Nicki Minaj Says ‘Hell No’ To Another ‘Super Bass’

There was a time when Nicki Minaj was defined as much by her image as by her bars — by her many alter-egos, her outlandish costumes and hairstyles, and her tendency to break into a British accent (or, on occasion, into tongues).

But that’s all over now.

Wearing a classic black number courtesy of Alexander McQueen on Monday, the Cash Money MC told MTV News that she’s getting back to her roots — both literally and figuratively.

“I went so far to the other side that there’s only one place to go from there,” Minaj told us while promoting “The Other Woman.” “You can either continue doing costumes or you can just say, ‘Hey guess what? This will shock them even more. Doing nothing will shock them even more.'”

The first sign of her transformation came at the start of 2013. After parting ways with her longtime hairstylist Terrence Davidson — the man behind that leopard-print wig in “Fly” and her candy-colored beehive bun — Nicki covered Elle in a more natural look — her face nearly bare of makeup and her natural hair color peeking through the platinum blonde.

Fast-forward one year, and she showed up to the MTV Movie Awards in another black McQueen dress — undoubtedly a deliberate departure from this.

It’s all an effort, Nicki says, of “coming full circle,” and the transformation isn’t just a physical one — as showcased on its aggressive lead singles like and “Chi-Raq,” The Pink Print finds Nicki returning to her rap roots. In the two years since “Starships” topped the charts — and Hot 97’s Peter Rosenberg subsequently called it “wack” — something changed.