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With the release of Nicki Minaj’s new single “Starships,” people have labeled the once hard-rapping “Roman’s Revenge” femcee as a sell-out. “Starships” is more related to her poppy tune “Superbass” than more of her Hip Hop songs. Nicki responded to the claims saying:

“I would hope that people know at this point that I’m smart enough to know what I’m doing. I always intended putting out something urban right after ‘Starship’ because I knew ‘Starship’ was a monster. I didn’t feel the pressure to be honest. I feel really, really good. I feel like Hip-Hop cares enough that they have something to say and I remember when I was hoping that somebody had something to say about me on the radio or cared enough. Maybe it would be a problem if I couldn’t deliver records like ‘Roman Reloaded’,  but I can. Once again,  I write my own lyrics so it’s never a problem. Whatever I feel … I can write and I can create it, so I’m good.

I think that people sometimes get blown away by the magnitude of the pop stuff because the pop stuff reaches every where. Then I feel like my Hip-Hop fans or Hip-Hop culture starts getting a little bit afraid that I’m going to leave but this is who I am. I’m not going to change.  I’ve just added on to my brand and if you don’t understand that then it’s probably why you don’t travel, you don’t see the world and I probably can’t even have a conversation with you anymore.

[Roman Reload] is not about anyone in particular. My fans, they’re voices are the loudest voices. A critic has never meant a thing to me and that’s why I keep winning. So we’re really good on this side Flex and ‘Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded” drops April 3rd and the Barbz and Romanz Empire will be good, really good.”

For 2024’s iteration of MadameNoire and HelloBeautiful’s annual series Women to Know, we knew we wanted to celebrate the people who help make the joys of film and television possible. To create art is to create magic. This year, we spotlight Hollywood Executive’s changing the face of cinema.