Is Nicki Minaj really all she's cracked up to be?

Nicki Minaj began gaining popularity by lighting up the underground scene in 2007 with her bizarre but charismatic flow. Few predicted that her superstardom would come so quickly but it did thanks to her outward appearance and lyrical ability.

She has had great success featuring on other rap songs like Young Money's collaborative effort "Bedrock" which gave rap listeners a taste of what personality brings to the table and the bragadoccious radio hit "My Chick Bad" where we saw Minaj go toe-to-toe with southern hip hop heavyweight Ludacris. Both of these songs have peaked at 2 and10 on the Hot 100 charts respectively.

The Nicki Minaj character is such an intriguing enigma amongst her peers. She has not released many biographic tracks so most people know nothing about the person behind the claws and pink wigs. This is part of the reason why Minaj is one of the most sought after rappers in the game right now. The question some are beginning to ask is whether or not she deserves all the attention she is gathering. In the last couple of months she has graced the cover of the XXL and Fader magazines. She had a somewhat lengthy set at this years BET Spring Bling event where she only performed her feature verses from other songs.

"Massive Attack" was the first official single by Nicki Minaj featuring singer/songwriter Sean Garrett. Many people flocked to the internet and BET to hear the highly anticipated song but were left disappointed after hearing a less than impressive song with an obnoxious beat and sub par lyrics. Fans are still looking for her to make a magical song to add to their iPod playlists.

Judging from what made her popular, Minaj is nothing more than a gimmick that four years from now will be seen as nothing more than a glimmer in the eyes of true hip hop fans. Let's not get too excited about her. She is talented but does not have the ability to continue innovating and maintain a presence in the hip hop community. Her career will follow the path of many other female hip hop artists like Foxy Brown or Roxanne Shante who faded out of the limelight too quickly for their levels of talent. As of right now her popularity has already peaked and the rest of her career will be a continuation of unmet expectations.