We, here at GIANT, have never been particularly awed by Nicki Minaj as an artist. But we must admit, she is on a quest for global oversexed-Barbie domination.

Her raps are catchy, theatrical and ultimately forgettable. She’s cute, fun and somewhat interesting, though we never really considered her a GIANT.

We do, however, keep our fingers to the proverbial pulse and our ear to the streets; accordingly,we must admit that the whole Nicki Minaj thing is becoming a movement in its own right. Minaj Definitely has her own explicit brand of sex appeal, and now it seems like she is taking the entire concept of “sexy” and making it her own. Whether or not this is to the detriment of society as we know it, her influence is extremely potent. So much so, that Minaj has managed to dominate every track that she is featured on, most times even prompting the title artist to swagger-jack her whole sexed up barbie swag. Don’t believe us? Allow us to validate the point. Here are five tracks on which the Minaj effect has taken over, corrupting even the best of them.

1.

“WooHoo”
-Christina Aguilera

Remember when Aguilera was the angelic little thing with the huge voice, likening herself to a “genie in a bottle”? Nuh uh, not any more. Now on her new single appropriately titled “Woohoo,” Aguilera proclaims:

“All the boys think it’s cake
When they taste my (woohoo)
You don’t even need a plate
Just your face, ha (woohoo)
Licky, licky, yum yum (woohoo)
What a great guy (woohoo)”

Really Christina? Since when? Minaj, not to be outdone, counters Aguilera’s efforts with more direct references to oral sex. We see “Woohoo” as Aguilera’s attempt to keep up with the joneses Minajes. Check it out below:

2.

“Shakin It For Daddy”
-Robin Thicke

We count on Robin Thicke for smooth slow jams. We look to him for sensual melodies and lyrical lessons on love. Why, then, did he switch up his style and start demanding that we “shake it for daddy?!” When did it become less about good ol’ R&B love and more about “trickin’:”

“She got me trickin in the club
About to fall in love
Cause she make that booty roll
When she come up on the pole”

The answer? When Nick Minaj came on board. It seems that Thicke felt the need to step the outrageous-sexy-factor up, and recruited the movement’s ring leader to help achieve the desired result. Robin, our advice to you is, do what you do, because you do it extra ordinarily well. Stick to the crooning. Leave the booty-popping references to those who have mastered that technique. Take  a look at Robin looking ridiculous under the influence of the Minaj effect.

3.

“Lil Freak”
-Usher

Usher is sexy in his own right. Still, his songs for the most part have not been overtly sexual. That changed in his single “Lil Freak” featuring (who else?) Minaj. The ode to bisexuality is undoubtedly inspired by little miss bisexual herself:

“Cause I’m about to have a minaj-aye
With his lady
And some freaks at the bar
Who like fu**in with a star.”

4.

“Up Out My Face”
-Mariah Carey

Mariah grabbed the reigns of Nicki Minaj’s Barbie trend and ran with it. Her video for “Up Out My Face” was comprised of life sized doll boxes for her and the rap-doll extraordinaire and the theatrics to match. Nicki always leaves her mark one way or another. Check it out:

5.

“Sex Toy”
-Lil Kim

Nicki is not featured on Lil Kim’s single “Sex Toy,” but her entire style is. The queen bee snatched the over-sexed barbie steeze right back from Minaj, but failed. Kim, you are a definite victim of the Minaj Effect, although you technically can’t ride her coattails, because she is already riding yours, and that wouldn’t be physically possible.

“I can be your sex toy
I can be your Malibu Barbie barbie
I can call you when you get lonely”

Listen below:

Take a look at the victims below:

In this exclusive new episode of Smokey D. Fontaine‘s “COVER STORIES,” actress Paula Patton gives up the hilarious dish on:

• Men:  “You guys are animals…you’re wild beasts.  Men need to be tamed!”
• Her body:  “In High School…I learned it was good to have a big butt!”
• Her husband, singer Robin Thicke: “We met at a teeny bopper party.  He moved fast…”
• Race:  “White boys don’t have a fear of the law…”

And much much more….  Watch NOW!

And if you love this, also check out COVER STORIES EPISODES with:

ALICIA KEYS revealing how she used to diddy-bop to Reasonable Doubt…

SUPERMODEL SESSILEE LOPEZ about the glories and struggles of being a black woman in fashion

And Smokey Fontaine’s history-making interview with JOE JACKSON

The blue-eyed soul man lets us into a day in his life via his first GIANT photo shoot.

