Nicki Minaj Goes Back To Her Hip-Hop Roots For Her New Album

Anyone watching Nicki Minaj’s Instagram has seen her transformation over the last few months. Bit by bit she has traded the outlandish wigs, colorful costumes and chicken wing necklaces for a more subtle natural look wrapped in couture.  While on the press junket for her new film with Cameron Diaz, The Other Woman, the Q-borough native told MTV about her changing look.

"I went so far to the other side that there's only one place to go from there," Minaj explained, "You can either continue doing costumes or you can just say, 'Hey guess what? This will shock them even more. Doing nothing will shock them even more.'"

The return to the good old days doesn’t stop with her visual presentation. Minaj has spent the better part of the last two years laying waste to every feature and hot beat she could get her hands on. That vibe will carry over to her upcoming album The Pink Print.

"The tracks on Pink Print are back to my hip-hop roots. And I don't think it's something that I'm necessarily trying to do. As soon as I started working on my new album, that's just the songs that I've been writing," she said.

When asked if her new project might include pop fare like "Starships" or "Super Bass" she responded quickly with "Hell no."

No word on if the Baby Phat jacket from her Come Up DVD days will make an appearance but the truly die-hard can cross their fingers. Watch the interview below:—G. Valentino Ball