(sohh) Based on an excerpt from her feature, Elle also distinguishes the differences between Minaj and rap veteran Lil Kim.
Early on, Minaj rapped about wearing Ed Hardy (“I lived and shopped in Jamaica, Queens,” she says). These days she attends the Grammys in hair-to-toe custom Givenchy cheetah print. “I tend to like booties…[pause]”–she takes a beat to clarify: no sexual meaning implied–“and really flashy shoes: totally studded out, in five colors with an insane platform.” This knack for fashion exhibitionism often earns her comparisons to Lil’ Kim
, but Minaj is more like Busta Rhymes in Gaga packaging: Unlike Kim, her style choices, and even her more sexual lyrics, seem based on her own desires, and her eccentric image masks a steely seriousness. She says she’s “fighting for the girls who never thought they could win.” But it seems victory may already be hers. (Elle Magazine)
