Rap queen Nicki Minaj poses in this black and white photo for Elle Magazine‘s forthcoming Music Issue.

“I always wanted to play with the boys,” Minaj explains to the mag as she speaks on competing against her male peers in the industry. “I didn’t want to be a pawn in their game or have a sidekick role. I wanted to be more of a lead character—a superhero.”

For more on Nicki, pick up the new issue of Elle when it hits newsstands on April 12th!

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