In 2008, Minaj released her mixtape, Sucka Free. She appeared in the July issue of XXL magazine, giving a brief overview of her life up to that point in time. Later that year, Minaj won Female Artist of the Year at the Underground Music Awards.[6]
Nicki Minaj released Beam Me Up Scotty, another mixtape, in 2009. It received generally positive coverage on both BET and MTV.[7][8] Minaj also featured on Jeffree Star's 2009 album Beauty Killer on the track "Lollipop Luxury".