R&B stars Robin Thicke and Jennifer Hudson embark this March on a multi-city tour across the country. Kicking off in Albany NY’s Palace Theater, on March 31st, the tour will hit major markets including Atlanta, Chicago and Los Angeles.

For the tour, the artists have partnered with I Love All Access to provide a variety of VIP ticket packages for the tour, including premium seats, meet and greets, parties and more. For more information visit www.robinthicke.com or www.jenniferhudsononline.com.

Below is the entire tour schedule.

DATE	CITY, STATE	VENUE
March 31	Albany, NY	Palace Theatre
April 2	Newark, NJ	NJ PAC
April 3	Philadelphia, PA	Tower Theater
April 4	Baltimore, MD	Lyric Theatre
April 5	Washington, D.C.	DAR Constitution Hall
April 9	Mashantucket, CT	MGM Grand at Foxwoods
April 10	New York, NY	WAMU Theater at MSG
April 12	Norfolk, VA	Chrysler Hall
April 15	Atlanta, GA	Fox Theatre
April 17	Charlotte, NC	Ovens Auditorium
April 18	Greensboro, NC	Special Events Center
April 19	Richmond, VA	Landmark Theater
April 23	St Louis, MO	Fox Theatre
April 24	Detroit, MI	Opera House
April 25	Chicago, IL	Arie Crown Theater
May 2	Los Angeles, CA	Nokia Theatre L.A. Live
May 3	Oakland, CA	Paramount Theatre
May 7	Dallas, TX	Nokia Theatre
May 8	Houston, TX	Verizon Wireless Theater

Preppy, the classic and WASP style of dressing is making a comeback. And celebrities and fashion designers alike are getting their “old money” look on. In the ’80s when there was a financial boom and crisis, hip hop was in it’s infancy, crack was ruining American cities and the Cosby’s were cool, preppy was all the rage. Flash forward to this year and everything seems very familiar except the soundtrack in now T.I., Beyonce and M.I.A.. Imagine Kanye West appearing on “Gossip Girl” and you get the point. Black, bougie and powerful. Now, we even have the first Black President in U.S. history who went to the Ivy League both Columbia and Harvard. Here is a look at the return of the Prepster.

There is a movement among singers who can really sang and they are bringing back the sound and the fury of ’60s and ’70s soul music. Live bands, howling vocals and often moody, this music is a live. Here are eight artists who changed the sound of music in ’08. Oh Yeahhhhhhh!!!

Here is the official EW Playlist Vol. 1. This is the first in a series of playlist that I will be posting monthly to help you get your party started, set the mood or just refresh your own music library. This list has a holiday feeling to it, is a little bit retro and represents some of my favorite songs of ’08. Happy Holidays and enjoy the beats.

1. “Holiday” by Madonna

2. “Glow of Love” by Change featuring Luther Vandross

3. “Pop Champagne” by Ron Brownz

4. “Magic” by Robin Thicke

5. “This Christmas” by Donny Hathaway

6.”Swagger Like Us” by T.I. featuring Jay-Z, Kanye West and Lil’ Wayne

7. “Rappin’ Christmas” by Kurtis Blow

8. “Addiction” by Ryan Leslie featuring Cassie

With my fellow bloggers grinding it out all over the interwebs, I often miss stuff. So, to that end, I have created “The Friday Fix” — a one-stop shop for whatever musicl “notes” I might have missed in the week. Peep game.

So, it looks like this week was all about Beyonce new music videos. In addition to Q-Tip’s new joint, Solange, Mya, Robin Thicke, Keri Hilson and Rihanna all dropped new clips. Check them all out below:

Solange, “T.O.N.Y.”:

Mya, “Paradise”:

Robin Thicke, “The Sweetest Love”:

Keri Hilson Feat. Lil’ Wayne, “Turnin’ Me On”:

Rihanna, “Rehab”:

My favorite has to be Solange. Wow, never thought I would say that out loud but little sistah has some joints on that album.

And yes, Beyonce did take over the world this week but the real test will be when her SoundScan numbers come out next week. Plus, she has been all over site already and she never returns a brother’s calls… so there.

Also, coming up next week will be a Def Jam Battle Royale. With both Ludacris and Kanye West dropping “concept” albums, it will be the “mouf of the south” versus the “hip-hop’s reigning big moth.” Should be interesting…

New York Fashion Week got a dose of La Dolce Vita on September 9, 2008 when the luxury brand Prada presented a blowout party at its Soho Epicenter.

