Rap superstar Nicki Minaj has revealed that she's proud to be a panelist on the new season of 'American Idol' because it's a first for someone who makes music in the hip-hop genre.

Speaking to MTV News about her exciting judging role, the 'Starships' hitmaker explained that she's setting a new "milestone" by taking part and she feels empowered to be involved:

"It's a milestone for me; it's a milestone for hip-hop; it's a milestone for young black women. Has there ever been a black woman [judging] on the show? This is a show that 20 million people watch so I feel like we should be represented on that show and I'm very proud of my decision to do it."

She also opened up about her initial reservations over joining 'American Idol', adding that she was concerned about her reputation:

"Of course I had doubts but I had to realise that my fears of doing the show came a lot from what I thought people would say," she explained. "I had to really think and [realize that] a lot of decisions I've made in my career, people thought I was f***** crazy and I made them, and I continue to make the hard decisions."