Is Nicki Minaj the greatest female rapper of all time?
It’s a question that’s been floating around the Internet, and it mainly has to do with her record breaking chart positions and her albums achieving huge sales numbers.
Now it’s been reported that each of Nicki’s albums have sold over 5 million copies globally, and she’s the first female rapper ever to accomplish that.
Her LP’s “Pink Friday,” “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded” and “The Pinkprint” are three of the discs that surpassed the impressive mark, and it’s just the latest feat in an already impressive career.
For example, in March of last year it was announced that Nicki broke a record held by Aretha Franklin for the most entries on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. And before that it was revealed that she had more Top 10 songs than any other female rapper in history.
The way Nicki’s boss Birdman sees it, she’s the greatest female rapper to ever hold a microphone due to her many accomplishments. He also said that she’s made a bigger musical impact than even Lauryn Hill.
“Nicki is the best female in hip-hop history to me, and her numbers don’t lie,” said Birdman. “You can put Nicki with the Bs (Beyoncé), the Rhis (Rihanna), the Katys (Perry). That sh– never been done before. [Lil’ Kim and Missy Elliott] took it [far], but not to that level … Even Lauryn not the level where Nicki at. She got the fashion. She’s just an icon.”
While Birdman seemed to be using record sale numbers to crown Nicki the greatest female rapper, some might say it’s skill level or the actual verses one spits that determines who’s best.
So the question is, has Nicki delivered better lines than say MC Lyte, Yo-Yo, Queen Latifah or Lauryn?
Either way, Nicki said she’s proven to be among the best, but because she’s a woman never gets the proper credit.
“I had so much going against me in the beginning: Being Black, being a woman, being a female rapper,” she told T magazine in October of last year. “No matter how many times I get on a track with everyone’s favorite M.C. and hold my own, the culture never seems to want to give me my props as an M.C., as a lyricist, as a writer.”
“I got to prove myself a hundred times, whereas the guys that came in around the same time as I did, they were given the titles so much quicker without anybody second-guessing,” added Nicki.
So far the rapper has yet to acknowledge the news that her albums have sold 5 million copies since she’s only made two social media posts since December.
You can see Birdman talk about Nicki below.
