NICKI MINAJ SHOW'S THEM HOW TO DO IT!

Nicki Minaj has created an incredible amount of buzz as an emcee — and she hasn't even released an album.
Already a winner of seven music accolades (three from the BET Hip Hop Awards last week), the 25-year-old, Queens-bred artist has collaborated with Mariah Carey, will.i.am and Rihanna. With an alter ego that she calls Barbie and outlandish outfits, Minaj is quickly becoming one of this generation's most fascinating musical figures.

- On gay rappers: "I think the world is getting more gay-friendly, so hip hop is, too. But it's harder to imagine an openly gay male rapper being embraced. People view gay men as having no street credibility. But I think we'll see one in my lifetime." (Details)

- On her public persona: "Every woman is a character — but people need to see I'm a regular human. It's like you wear a pink wig and you're no longer human all of a sudden. You're a thing." (Complex)

- On rapping about sex: "When I grew up, I saw females doing certain things, and I thought I had to do that exactly. The female rappers of my day spoke about sex a lot and I thought that to have the success they got, I would have to represent the same thing. When in fact I didn't have to represent the same thing." (Vibe)