‘Pink’ a good color on hip-hop’s new queen

It’s hard not to notice Nicki Minaj.

The rap phenom, whose hair color is as random as a bag of Skittles, is a head turner. Fortunately, she has the voice and the skills to boot.

On her debut album, Minaj shows us why she’s being hailed as the new queen of hip-hop, but she also brings the unexpected.

“Pink Friday” is an empowerment record through and through. Standout tracks like “Fly” and “Moment 4 Life” bring girl power to the now generation.

Along the way, Minaj and her collaborators manage to have a little fun. “Roman’s Revenge,” featuring Eminem, unleashes one of Minaj’s various personas onto an unsuspecting competitor — most likely her predecessor Lil Kim.

Those hoping “Friday” would be a show with an ensemble cast of Minaj’s infamously fun characters will be disappointed.

The real character behind this solid debut is the vulnerable but determined woman we’re meeting for the first time: Onika Maraj, the woman behind Nicki.