As a person who loves music, I really appreciate women in the music industry. Being a woman in any male dominated industry is hard. The music industry is one that is especially hard to be a woman, especially a woman of color. I did some research and tried to find a female artist that really is a good role model for young girls, women, and feminists everywhere. It didn't take long to realize that the woman I wanted to focus on was (no, not Taylor Swift) Nicki Minaj. Nicki has become one of the most inspirational and powerful women in the industry and should be looked up to by women everywhere.

Nicki is a strong and confident woman that is not afraid to stand up for herself.

Nicki Minaj has never been one to shy away from conflict. There are countless interviews online where Minaj stands up for herself and makes sure the people around her treat with the respect that she deserves. The most recent event of Nicki standing up for herself was at and before the MTV Video Music Awards. There was a lot of controversy over a tweet Nicki posted after the nominations for Video of the Year were released and her video for "Anaconda" was not included. The Anaconda video made strong statements about women's sexuality and about how men need to respect women, yet songs like "Bad Blood" and Beyonce's "7/11" were nominated instead. Nicki Minaj expressed how once again the curvy black woman didn't make the cut.

Now you may say, "Beyonce was nominated, so race isn't an issue here," but her song made no influential statements that apply to society and women. Isn't that what makes art, art? By no means am I discrediting Beyonce or saying she didn't deserve to be nominated, but naturally between two curvy black women, the fun fluffy song was chosen rather than a video making a relevant statement about society. The fact that there was no room for Nicki on the nomination list was wrong and she took that opportunity to speak out. She posted a tweet, saying "if your video celebrates women with very slim bodies, you will be nominated," and followed it up by saying, "black women influence pop culture so much, but are rarely rewarded for it." A few white celebrities took this as a personal attack and spoke out (cough cough, Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus). People who weren't on Nicki's side failed to see the privilege that white women have in society. It is unacceptable to believe that all women are persecuted equally (note to editor: unequal persecution is a key point of my argument here. please don't change my wording). By standing up for herself, she educated many people about the struggles of being a black woman in the music industry and in society today.

In an interview in The New York Times, writer Vanessa Grigoriadas discussed many topics, but of course the main topic of discussion was about the drama surrounding Minaj's life rather than her music. Once the questions surrounding the beef between Meek Mill and Drake was brought up (naturally much of the interview was dedicated to this topic), the tension in the room hit an all-time high. Grigoriadas made the terrible mistake of asking Minaj if she "thrives on drama," and Nicki was not having any of it. She responded by asking Grigoriadas to leave. If the interview questions were "dumb," she refused to answer them. This interviewer did not have any idea what she got herself into, but it sounds to me like she needed this from Nicki. After all, she was the one writing the "dumb" questions. This is just another example of a confident woman standing up for herself, even against another woman. Her confidence and independence is inspiring and should be admired by everyone rather than taking it as her being rude or disrespectful.

Nicki Minaj embraces and celebrates women's sexuality.

She is a beautiful woman that expresses her sexuality through her appearance and her music. In her "Anaconda" video, she is featured twerking and dancing on Drake, but slaps his hand and walks away when he tries to sneak a feel. The entire song is about her butt. She uses her sexuality as a weapon and knocks 'em dead with her booty. She may not be what society thinks is "beautiful" because she isn't stick thin, but she loves her body and works it in everything she does.

She also incorporates sexuality into her music. Nicki Minaj writes some very 'filthy' lyrics whilst simultaneously taking a stand in proving that men aren't the only artists who can get nasty. My favorite example of Nicki getting down and dirty is her song "Freaky Girl," writing lyrics such as "how bout I cum all on your d*** and then I lick it off," or, "You can eat it like a treat," in reference to her vagina. The blatant sexuality she fills her music with is actually empowering to women. She embraces women's sexuality and believes it should be celebrated, as it should. Women should not hide from or be afraid of their sexuality. It is a natural and beautiful thing, and Nicki Minaj makes this clear in and outside of her work. She is inspiring women everywhere to embrace what makes us women, curves and all.

These two points may not sound like much, but Nicki's behavior and belief system is changing the music industry for not only black women, but women everywhere. Her demand for respect is strong and 'in your face,' which is what she believes black women in the industry need to do. Black women have been severely mistreated in the music industry, especially in the genre of hip-hop. Nicki is taking this genre by storm and making sure that no one is putting her down. Her confidence is inspiring and I believe that with this she will continue to make an impact on the industry and in society as well.

So, give her a listen! It might not be your kind of music, but it's worth listening to, even if it's just to support a strong female artist. I definitely recommend her new album, 'The Pinkprint,' which is a play on Jay-Z's album, 'The Blueprint.'

Women have been ignored in this industry for so long, and Nicki is making it ancient history. Keep going, Nicki. You're killing it.