I personally thought Nicki Minaj was going to higher but nonetheless, she is the number 6 top MC in the game and the first female rapper to make the list.
Indeed, aside from the fact that Nicki had a radio staple this summer with the Annie Lennox-sampling single “Your Love” — which hit #1 on Billboard‘s Rap Songs chart — where she really made her presence felt was in the company of others, outshining the best of them. Witness her standout verses on songs with Kanye West, Rick Ross and Jay-Z (‘Ye’s “Monster”) and Ludacris (“My Chick Bad”) and her show-stealing appearance on DJ Khaled’s star-studded “All I Do Is Win” remix. She also stood out among her crew on Young Money’s “Bedrock,” while arguably out-spitting Drake on his own song, “Up All Night.”
But Nicki’s appeal wasn’t just limited to hip-hop. Christina Aguilera called on her for “Woohoo,” Sean Kingston recruited her for the reggae-tinged “Letting Go,” Usher tapped her for “Lil Freak,” and labelmate Jay Sean did the same for his pop hit “2012.” And to further cement her status as the top feature artist of 2010, Trey Songz’s “Bottoms Up” is currently #2 on Billboard‘s R&B Songs chart. On top of all that, her debut album, Pink Friday, doesn’t even drop until next month.
