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24th Aug 2012

Nicki Minaj - I Am Your Leader is Such Hip Candy



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Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross and Cam'ron are out with a new video for their hit single, I Am Your Leader, and it takes the Dominican queen into vibrant territory on the artistic front, referencing some 90s old skool styles in the Blade Runner technopop colors that are a Minaj trademark.

Not only did the video rocket to worldwide Twitter trending status within minutes of its release, Minaj music continues to triage hardcore hip hop in the charts as the candycoated, better selling sister to America's number one musical export style, gangsta.

In a world where Snoop Dogg has transformed himself into America's favorite gentle uncle and Kanye and Chris Brown try to come across like kittehs, it seems the genre has long since left its "of the people" roots in favour of the softer environs of a velvet laced VIP club room. Gone are the edge, the anger, the chain link fences and the low rider rims in favour of a global pop art sensibility.

Nevertheless, our lady of the numchucks and infatable lips has cracked the elusive sweet spot of modern music marketing: she has amassed enough power and clout to say what she wants. Who else can rap about sucking dick and front a global Pepsi campaign at the same time, with barely even a fur lashed blink from the consumerati?

With all the bluster about America's war on women, its nice to see that Nicki's post racial, post pop, post hip hop Internet persona is legitimately unabashed, managing to represent everything and nothing at the same time. Whatever that means. Girl done it again, and she gets stronger with each act.