Nicki Minaj 'Thrilled' By #2 Artist And Song Of 2011 Nods

Nicki Minaj's year was nothing short of amazing. The reigning queen of hip-hop spent 2011 climbing the charts, hitting the road and racking up a slew of awards. All of that helped her secure the #2 spot for her smash single "Super Bass" on MTV's Best Songs of 2011 rankings and landed her at #2 on our list of the Best Artists of the year.

"Thanks MTV!!!!" Minaj said told in a statement. "U guys always know a good thing! Ha!!!! The barbz and I are thrilled. :)"

The Young Money MC released her debut, Pink Friday, at the end of 2010 and rode the success of that album well into 2011 with several hit singles, including "Moment 4 Life" (featuring Drake) and the infectious "Super Bass."

Minaj also further expanded her fanbase into the pop world by joining Britney Spears on her Femme FataleTour. "I wanted my set to be more than an opening act, 'cause, you know, I did that already," Minaj told back in August. "I always like to raise the bar for myself, and that's what I did. I think it's important to give people what they paid for. I don't really expect them to know all the records, but I guess it just kind of transcends all genres of music at this point."

And transcending genres is exactly what Nicki is doing. She just shot the video for Madonna's "Gimme All Your Luvin", which will also feature M.I.A. The four-time Grammy nominee also released "Roman in Moscow," the first track off her upcoming sophomore album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded. It's all setting the stage for a big 2012.

"It's been overwhelming, it's been crazy," she recently told us about her tremendous year. "But it's been fun. ... It's been a crazy year."

Stick with MTV as we count down the Best of 2011, including the top Artists, Songs, Live Performances and EDM Artists of the year.