Nicki Minaj Says Being A Judge On American Idol Is A "Milestone For Hip-Hop"

26 September 2012, 14:13 | Updated: 26 September 2012, 14:25

The 'Starships' singer admits she feels "proud" at her decision to join the music reality show.

Nicki Minaj has spoken out about her decision to join the judging panel of American Idol to call the opportunity a "milestone" for hip-hop and black women.

The 'Pound The Alarm' star told MTV News that she was "proud" to be on board with the likes of Keith Urban, Mariah Carey and Randy Jackson for the next season of the show.

"It's a milestone for me; it's a milestone for hip-hop; it's a milestone for young black women," she confessed. "Has there ever been a black woman [judging] on the show? This is a show that 20 million people watch so I feel like we should be represented on that show and I'm very proud of my decision to do it."

The Trinidad-born star admitted she didn't take the decision to join the show lightly and was initially worried as to what people would say.

"Of course I had doubts but I had to realise that my fears of doing the show came a lot from what I thought people would say," she explained. "I had to really think and [realize that] a lot of decisions I've made in my career, people thought I was f***** crazy and I made them, and I continue to make the hard decisions. 

"I continue to make the decisions that people don't have the balls to make. And that's what separates me from everybody else."

Nicki joined the show earlier this month following the departure of former judges Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler.

She was rumoured to have been involved in a feud with Mariah Carey after the first day of filming, something which has since been denied by both parties.

Meanwhile, the rapper has also recently launched her Pink Friday fragrance in New York and said she was blown away the first time she saw the bottle design.