Nicki Minaj, 02 Arena

With a few glorious exceptions – Lil’ Kim, Missy Ellliot – hip-hip at the dawn of the 2010s was an almost entirely male world. Women might sing the hook, but a coterie of men dominated the mic. What a relief, then, when Nicki Minaj emerged with a powerhouse run of guest verses that often outshone even her most esteemed collaborators. By ‘Monster’, the centerpiece to Kanye West’s universally acclaimed My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010), she could make both West and Jay-Z seem tired, spitting out mind-boggling rhymes while effortlessly contorting and transforming her voice. Now, having released third solo record The Pinkprint, she is set to fill the O2 Arena with her raucous live show.

Born in Trinidad but raised in Queens, Minaj spent her early 20s in an array of mundane office and customer service jobs. Then, from 2007, she released a trio of mixtapes that gradually began to attract the attention of rap royalty. When Lil Wayne discovered her, she was instantly signed to his Young Money label. Debut Pink Friday (2010) was a chart-topping smash, and saw her become the first female solo artist to have seven songs on the Billboard 100 at once. And when the album’s fifth single ‘Super Bass’ became ubiquitous, she could lay claim to one of the best-selling records of all time.

While both Pink Friday and follow-up Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2012) saw Minaj alternate fierce rap with sunny trance-pop, singles from The Pinkprint have heralded a return to her hip-hop roots. With its keening chorus and introspective verses, Pills N Potions could almost be called a ballad; Only, which boasts featured verses from Drake and Lil Wayne, is darkly minimal. And then there’s the raunchy ‘Anaconda’, her highest-charting single yet. Yet for all the booty and raunch, there's a weakness to the album. Tracks like 'I Lied', 'The Crying Game' and 'Favorite' yearn for a man's love, while album opener 'All Things Go' is concerned with mortality and the perils of fame. Not quite what we want from Minaj.

Nevertheless, with an enviable array of hits and a fiery talent, Minaj live is set to be quite the spectacle.