Minaj: I'm obsessed with Jay-Z

Nicki Minaj has revealed how "obsessed" she is with Jay-Z.

The Starships singer has just released the first single, Pills n Potions, from her new record. Nicki confessed her third studio album's name, The Pink Print, is an homage to her favourite male artist.

"I think everybody knows how obsessed I am with Jay Z. He's always been my favourite rapper — him and [Lil] Wayne," she said during an appearance on Power 106 radio in Los Angeles.

"He did such a great job of creating this Blueprint brand for male rappers, I felt. And I studied a lot of his blueprint, just in terms of becoming a mogul."

Jay-Z released his first Blueprint album in 2001 before following it up with two further versions in 2002 and 2009. The collection is credited with helping the 44-year-old become the music impresario he is today. With The Pink Print, Nicki hopes to recreate the same legacy for female artists.

"I wanted to do that, I wanted to be like Jay Z. I felt like with what I'm doing, I want female rappers to be able to pattern themselves with what I've done one day," the 31-year-old explained. "And I think the album is soooo classic, it's gonna feel so good and it will probably be one that female rappers will look to as a 'pink print' for years to come."

While Nicki is excited about the album and begin her legacy in earnest, she was in no rush to divulge an exact release date. For the singer, it's important to her that people just enjoy her music as it comes.

"Nowadays, in this era, people want things so quickly," she said. "We don't even absorb anything. We're never in the moment, ever. We're always in the future. So, I don't want them to think about the release date."