Before The Fame : Nicki Minaj Reps Fendi’s Dirty Money

Any following the career of Pop Czar  Nicki Minaj knows her journey to the top has been grueling- to say the least.

From being signed and dropped to several labels, working New York’s underground Hip Hop scene to becoming one of Pop’s highest selling newbies, Minaj and her team have come along way over the last few years.

Now peep this never before seen clip of the Rapper, reportedly shot circa 2006/2007 during her days as the first lady of ‘Dirty Money’ – not to be confused with Diddy’s group of the same name.

Dirty Money – Nicki Minaj from JAMES DELGATTO on Vimeo.

 

Behind the wigs, accents, sales and singles Minaj really is a girl with admirable ambition.

And yes, while some fans may cringe at the video’s ‘rawness’, we can only commend it.

Because, it proves that even before her future as a Rapper was unclear, she was just as determined to succeed then as she is today.

Here’s to the continued evolution of Minaj and the underground acts that follow.

Your thoughts?

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  1. Josh February 20, 2012

    Ok so from looking at this video I can tell:

    1.) She’s had her b*** done

    2.) Her current teeth are veneers

    3.) She definitely looks HOLLYWOODTIZED now then in this video

    She was a true blue MC in this video compared to the Hip-POP singer/rapper she’s become now.

    Good post!

  2. Dev February 20, 2012

    much better than that tripe she’s doing now.
    “i was like damn, look at the state of hip hop, whats going on”
    And then she releases Pink Friday.
    KMT

  3. RDK February 20, 2012

    nicki was always nicki from the get go,straight from the gutters to the top,she didn’t have s*** easy she put in mad work.

  4. Kim career DEAD ghostbuster February 20, 2012

    GET IT NIC!!! AND SHE S/O KIM’S DUMB ASS.

  5. RDK February 20, 2012

    another nicki post what have nothing to do with others,watch them turn it in to some negative sh-t.

  6. :l February 20, 2012

    KIM CAREER DEAD GHOSTBUSTER you love drama this have nothing to do with kim,it,s not always the kim fans that is always starting sh-t some of us nicki fans do too just like you are doing now so annoying.

  7. Diane February 20, 2012

    This video proves what we already know – Nicki Minaj is NOT THE ESSENCE OF HIP HOP, which is why she can turn to pop so quickly.

    On this tape, she said she just raps for a hobby. In her My Time Now video, she said that maybe she’s going to rap so she can prove that she did it better than anyone else and in her True Hollywood Story, she said that she decided to give THAT MUSIC THING a chance because she never stuck with anything else.

    NICKI is not, or ever been HIP HOP. She’s a pop chick who knew how to rap.

    Thank you for the video. It solidified our point.

  8. DaHotNig February 20, 2012

    @diane go kill yourself, you’re way too bitter!

  9. Aishaaguilerakeys February 20, 2012

    Yo, she had rhymes!

  10. yass February 20, 2012

    YAS– THIS IS THE RAW NICKI THAT I FELL IN LOVE WITH, BUT 90% OF THE PEOPLE WHO LOVED THIS NICKI MINAJ, WOULD HAVE NEVER SUPPORTED BY ACTUALLY PURCHASING HER MUSIC LEGALLY– SO SHE HAS TO APPEAL TO A MORE PURCHASE FRIENDLY AUDIENCE.

  11. Houston February 20, 2012

    Is this the Nicki Minaj fan club?Who gives a f*ck what she did 3 years ago.The bytch is trash now and demonic.

  12. Gia February 20, 2012

    @YASS But didn’t Nicki said she sold a million off a mixtape.So why would she feel the need to change?

  13. maria February 20, 2012

    Sam,get off her c***.

  14. iSTANFORNOONE February 20, 2012

    I LOVED NICKI I REALLY DID. BUT I FEEL SHES LOST WHAT ATTRACTED ME TO HER IN THE FIRST PLACE

    GIMMICK W****

  15. Diane February 20, 2012

    Why is it that every time I see a video or picture of grammar school Nicki, high school Nicki, Red Lobster Nicki, or underground Nicki, she looks like a uncoordinated bum.

    This is not lack of money, it is an extreme lack of style. S***, when I was in HS I had little money but I knew how to style myself. I thought Madonna showed the world how to have style on a budget. S***, put some holes in your hat and an oversized bobby pin or something.

    Typical, caribbean chick. No style whatsoever. I guess that’s why she has to rip everyone else’s style.

  16. iSTANFORNOONE February 20, 2012

    @ GIA

    Right if you already selling Millions. WHY CHANGE?

  17. RDK February 20, 2012

    DIANE piece of sh-t don’t talk about Caribbean people like that,this Caribbean bum as you are styling her to be, is doing a millions times better than your fav though and is light year away from you,you piece of gum at the bottom of the trash can f-cking Judgement piece of dog sh-t.

  18. nicoyuki February 20, 2012

    Dear old Nicki plz call back. I want this Nicki, not the one who hinds behind wigs accents, and stupid faces. Tumbler was going off yesterday with the video and gifs. Because we all know what is can do. But she would rather make dull pop music. All I could do is wish and hope onika wakes up soon.

  19. nicoyuki February 20, 2012

    Everything from her look to her stlye has changed. She didn’t have to make such a dramatic change. Because now the people who built her are tearing her down, because she has forgotten us. Trying to sell only to the mainstream people. Look at the difference, Nicki looks like a white woman now. She was so pertty before.

  20. Diane February 20, 2012

    @RDK, When Nicki Minaj stops talking about Black Americans negatively, I’ll stop calling her a po ass Caribbean no-style, color-blind, living with more than 10 dogs boat turd. You dig???