The occasion was to celebrate Prada’s new art project: an animated short film entitled “Fallen Shadows.” The music was pumping and the paparazzi bulbs were flashing as Kanye West, Jessica Alba, Cassie, Robin Thicke and Perry Farrell came out to celebrate. Starlets Paula Patton, Zoë Saldana and Heather Graham even wore Prada to the party. DJ Heidi and DJ Jeffrey Tonnesen from The Box keep the party moving with electronica sounds as guest mixed and mingled with the glitterati. The anima film “Fallen Shadows”, is an extension of Miuccia Prada’s love of art and culture. Prada consistently develops experimental projects in art, film, architecture and sound design. “Fallen Shadows”, much like Prada’s high-tech fashion, is an innovative combination of futuristic vision and soulfulness

To peep Prada’s “Fallen Shadows” click onto prada.com.

He discovered soul music at age 11 and never looked back. Now, with a monster album that transcends the racial divide (much like his marriage to actress Paula Patton) Robin Thicke is ready for all the love.

Despite Robin Thicke’s rising visibility — and the loyal backing of Oprah Winfrey, who has invited him to appear on her show twice in a three-month period — the soul singer is disarmingly self-deprecating.

The GIANT cover star also isn’t one to bite his tongue, and he’ll intelligently debate any subject — be it the state of urban music, the problem with organized religion, or Don Imus’s offensive remarks.

On his high school years:
“I got kicked out of Campbell Hall High School in Los Angeles, which is a really prestigious school. I was a class clown, so I was always getting kicked out of class and getting suspended. So I got kicked out and ended up going to another private school, Montclair Prep, which really was a school that all the private schoolers went to when they get kicked out. I was there with like seven other kids that got kicked out of other private schools…. I didn’t even wanna go to my senior year of school. I was like 17 or 18, getting royalty checks from Brandy, making like $100,000. I didn’t even wanna go to my senior year of school. I went on home study, which meant I read a couple of books and got a B+. So then I showed up at my high school graduation with my cap and gown, and everyone was looking at me like, ‘What the fuck are you doing here, homie? You haven’t been here! What the fuck you mean you’re graduating?’”

On the difference between him and Justin Timberlake:
“I would say that Justin’s been a star since he was 16 and it took me 14 years to become a star. That’s the big difference. I’m the guy who had to keep trying. I’m the guy who took four record deals and never hit. I’m the guy who has actually has been through all the pain and the struggle and the heartache. And when I sing now, I sing with pain and heartache and struggle in my voice.”

On seeing his black friends cope with racism:
“It makes you angry, as angry as you could possibly be. And it’s why people like myself, when we see stuff like that, I wanna write about how much we’re all the same and how much we’re supposed to love each other and share and celebrate our differences and our similarities. I know that there are killers, assholes, murderers, and thieves that are on Wall Street and they’re the worst people on the planet, and I also know that there are thugs who have no love left in their hearts and who will kill, maim, and steal because they’ve given up on themselves or on being righteous and good. And there’s also loving and caring and amazing people everywhere and in every section of society. I think there are good people everywhere. And I think that people forget… even with all this bullshit about what the ‘hood is. I mean, people act like the only black people or Puerto Ricans or people of any ethnicity who make it out of the ‘hood are athletes and rappers and, in reality, we have more minority doctors, lawyers, teachers, and professors than ever before. Society as a whole is changing because the white man is finally losing some control.”

On the response to Don Imus’ racist on-air comments:
“Don Imus calls some women “nappy headed ‘hos” and all I’ve seen on television for the past few days is, ‘Is hip-hop responsible?’ What the fuck is that? They’re out of their fuckin’ minds. Russell Simmons said it perfectly. Yesterday I was watching TV and he was on one of these shows and Russell was saying, ‘Instead of addressing the fact that these artists are telling the truth about their upbringing and their society, why don’t we face the real issue which is why they’re growing up in poverty in this society? Let’s fix that problem. Instead of fixing the artist for telling the truth about how fucked up everything is, why don’t you fix how fucked up it is?’ That’s the real problem. The real problem is there are no good schools, no real opportunities, no self-pride and opportunity in the streets. So if you put that in the streets, then the lyrics will change. If everybody has to struggle to survive and it’s hard to believe in love because you’re not being loved or being helped or being told you can amount to anything, then don’t expect the lyrics to be about those things.”

