S. Samuel
Grammy-winning rapper/singer Lauryn Hill is reportedly one of the latest hip-hop artists to wave her sign of approval toward newcomer Nicki Minaj.
According to Hill’s current tour deejay, DJ Rampage, she has been following Minaj since last year’s “Roger That” Young Money single.
“There are moments when we’re taking a break from practicing and just talking about things, and I remember this one time she mentioned hearing Nicki on the radio,” Rampage said when asked if Hill was interested in doing collaborations. “I believe the track was ‘Roger That,’ and she started reciting some of Nicki’s lyrics and her adlibs. It was obivous to me she was feeling her stuff.” (VIBE)
Last September, Minaj expressed her respect for the lane Hill paved as a female emcee dating back to her 1990’s days in The Fugees.
“It’s like, freaking, I want to bow down and kiss her feet,” Minaj said about the return of Lauryn Hill. “Like, I think everyone in my generation, we look at her as a freaking, and I hate to say this because it sounds kinda blasphemous, she’s almost like a godly-type of creature. It’s not human. So the fact that she’s doing stuff and performing, I think that it’s a great day and I’ve always loved her and I still love her and I always will love her, and that’s about it.” (Rap Radar)
Recently, rap mogul Irv Gotti compared Minaj’s career to Hill’s legacy.
“The world has yet to see the best of Nicki Minaj. What she’s delivering to the world now is basically what they want. But I know that she’s a super talented superstar who can do anything at a high level–rap, sing, act, whatever she wants to do. This is just the beginning of Nicki Minaj. Her best is yet to come. In my opinion she is as talented as my other girl Lauryn Hill. They have completely different styles. But as far as the talent is concerned they both can do it all. Nicki just isn’t showing it yet ’cause she doesn’t want to. But world be prepared ’cause she’s the truth.” (VIBE)
Following the statement, Minaj clarified what Gotti was speaking about.
The Lil Wayne protégé recently revealed that she has played material for Irv Gotti from her forthcoming debut Pink Friday, and that based on what she made him privy to, the likening to Ms. Hill isn’t just hot air. “Irv has been privy to hear things that I’ve done that the world hasn’t heard,” she told CNN. “Based on the music I have out now, that sounds like an absurd comment, but when ‘Pink Friday’ comes out, you will completely understand why Irv made that comparison.” (Rap-Up)
Check out the “Roger That” music video below:
