By Matt Scotto, Supervising Editor

The past few years have seen female rappers that seemed to just disappear after a song or two. Nicki Minaj, Lil’ Wayne’s latest protégé, is making a statement that she’s here to stay. After being discovered by Wayne, Minaj collaborated with him on her first mixtape, “Playtime is Over,” in April of 2007.

She has released two more mixtapes thus far, and has been featured in around 15 songs by major recording artists such as Mariah Carey, Ludacris, Usher, and Trina, just to name a few. If those credentials aren’t convincing enough, Nicki won Female Artist of the Year at the Underground Music Awards in 2008.

Minaj was signed to Lil’ Wayne’s Young Money Entertainment (a collaboration effort with new and upcoming hip-hop/rap artists) in August of 2009, and was then featured in the breakout Young Money single, “Bedrock,” as well as most of the tracks on Young Money’s first album, “We Are Young Money.”

The 25-year-old Queens native has come out publicly as bisexual, and can be heard speaking provocatively about another girl in Usher’s “Lil’ Freak.”

Nicki is set to release her first single, “Massive Attack” produced by hitmaker Sean Garrett later this month. The track is the lead single of Minaj’s yet-to-be-titled debut album, expected for a summer 2010 release.

Some of her lyrics may be raunchy, but the Barbie-inspired spitfire has proved that she has enough staying power to become the next great female rapper.

Nicki Minaj (Photo courtesy of last.fm.)