Nicki Minaj is coming back in a major way. After a brief hiatus, the reigning queen of rap returned to the public eye with a new single, “Red Ruby Da Sleeze;” it’s the no. 2 song on US iTunes, but that’s not all the Barbz are talking about. Minaj had a major announcement on the latest episode of her Queen Radio show on Apple Music: “I have a record label now,” the rapper revealed.
Although she didn’t share the label’s name, Minaj did say her long-time friend Patty “Patty Duke” Lauren has signed on as the label’s A&R. Minaj also unveiled her starting roster: Nana Fofie, Tate Kobang, Rico Danna, and London Hill.
Speaking of her new label, Minaj spoke about the importance of having a veteran artist in your corner as an emerging talent, similar to how Lil Wayne helped Minaj early in her career. “I understand the importance of having somebody else doing the heavy lifting for you,” she said. “I understand why people are coming out, and they’re so, you know, microwaveable, and they’re here today and gone tomorrow because there’s no structure.”
There are not a lot of details we don’t know about Nicki’s new label, but in the meantime, get to know a little more about her first four signees.