Nicki Minaj Reportedly Turned Down Working With A Record Label After Being Asked To Hire A Ghostwriter

Nicki Minaj’s former music collaborators say the rapper turned down a lucrative deal because she wanted to create her own music.

Legendary performers, writers, and producers Full Force recently sat down with The Breakfast Club to discuss their career through the years. According to HotNewHipHop, Full Force has worked with the likes of many chart-topping artists, including Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, James Brown, Kid ‘N Play, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, Bob Dylan, The Black Eyed Peas, and Selena. Three of the six members of the group were also in the first House Party movie, which first aired in March 1990.

During the interview, the group discussed working with Minaj early in her career. They said they noticed her talent right away and immediately saw that Minaj had the potential to be a global star. Paul Anthony, one member of Full Force, said he saw how versatile she was back then and how she could also sing gospel songs in addition to rapping. Anthony’s son was also in a group called the Hood$tars with Minaj early in her career. However, the group didn’t last due to them not being able to secure a record deal as a unit.

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Minaj was eventually sought out by record labels as a solo artist. Anthony, who was working closely with Minaj during this time, said Warner Bros. exec Kevin Liles eventually reached out to the “Moment 4 Life” artist. He claims that Minaj was all set to go with the label until they asked her if she would be comfortable bringing on a ghostwriter.

“At the time [they] wanted Juelz Santana to write for her and she refused,” Anthony recalled. “Nicki always had a thing about writing her own sh*t. They thought it was an impressive move for the unknown artist because they knew she was ‘hungry’ but wouldn’t compromise on who she was an artist.”

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Although Warner Bros. was a big label and Minaj even had “a little crush on Juelz,” she knew turning the deal down was best for her. She eventually signed with Lil Wayne and Young Money and became a household name in the late 2000s. While she has been focusing on other projects as of late, including collaborations with Fendi and her show, Queen Radio, the newly married rapper has been getting her feet wet slowly in terms of new music. HNHH reports that she recently collaborated with Rich the Kid for a track on his third studio album, Boss Man.