'It's kind of like a glimpse back to what a real rap show is,' creative director Laurieann Gibson tells MTV News.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Vanessa White Wolf


Nicki Minaj
Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Nicki Minaj is currently taking her Pink Friday Tour around the world before circling back Stateside in July. Given Nicki's love for all things over-the-top, it's no surprise that her first-ever headlining gig is all about going big or going home.

The rapper's right-hand lady, creative director and choreographer Laurieann Gibson, told MTV News that when they sat down to plot the trek, "There was a challenge to get through a 70-minute show" after Nicki had spent her last few tours opening for the likes of Lil Wayne and Britney Spears, but what they cooked up is something Gibson said she is "really, really proud of."

"I just put Nicki Minaj on the road, actually, and her tour is super special to me and doing really well," Gibson told MTV News about working with the rapper again after their eye-popping Grammy performance back in February.

"Nicki Minaj was so much fun for me, and it was like a real breath of fresh air, and musically, to get back to the rap game, to see a female MC dominate the pop charts, this, historically, for me, I feel a bit of responsibility," she added. "When I did 'The Rain,' that video for Missy [Elliott], and just with Puff and the evolution of Bad Boy Records and my responsibility there and the pressure to maintain dominant rappers [on major award shows] and not let them lose street credibility, the years of all that torture ... and all of those moments. When I got back to Nicki, I was so happy to be in that soulful music again, in that fight, in the idea that rap is not dead and that somebody like her can be many things in many genres and not be limited.

"I love [when] I heard Roman Reloaded. I loved her delivery. I love the way she flows," she added. "So the Pink Friday Tour is really good and it's kind of like a glimpse back to what a real rap show is. It's intimate but big at the same time."

Will you check out Nicki on tour? Let us know in the comments!

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