On his song “Cocaine” and rumors that he’s a cocaine addict:
“I don’t care—a little mystery is good. I don’t do cocaine. I’m a weed smoker. But I also know that drugs… People have a tendency to just go by what the government and media tell us—that certain drugs are good and that certain drugs are bad. I think using drugs in celebration, every once in a while, is a wonderful thing. And that’s just my own opinion. I would never tell a kid that I do drugs, like a 10-year-old that looks up to me, ‘cause I don’t wanna set a bad example. But I also know I’m a good person. I have a good heart. I have a wife who loves me. I have family that loves me. I worked my butt off. I make music that inspires people and that inspires me. So why should I feel guilty or less of a human being or that God doesn’t love me because I choose to do drugs sometimes? As long as I don’t do it the way I’ve done it before at times, which is out of anger and jealousy and depression — that’ll kill you. But drugs in celebration everyone in a while, it’s the same thing as having a drink. Alcohol is a drug, but so is penicillin and aspirin. Those seem to be good drugs. So why can’t weed be good? Why can’t it help your appetite and make you calm down and make you less nervous and make you less angry when you don’t want to be angry? Why does the government have to tell us what’s good or bad? Why can we take sleeping pills but we can’t smoke one of God’s plants? It doesn’t make any sense.”

On why he doesn’t believe in institutionalized religion:
“I have a tough time with religion because of what they’ve done to people. They’ve taken money from people, and the churches, the pastors, and the Pope always seem to have more money than the people around them. And, even more importantly, women aren’t equal. How can I believe in or support a religion where only men can be priests and women can only be nuns and men can have sex but women can’t? And [they’ll tell you], ‘You’re only going to heaven if you’ve done this.’ And I’m like, ‘Look, I’m going to heaven!’”

Super-paid beatmaker Pharrell Williams has created some of the most memorable hits in pop music. Now ready with his solo debut, In My Mind, the style icon wonders to Joan Morgan if he’s ready to expose his inner visions to the world.

There is an inherent transience to cities by the sea that makes them both sexy and susceptible to illusion. Not lies per se, or malicious deceptions, but a gentle massaging of the truth, the kind that facilitates the crap people want to believe about themselves—and obscures what they’d prefer others not know. This makes Hibiscus Island, Florida, with its heady infusion of private exclusivity and new money, the perfect background for a music video. Especially one whose treatment probably read a little something like this: Multi-millionaire playboy romances racially non-descript (but if you had to guess, Brazilian) beauty poolside at his mansion by the ocean. Joined later on his boat by his homeboy (Kanye West!) and two skinny-ass model chicks in barely-there bikinis. A Rolls Royce! Ferrari! Multiple designer wardrobe changes! Cut to: Sean “Diddy” Combs, special music fashion mogul friend! Lots and lots of bling! Boys, beats, boats and bitches meets Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous…this could quickly lapse into cliché. That is if the video in question wasn’t Pharrell’s “Number One.”

Clichés, you see, require precedent. The meteoric rise of Pharrell Williams’s career has none. The man has been leaving his indelible size nine sneaker print on the ass cheek of popular culture for more than a decade. As the more visible half of the ubiquitous Neptunes (the production team responsible for every other banger in your iPod—that is unless you don’t really mess with Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani, Jay-Z, Janet Jackson, Snoop Dogg, Justin Timberlake, Ludacris, Busta Rhymes or TLC), one-third of the critically-acclaimed rock band N.E.R.D. and CEO of Star Trak (musical home to Kelis, Clipse, Robin Thicke and Slim Thug), Williams’s eclectic kitchen sink approach to production has literally altered the musical landscape.

An unabashed fashionista, Williams’s emergence as a style icon has been equally impressive. Of the man who made skateboard gear sexy, MTV’s style guru Coltrane Curtis says this: “Pharrell is the yin and yang of fashion. He can give you something real grimy—gold teeth, tattoo on his neck—but he can also give you a white button-up that’s so crispy and so grown man. He’s fly.”

“Fashion for Pharrell is a lifestyle,” adds celebrity stylist June Ambrose. “Clothing for him is like second skin. It’s like the early days of hip-hop when artists didn’t need stylists. He knows how to translate fashion.”

And turn his passion for it into profit. Williams’s two luxe apparel lines, Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream (including tees, jeans, sneakers, hoodies, varsity jackets), can be found at high-end retailers like Barneys and Union with price points that range from $90 to $900. “No rapper, let alone a man of color,” continues Coltrane, “has been able to create a luxury product that can sell across the board. Rocawear, Marc Ecko Collections and Sean John Blue all caught bricks, but BBC sold over $100,000 in product at the Union store in Los Angeles in one day. A hoodie is $425—it’s a piece of shit hoodie,” he laughs. “Screen-printed all over. No detail. No embroidery. But the margins on them make you want to cry when you think of how much money Pharrell must be making.”

The coup d’etats continue. Later today Williams will take a break from our interview to sign a multi-million-dollar contract to be the first ever male (and black) face for French fashion house Louis Vuitton.