At a time when many considered New York hip hop to be dead, Nicki Minaj signed with Young Money and her career immediately took off. Already popular, due to her series of mixtapes, Nicki Minaj quickly rose to become one of the most-popular new rappers in the game. This boost came from collaborations with Ludacris and Usher early in her career.
Nicki Minaj also credits the family-like atmosphere at Cash Money Records. From the beginning, her biggest supporters were Birdman, Slim, and Lil Wayne. Upon getting acquainted with her label-mates, Nicki Minaj soon found additional support in Drake and the other Young Money artists. The closeness of Cash Money has allowed the label to experience much success.
When asked if she receives support from New York City, specifically South Jamaica, Queens, Nicki Minaj responded “hell fucking no.” The response is a part of an interview with Power 105.1’s Charlamagne Tha God in a skit on her album called “Press Conference.” The track can be found on the iTunes bonus track of the album.
