The one person Nicki Minaj has to thank for ‘Monster’ verse: “You need to get this girl Nicki”
Nicki Minaj has been part of hip-hop for over two decades. Although there is currently an abundance of female rappers, at one point, she was the only woman in hip-hop and untouchable.
When she entered the mainstream in 2009 alongside Lil Wayne and Drake, Minaj went straight to the top and was one of the most in-demand rappers at the time. Everybody from Rihanna to Katy Perry wanted her for a feature, and she rose so fast in 2010 that even Kanye West asked her for a feature.
While Kanye was crafting his My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy album, he called upon Minaj for his song ‘Monster’ which also features Jay-Z and Rick Ross. This was one of Minaj’s biggest tracks and she was recording alongside some of the biggest names in the culture.
That said, when it was released, the cultural consensus was that Minaj had completely outdone Kanye, Jay-Z, and Rick Ross on the track. Following this, she cemented herself as a force to be reckoned with in hip-hop.
Many had never heard of Minaj before this and if they had, they weren’t familiar with her lyrical skill. Following ‘Monster’ there was no way anybody could deny her of her rightful place as a female rap powerhouse. However, the idea that West asked for Minaj is disputed, and according to Kanye West’s then-girlfriend, Amber Rose, he hadn’t even heard of Nicki. Rose has since asserted that she was responsible for bringing the Queens native to the studio.
During an appearance on the Higher Learning podcast, Rose detailed the role that she played in getting Minaj her ‘Monster’ verse. Speaking with hosts Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay, Rose recalled, “I put Nicki on ‘Monster.’ He didn’t know who Nicki was back then. I had Nicki pull up to the studio, and I put her on the song.”
Rose explained that Minaj had yet to fully enter the mainstream when the song was recorded in 2009. Revealing that she was really impressed by Minaj, the model continued, She was still coming up, and I saw her in the studio, and I said, ‘Oh my god, this b**** is f***ing talented as hell.’”
She added, “And then I went back to Kanye, and I was like, ‘You need to get this girl Nicki on ‘Monster‘. And he was like, ‘Who? What? No. I’m not… No.’ And I said, ‘Just let her pull up, what’s it going to hurt?’”
After receiving the instrumental, Rose unveiled that Nicki had written her rhymes in under 24 hours, disclosing, “She heard the song and then she came back the next day with the verse.”
Although Nicki Minaj has never disputed this account, many have insisted that the Pink Friday lyricist was already well-known before ‘Monster’ was even released.