Nicki Minaj has a whole new look on the November 2011 cover of W Magazine.
Dubbed the 'Fashion Meets Art' issue, Minaj was photographed by Francesco Vezzoli for an “Ultimate Makeover” photo spread.
“I wanted to play with the public image of a female hip-hop star," Vezzoli explains of the ultimate result. "“In her performances, Minaj makes very explicit and challenging use of her beauty and her body, so I thought of comparing her to some of the most famous courtesans in history: the Marquise de Montespan, Comtesse du Barry, Madame de Pompadour, and Madame Rimsky-Korsakov.
"My idea was to reproduce four iconic portraits of some of the most fascinating females of the past in a series starring an American pop-culture role model. We tried to re-create those original portraits using similar furniture, props, and clothing, à la Visconti. Luckily enough, the result came out as surreal as it could be, just as I wished.”
While we're used to Minaj making bold fashion choices, this shoot shows her in a whole new light!
Click inside for more photos.
