Jam: Spotlight on Music StarsNicki Minaj Gets an Elegant New Look
Nicki Minaj is known for
her colorful and often wacky ensembles, but recently the "Super Bass" singer traded in her neon, bizarre getups for flowy, feminine vintage gowns during a W magazine photo shoot by renowned artist Francesco Vezzoli, who wanted to portray the hip-hop star as an 18th-century courtesan.
"During my entire career, I have always been fascinated by powerful women in history," explains Vezzoli, who has snapped Lady Gaga and Eva Mendes to name a few. "I have spent a lot of time researching the ways they were represented in art and how their images were used to mold the public imagination -- and to convey aesthetic and philosophical ideas about beauty and sexual desire."
While her wardrobe is often questionable, Nicki, 28, is definitely a force in the music industry. After releasing her debut album, Pink Friday, in 2010, she became the only artist ever to rack up seven singles simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
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