and threatening, however some people think it was staged. However she has appeared in 'Ice Age: Continental Drift', followed by supporting roles in 'The Other Guys' and 'The Barbershop: The Next Cut'. She also appeared on the twelfth season of Americas Next Top Model as a judge. The New York Times says that some consider her to be 'the most influential female rapper of all time'. Her rapping is is highly distinctive for its fast flow and the use of alter egos and accents, primarily British cockney. As Nicki has matured throughout her it has made her more credible as an artist which many young girls look up to, not because of her looks but because of her success.
