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US rapper Nicki Minaj has revealed how she has ditched the pop sounds that made her a superstar on her new album, and is returning to her 'hip-hop roots'.
Minaj initially found acclaim with guest spots on tracks by huge names in the hip-hop world, but later hit the mainstream and scored international hits with tracks such as 'Superbass', 'Starships' and 'Pound The Alarm' - much to the annoyance of those who supported her early, more credible work. Now, the star admits she has shunned the hi-energy sounds of her biggest hits and is going back to the sounds of her earlier work.
"The tracks on 'Pink Print' are back to my hip-hop roots," she tells MTV News. "I don't think it's something that I'm necessarily trying to do [go in a new direction]. It's like as soon as I started working on my new album, that's just the songs that I've been writing."
"I'm just gonna do what my heart tells me to do."
Listen to Minaj's return to her hip-hop roots on new track 'Chi-Raq' below
Minaj also added that she would scale back on the cartoon-like costumes she became known for, and claims her new natural look is meant to be more of a shock than a three-foot pink wig.
"You can either continue doing costumes or you can just say, 'Hey guess what? This will shock them even more," she added. "Doing nothing will shock them even more... I really kind of let things happened gradually."
Below: 7 things we want to hear on Nicki Minaj's new album, The Pink Print
