She mentioned it a few weeks ago, now it’s official. With today’s announcement, Nicki Minaj has become ‘The First Lady’ of Lil’ Wayne’s Young Money imprint. Arguably the only female with a substantial buzz, Minaj’s rise to fame has come through her mixtape line. After the releases of “Playtime Is Over” and “Sucker Free“, it was her latest tape, “Beam Me Up Scotty“, which catapulted her into the national scene.  The signing now gives Young Money two of the more coveted after free agents in Drake and “Nicki Lewinsky.”

“To say I’m excited would be an understatement. It’s validation. It’s proof. It’s empowerment. I represent every little girl in a hood near you. To everyone that supported me two years ago when I was on underground mix-tapes and DVDs and to the people that only caught on two weeks ago, I say thank you. Be proud of yourself. You’ve given girls all around the world the permission to change the face of female rap.”

Nicki’s deal didn’t come without its own fine tuning. She was able to retain and own all of her 360 rights, including merchandising, sponsorships, endorsements, touring and publishing.

Her currently untitled debut album is set to release towards the top of 2010. First, however, Minaj will continue to work and promote the release of Young Money’s compilation album due out this winter. The First Lady is still appearing with Lil Wayne at sold-out arenas throughout the country on the America’s Most Wanted tour, which also features Young Jeezy, Soulja Boy and more. Nicki continues to be managed by Mizay Enertainment’s Debra Antney who also represents Gucci Mane.