In Hip Hop University, I hail from the class of B.I.G whose valedictorian was the Queen B.  There were many female rappers before her, but her brand of filth and flow, street swag and slut was nothing anyone had seen before.  Kim’s brand of hardcore created a new lane in hip-hop. Foxy Brown came for the crown, and Lauryn was in a league of her own, but Lil’ Kim has stayed relevant for over 15 years by following the formula for reinvention that Madonna (and now GaGa) made famous.

 The class of Wayne is now in session and his prized pupil is Ms.Nicki Minaj. Those of us over the age of 25 can easily see that Nicki is Kim 3.0. I think her first promo pic was emulating the infamous spread eagle “Hard Core” pose that Kim made famous. Imitation is the highest form of flattery, right?

Nicki has improved her brand based on the blueprint that Kim created. The colored wigs, super sexed lyrics, girl on girl love, ride or die chick status, that’s ALL you know who. On the flip-side, Nicki is a master of her brand and has wisely leveraged social networks to her advantage. Claps all around for her….

 To be successful, one should follow the ways of someone who has done it before, not following and later claiming to be the inventor (I don’t personally think Nicki’s doing that). But, keeping in mind that being a mentor doesn’t mean, “do all that I did” either.

In any event, aside from all this talk about hiphop divas and which rap chick came first (my brain is starting to melt) – having a mentor is crucial when setting long-term goals. Take the best of what they have done, put your twist on it and do it better. Taking credit for something you didn’t build isn’t flattery, its disrespectful and if that’s how you roll, you won’t last long in any business. Props to Nicki for her success, and I sincerely hope she’ll never have to go through Kim’s public heartbreak of forever losing her mentor. “But I Love Me More” x Nova B.  Rutherford 4 everythingYNTK.