In case you haven’t heard, Nicki Minaj is now a judge on American Idol. During the NYC auditions on Sunday, she spoke to MTV about joining reality television’s Supreme Court. Yours truly (along withKaren Civil) also discussed what her move means to hip-hop.

Miller doesn’t expect to see rap opening singing competitions’ flood gates all of a sudden. However, he believes that artists like Nicki have already achieved a fair amount of pop success, and that’s why she is attractive to “Idol.” Not only does Minaj rap, but she sings, dances, sells cosmetics and has even done voiceover work in “Ice Age 4;” her crossover success makes her a clear representative to the mainstream audience.

“I don’t think Nas would ever get $8 million for judging someone in a hip-hop competition, you have to be a pop star to acquire that kind of money,” he said. “If you’re not in a pop lane, you’re never going to ever get this kind of exposure or these kind of crossover looks.” [RapRadar]