The `Check It Out` singer insists she has always aimed to be the equal of men, and would hate to be viewed as the "sidekick" of someone else.

She said: "I always wanted to play with the boys. 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.

"I`m fighting for the girls who never thought they could win."

The 26-year-old Trinidad-born beauty also admitted she would rather be thought of as funny than sexy.

Speaking about her duet with Ludacris on `My Chick Bad`, she said: "I chose to do punch lines and be comical, to show how bad I am lyrically, as opposed to how sexy I think I am."

Nicki - who moved to New York when she was five years old - also spoke of her outrageous sense of style, admitting she is drawn to "insane" accessories.

She told America`s Elle magazine: I lived and shopped in Jamaica, Queens.

"I tend to like booties and really flashy shoes: totally studded out, in five colours with an insane platform."
sections: Celebrities