Yes, you read that headline correctly. No, it's not an April Fools' Day joke.

The New York Times profiled Nicki Minaj today in a lengthy article full of glowing, ego-boosting descriptions of what the paper calls "the most influential female rapper of all time," despite the fact she's spent less than two years in the public eye.

What's the Times' reason for propping Minaj up so highly? Who knows. But let's take a look at some choice words used to describe Minaj in the profile:

-- "She’s a sparkling rapper with a gift for comic accents and unexpected turns of phrase.

-- "She’s a rapid evolver, discarding old modes as easily as adopting new ones."

-- "(Savvy Nicki would never be the one to throw up a middle finger.)"

-- "When rapping on the songs of others, she’s often the most capable M.C. around."

-- "On her own material she’s often straddling a line between hip-hop and pop that no other rapper is capable of, or would even dare."

And that's just the first two--of 18--paragraphs! Click here to read the rest of the fluff piece, if you're so inclined.