Over at Business Insider, a somewhat conservative Wall Street-oriented site, they're talking about bootylicious rapper Nicki Minaj. Yes that's right. Why, do you ask?

Because the 26-year-old rap phenomenon's debut CD, 'Pink Friday,' has done an unlikely thing by climbing up to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard charts. In today's music business, a rise like that for a newbie is a rarity, which calls attention to what is happening under all those wigs: Nicki Minaj's brain is a business savvy thing.

The article lists six keys to Minaj's explosive rise that all brand-conscious individuals should put to use, suggesting that you:

1. "Light up the Twitterverse" (because Lindsay Lohan was talking to over a million people when she tweeted about Nicki),
2. "Work that 'SNL' appearance for all its worth" (and work it she did), and
3. Utilize "Enemies in high places" for self-promotion (because Lil' Kim has reportedly been on the attack, and plans to keep talking about her).

Read the other three tips based on Nicki Minaj's success on Business Insider.

Yes, it is true. All of these actions have increased Nicki's brand virally, thus exponentially. But, they wouldn't have been wrong to have added: "Work hard, for a long time" (because Nicki Minaj didn't spontaneously start rapping a couple of weeks ago), or "Form strategic business partnerships" (which she did with MAC cosmetics to promote her album). But, perhaps those items might have made Nicki look too savvy for a black rapper.


Now, Nicki Minaj might not be the first example of a successful black person that comes to most minds on the subject of business, but she is a huge music business sucess. I give her props for that.

What do you think? And how do you feel about seeing her on a mainstream news site in a business light? Should Business Insider have chosen a more traditional black female leader to profile like Xerox CEO Ursula Burns? Or is it good to see any black female earn recognition in the business world?

Leave your comments below!