  21. nicoyuki February 20, 2012

    @Diane Nicki style has and never will be right. She went from hoodrat with no money to hoodrat with 3 quarter and 5 dimes

  22. RDK February 20, 2012

    DIANE who da f-ck did she dis lil kim what her song did it on em,get da f-ck out off here you trying to twist thing nicki is black so is kim so is some of there fans and they fans are from different races so your b-llsh-t is nul,dis the sh-t out of kim yes b-tch an’t no saint,it,s beef.

  23. Justathought (Azealia Banks is coming…) February 20, 2012

    Wow what a huge difference. Id be lying if I didn’t say I missed this Nicki, but at this point it is what it is. She’s got that taste of fame she always wanted and it doesn’t seem like we would get this side back from her. This morning on Hot 97 Peter Rosenberg called her a sell out after releasing starships, and stated what most have been saying that she thinks she’s Katy Perry. I know she wants to broaden her audience I just wish she was able to do it and make it her own and not sound like everyone else just to fit in.

  24. KAT DELUNA FAN February 20, 2012

    Funny how she never mentionned BARBIE once.When her passion for those dolls started?? smh
    those young celebs followers fall for every stunt.the freestyle was OK,she came a long way tho,props to her. But this footage is showing how big of a gimmick she truly is.

  25. TIMMI February 20, 2012

    I hate to be negative without being constructive. But really, this video just shows what I already felt… Nicki Minaj is just a sell-out. And before she got signed, had other people reinvent her and became a sell-out, she wasn’t that talented anyway, which explains a lot of things (like why everything she has done in her career is based off what someone else has done)…

  26. mel February 20, 2012

    Nicki is FAKE and everyone KNOWS it, how can you completely change from a few years ago? Fake personality, fake ass, fake hair? She’s losing her urban fan base and thats going to be her downfall…. Her stans keep stating that she was a “singer” LOL now thats funny, the b**** can’t even hold a note.

  27. Black Madonna February 20, 2012

    SHE CALLED HERSELF THE BLACK BARBIE AT THE 2:45 MARK.. JUS SAYIN

  28. jill February 20, 2012

    NIcki Minaj= Madonna, Lady Gaga, Lil Kim….
    She’s fake her musical influence was lil kim and lauryn hill and now she’s saying she always looked up to Cyndi Lauper? lol wow

    SELL-OUT

  29. SHESDUMB February 20, 2012

    YOU CAN TELL SHE HAS BEEN INSECURE ABOUT HER BODY SHAPE (ASS) FOR YEARS, LOOK AT ALL HER PRE-FAME VIDEOS AND YOU DONT EVEN SEE THE BOTTOM HALF OF HER BODY EVER!!!! BUT NOW THAT SHE GOT HER FAKE ASS, SHE HAS IT IN EVERY VIDEO.

  30. xoxo February 20, 2012

    @Kat Deluna Fan

    she actually said “hoodstar broad, black barbie doll, pardon me if the cockiness is bothering y’all” in the freestyle.

  31. mary February 20, 2012

    Nicki is fake!!!!

  32. coco February 20, 2012

    “cos i’m still hood hollywood couldn’t change me” she lied.

  33. MISHKA February 20, 2012

    Let’s not lie to ourselves: Nicki would have never found success looking like Onika. She was not pretty enough (like Eve), not fierce enough(like Missy) and she wasn’t dating a famous MC (like Lil’Kim)

    She got mainstream attention because of her pink wigs and her a$$ a$$ a$$. I can’t be mad at her, she tried everything she could.

    Now that she’s on top, she needs to be careful with her song choices. ‘Superbass’ brought her everything she has ever dreamt of in a short amount of time because the song is good despite the fake hair and the fake curves. But after the ‘stupid h**’ tsunami, she needs a miracle to avoid the sophomore slump. Hopefully, she will prove me wrong.

  34. TRUSTORY February 20, 2012

    LOL @Kat Deluna Fan She did Mention barbie listen to it carefully. Its funny to see that she was still making faces then

  35. PLASTIC February 20, 2012

    ITS CALLED POLISHING UP YA DIG ALOT OF PEEPS WILL B HERE FOR LIFE I C

  36. Jordan February 20, 2012

    Money does wonders

  37. Lourdes February 21, 2012

    Old Nicki wasnt the real nicki, but unfortunately old Nicki was the one who brought her to the forefront. I honestly believe the new nicki (as ANNOYING and gimmicky as she is) is the real nicki. Very dramatic (she has a theater background) and extremely animated. Not my cup of tea, but it is what it is.

  38. Ja’mila Dior February 21, 2012

    Yesss Still S*** As F***

  39. kimberly February 22, 2012

    just by watching this . I can see nose done, b*** done, teeth done, complexion changed. If i just randomly saw this video on youtube and she didn’t mention her name i would never know that was her. It is really ashame that she doesn’t satisfy her urban audience again and she knows if she goes back to the club days she will be nothing. i am laughing this is a great transformation and that will lead me to say that she is completely FAKE. everything about her is fake!!!!! who is this girl. where did all the colors and accents come from. where did that ugly fashion come from.

  40. MICHAEL February 22, 2012

    GRAPEJUICE UR WAY TOO OBSESSED WITH HER!!! & U HAD A TYPO, U MEAN TO SAY HER EVOLUTION TO A POP STAR!!!

  41. slick February 23, 2012

    And this is why she is a sell out. Switched up on her true fans to please the jits with gimmicks pink wigs and nursery rhymes

  42. Last King. February 23, 2012

    Still the same Nicki to me only difference now is the wigs.

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