Nicki Minaj, Nina Parker: Countdown to ‘Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded’ — Day 5

On day five of our Nicki Minaj Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded countdown, multi-media professional Nina Parker is commenting on the rapper's growth over the years. As a former producer at TMZ, Parker played an integral role in turning the website into a credible breaking news source. She was responsible for introducing the coverage of urban celebrities onto the website and its accompanying TV show.

Now a writer-reporter for "The Insider," Parker has watched Minaj's career blossom over the years, and provides opinion on her rise to fame as both a fan and an entertainment expert. In her position on the CBS entertainment program, Parker is known to give her candid thoughts on celebrity culture. She theorizes what it is about the Young Money rapper that makes fans flock to her and predicts whether or not the next step in her career will be helpful or hindering to her larger than life image.

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"It can't be denied that Nicki Minaj created a lane for herself in a time where there were no dominant female rappers -- with any hits on the charts. Listen, when mainstream media recognizes Ke$ha as a rapper, well, that's a problem. Nicki built a formula and made it work for her in a major way. I respect her hustle. However, as she grows more mainstream, her work seems to suffer. There seems to be a bigger emphasis on creating a buzz than creating a beat.

I initially was a huge fan; I was ready for her movement. But I'm a little confused on what she's bringing now. I want something I can groove to. Not growl to. I'm still watching and entertained by her, but maybe not in the way she'd want. Still, she's super talented, and when she's in her zone, she dominates.

Nicki has an army of faithful fans, so she will definitely have some sort of longevity. But I think she needs to work on her identity and how it's perceived for people who still may be on the fence about her. It's obvious she's gearing up for some pretty huge mainstream projects and she could alienate herself if she's not careful. Not because she's different -- but because you don't get a consistent version of her. If a fan is fickle, that could get tiring. Just ask Sisqo."