Although Nicki Minaj already had a decent buzz, it was her verse on the song 'Monster,' off of Kanye West's 2010 album, 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,' that catapulted her to worldwide fame. Now she's not only one of the best mainstream lyricists out today, but she also has one of the most powerful brands, from creating perfume to being a judge on 'American Idol.' Today, the rapper adds another accomplishment to her resume: a Complex magazine cover.

The Queens, N.Y. MC covers Complex magazine's December/January issue, sporting a futuristic look, complete with a mod hairstyle and metallic skirt. The sex symbol opens up about her forthcoming album, 'Anaconda' controversy, family and more in the accompanying interview.

When Nicki dropped the artwork for the single, she didn't realize it would cause such a stir. "The artwork was not premeditated," she said. "I was shooting the 'Anaconda' video and my photographer [was] there taking pictures. When I was about to shoot my next scene, I asked to see the pictures he'd taken. He went through five or six and that one came up, and I was like 'Oh my God. Yo, that picture is crazy. What made me excited about it was that people hadn't seen me do a picture like that in years."

She also talks about the difficulties surrounding her choice to live on the West Coast since her family still resides in New York City.

"Right, and I live in L.A., so when I wake up in the morning, I can't just run across the street and hug my mother, hug my little brother, kiss my little brother or older brother. I have to get on a six-hour flight to see them, and then, even when I go to New York, I'm lucky if I can see them for a couple hours," she reveals.

The rhymer goes on to admit that her booming success shares the same space with a perpetual guilt she feels.

"When you're working and you're busy and you're successful, no matter what, something suffers," she explains. "Whether it's your relationship with your mother, your relationship with your whole family, not being able to go to your brother's graduation... Certain things suffer and take the back burner, not because they're on the back burner in your heart, but because the world just moves so quickly."

In the past, Queen Barb mentioned that her forthcoming album, 'The Pinkprint,' was inspired after Jay Z's 'The Blueprint,' but just the name she says. The songs will be totally independent from what was on his classic 2001 album.

"People keep asking me about Jay's 'The Blueprint' and they think I'm doing something like that," the 31-year-old shares. "I made reference to the 'The Blueprint' because Jay is the biggest rapper of our time. The name of the album was inspired by Jay, but not the body of work."

The 'Pinkprint' drops on Dec. 9.

Watch Behind the Scenes of Nicki Minaj's Complex Cover Shoot
 

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