For Cortez Bryant, the scene was a revelation. It was in early November when the Bryant Management principal/Young Money Entertainment chief visionary officer was invited to dinner by 28-year-old "it" girl Onika Tanya Maraj, aka Nicki Minaj. There was much to celebrate.

Her genre-shifting, chart-topping album debut, "Pink Friday" -- released Nov. 19, 2010, and bowing at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 -- had racked up sales of 1.6 million copies (according to Nielsen SoundScan), single-handedly reviving the dormant "female rapper" format from a decade-long commercial drought.

The one-time hardcore Queens mixtape favorite had garnered mammoth crossover appeal. Her "Super Bass" became a viral phenomenon-earning Minaj a memorable visit to "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." Even Madonna recognized Minaj's blazing cultural ascendancy, requesting that she appear on her forthcoming single, "Give Me All Your Love," alongside M.I.A.

But as Bryant walked into the posh New York West Caribbean restaurant, he noticed something a bit off. "I get to the table and there are 16-20 teenagers sitting with Nicki," says the affable power broker who manages Minaj, as well as Drake and Lil Wayne. "My first impression was, 'Well, we are in New York... this has to be family.' But there was too wide of a demographic there. So I asked Nicki, 'Yo, who are these people?' And she tells me, 'I just went on Twitter and invited some of my fans to come out and eat dinner with me.' I'm like, 'You actually do that?' The connection she has with her fans is amazing."

For Minaj, however, the gesture is as natural as breathing.

"I do that all the time," she says. "They're my family... Whenever I can, I try to spend quality time with them. They make me happy, give me life. They're my little bugs. They inspire me to work harder -- hold me up when I'm down. I wouldn't be here without them. I'm still in shock, to be honest. I'm truly grateful for my supporters. I could never have predicted any of this."

Yes, it all sounds like a cliché from some dusty Celebrity 101 handbook. But Minaj, whose Twitter ( @nickiminaj) has close to 7.5 million followers, is dead serious. After all, it's the same devoted followers who she proudly nicknamed "Barbies" that have propelled the provocative star to glorious heights. Billboard has also taken notice, naming Minaj its Rising Star of 2011. Minaj was set to receive the award at Billboard's Women in Music event on Dec. 2 in New York, joining Woman of the Year recipient Taylor Swift.

Billboard's Women in Music 2011 Hub

"I am deeply honored to be recognized by Billboard," Minaj said in a statement, which follows her triumph at the recent American Music Awards where she beat out rap alpha males Wayne, Kanye West and Jay-Z in the favorite album and favorite artist in rap/hip-hop music categories. "My nation of Barbz and I have come a mighty long way-yet we are nowhere close to where God will take us. Sit back and enjoy the ride."

So how did it all happen? How did an ambitious Trinidadian girl with a sassy attitude go from an underground also-ran to opening for Britney Spears? A glimpse back shows a serious-minded artist who was already plotting her record-breaking takeover.

"When I started rapping, people were trying to make me like the typical New York rapper, but I'm not that," Minaj told Billboard in 2010 when she became the first female MC to rack up seven concurrent entries on the Billboard Hot 100. "No disrespect to New York rappers, but I don't want people to hear me and know exactly where I'm from. I wanted the album to be universal and versatile."

Perez Hilton agrees that Minaj's striking versatility has been her biggest weapon-a skill set that has allowed her to go from making a scathing diss response to veteran nemesis Lil Kim on the merciless track "Did It on 'Em" to effortlessly anchoring the David Guetta Euro-techno dance romp "Where Them Girls At." But he goes a step further.

"She's arguably becoming the greatest female hip-hop artist of all time," Hilton says of Minaj. "When you meet a star you know it. And Nicki has that true star quality. I love Lil Kim. I love Missy Elliott. I love Queen Latifah and Salt-N-Pepa. And I love Lauryn Hill. But in terms of sheer all-around talent, creativity of flows, deliveries and powerful image, I think Nicki's untouchable."

"If you listen to Nicki's verses on Kanye West's 'Monster' and Drake's 'Make Me Proud' or her [rhyming] with Eminem on 'Roman's Revenge,' you can't really say she's not a real rapper," says Tyler "T-Minus" Williams, producer of Minaj's breakout 2010 single "Moment 4 Life," which peaked at No. 13 on the Hot 100. "She's rapping better than a lot of dudes doing it today. She touches into the R&B realm, and she goes into the pop realm as well, but she manages to serve something lyrical and maintain her ability to be a great rapper."

Angela Yee, co-host of morning show "The Breakfast Club" on R&B/hip-hop WWPR (Power 105.1) New York, believes Minaj has already added an indelible mark on both the look and sound of hip-hop. Yee points to the risk-taking MC's penchant for unleashing wacky alter egos like the demented man-with-a-mic Roman, and stern British patriarch Martha Zolanski. And then there are Minaj's fashion statements: a neon-dress decorated with stuffed animals, a metallic tutu, a skirt resembling an umbrella, an assortment of Technicolor wigs. And many more.

"The thing I like about Nicki is she's not scared to do crazy things and have people criticize her," Yee says of Minaj, who seems to get just as much enjoyment from playing up her goofy cartoon persona as she does her sexy pin-up girl attributes. "She raps and dresses so wild sometimes. But it works for her even when people are saying, 'Oh, my God, what does she have on?' That's the point of being an artist . . . taking chances."

NEXT: David Guetta's Vision for Nicki's Future