Nicki Minaj

Until recently, Nicki Minaj was known mainly as that female rapper who popped up for spectacularly potty-mouthed guest verses on other people's records. No more. So far this year, she's scandalised the Grammys, (briefly) deleted her 11-million-followers-and-counting Twitter account, conquered the pop charts with scattershot second album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded and told The Guardian that 'I have bigger balls than the boys'. And now, at last, she's giving Japanese audiences a chance to find out what all the fuss is about.