Nicki Minaj Names Lil’ Kim Among Favorite Female Emcees

Nicki Minaj may have beef with veteran rhymer Lil' Kim but that doesn't take away from the influence she has on her. During her sitdown at Hot 97 earlier this week, the Young Money artist revealed the names of the female rappers she admired on the come-up.

Just four names made her list: Lauryn Hill, Remy Ma, Foxy Brown and Lil' Kim. "When Remy came out, I was very, very excited about her," the wig-wearing head Barb told Hot 97 jock Peter Rosenberg. "With Foxy, Kim, and Remy, they were all from New York too, but it's no disrespect to any other female rappers, but those are the ones that I felt like, 'Yeah, I could get into that.'"

Once she heard their music, Minaj was able to identify with them. "They sounded like me when I spoke," she revealed. "I just thought they made an impact."

The late Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and Missy Elliott were also female artists that the Queens native looked to for inspiration. "I always loved Missy 'cause she was playful and I always said, Missy and Left Eye, they weren't afraid to be goofy at times and I loved that as well," Minaj stated.

Currently, Nicki Minaj is at work on her third album. "I've just been getting back to that place where I was right before I dropped my first album, which is kill everything," the 30-year-old said.

Look for her to possibly perform this weekend at Hot 97's Summer Jam XX, where she is rumored to take the stage with French Montana, with whom she collaborated with on the reggae-tinged "Freaks."

Watch Nicki Minaj discuss her favorite female rappers below.