There she is: Nicki Minaj in a new promotional photo that she’s calling “Samurai Nicki.” It’s a great, creative shot. Now if there is a music industry God, or an assistant that handles this aspect of keeping people entertained, it’s part of a campaign for Nicki Minaj’s debut album Pink Friday, tentatively set for release on November 23. Yeah, the album is coming. Unbelievably, Nicki Minaj recently told Honey magazine she really wanted to release Pink Friday next year, but felt pressured to do so by Cash Money ie. Baby.

Her fear? “I don’t feel like people really know me yet.”

Really? How many guest spots/verses on random songs is it going to take? Nicki Minaj is beyond due to release this album. If she waits and longer, she risks cooling off and people (the Barbie army) getting tired of her, before she has a chance to list the first official entry in her discography. Learn Jay-Z’‘s blueprint for a 10+ album career: Don’t waste lyrics. If the history books were shut right now, musically, Nicki Minaj would be known for one great mixtape and some appearances.

Anyway, with Lil Wayne bouncing off Rikers Island in November, he’ll likely want to get on a track or two. That’d be a triumphant move and would surely boost sales. So there is a chance her album will get pushed back and Nicki gets her wish for that 2011 release date. Or maybe, you will still get lucky and instead of Friday, you get a Barbie for Christmas! Hmm, grab the camera, I see another photoshoot

One of the benefits of being married to an R&B/pop star is the new found access to the family photo stash. Swizz Beatz got his hands on a picture of Alica Keys when she was seventeen years old, looking ready for the high school prom/school photo album, and posted it as his Twitter background, for all to see.

Well, do you?

This morning, Wyclef Jean sat down with The Wall Street Journal to talk about his decision to run for president of Haiti. He said he has a strong possibility of accomplishing his goal due to the support he has from the Haitian youth. Surprisingly, the most criticism I’ve heard has come from Haitains that live here and on the celebrity side, Sean Penn and Pras. In the interview, Wyclef addressed both of them.

Sean Penn

“I go into Haiti when it’s the roughest times. Meaning when Jean-Bertrand Aristide was ousted from Haiti, I went in to deal with the gang situation and calmed the kids down in the slums.. The area that Sean Penn occupies is a golf club turned into a camp center. So the reason why Sean Penn has not seen me is because I work in heavy populated slum areas, where it’s not safe for NGOs to go into.. So it’s like somebody living in Brooklyn on Ave. J, saying, “I’m on Ave. J all the time, I don’t see Wyclef.” That’s because Brooklyn is a very big place. Haiti has over 9 million people. I’m sure enough people in Haiti have seen me to know that I’ve been in Haiti.”

Pras

“I’m not surprised at all. Coming from a group called the Fugees. The idea of the transformation, of naturally what I’m feeling as a man, and not having conversed with him in dialogue in the past ten years, in conversation, for more than 30 seconds, he’s entitled to that opinion. I heard he was questioning my policy toward education.. My policies on education on education are as follows. You have a population that can’t read and can’t write and bascically everyone has to pay for their school. In Kenya and Morocco, and parts of Latin America, they make the donors cover the schooling for the kids. So how do we provide free education and move them into the 21st century?”

He also touched on the troubles with Yele and stopping corruption in the Haitain government.

Tell em Why You’re Running, Clef

“If I sit back and then this generation and I’m 40 years old and I look 15 years from now and I’m 55 and I say well there was a time January 12, the quake hit, the international community had their eye on Haiti and I didn’t do anything. It would defeat the whole purpose of why I was created and carry this flag.”

It’s official, on Saturday, Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz exchanged wedding vows on the coast of Southern Italy. The picture up top says it all: it was pretty much the ending of any romance movie. Swizz Beatz (via Twitter) summed up the moment with one word: “Wowwwwwwwwww.”

Miss Info has all the particulars..

“The couple brought together an intimate gathering of family and friends and celebrated their new marriage and their baby on the way, aboard a 260-foot yacht on the Mediterranean Sea, near Sardinia’s uber-exclusive Costa Smeralda enclave* (think St.Tropez-swag on 100-thousand-trillion, lol). The wedding ceremony was held on land at a beautiful estate in Corsica, while the boat partying was part of the celebration. Because Swizz and AK aren’t Italian citizens, they got officially hitched in the Tri-State area before leaving for Europe.”

Swizz’ best man was actually his son, Prince Nasir Dean.

And Alicia was walked by her mom.

Want more? See..

It’s Official! Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys celebrate their marriage in Sardinia!

Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys’ Wedding in Italy”

From this point on feel free to mix and match nicknames as you see fit: Swizz Keys.. Alicia Beatz. It all works.

This afternoon, Kanye West showed up at Facebook’s headquarters, in Palo Alto, California, and took a few minutes to give the people who keep your friends, and the friends of your friends, friends, connected, acappella verses from songs off his new album, Good Ass Job.

Let’s assume Kanye’s suit is part of the look he’s going for this time around: good ass suit, good ass job, not confirmed, but it makes sense. He performed four songs: “Mama’s Boyfriend,” “Lost in the World,” “Chain Heavy,” and Sweat on My Face.”

Here’s “Mama’s Boyfriend”

A whole lot of people will relate to that..

Then let’s go,  “My chain heavy, my chain too heavy, my chain heavy ...  ” Nope, he’s not talking about jewelry.

Give it a minute, Kanye doesn’t really flow until the 2 minute mark.

Good Ass Job is going to be massive.

Thank, Miss Info, bautista 3000 and MRU2010 for the clips, recorded in Cafe 6.

This February, Christina Milian gave birth to her daughter, Violet. She was recently spotted in a park working off the weight she gained during the pregnancy. I should say worked it off - past tense. Clearly, there isn’t an ounce that isn’t in the right places. Makes you wonder what The-Dream was thinking when he divorced her.

Oh yeah, it’s back to that story. Last week, Christina Milian filed papers in a Georgia court asking that a judge throw out their divorce papers.

In a reverse spin of The-Dream’s claim that their marriage quietly ended just six months after the ceremony, Christina Milian says their bond wasn’t irretrievably broken. Actually, the recent discovery of The-Dream’s relationship with another woman revealed that he was having an affair - that’s what deaded the marriage.

I hear that and think, cha-ching, ‘someone wants a couple of checks.’ Could be. You know what? Within reason, I don’t blame her. In the papers filed with the court, Christina Milian says that she waived any alimony rights. However, she wasn’t in the right frame of mind to make the decision, because it was nine days before she gave birth.

Think about that. The-Dream handing a pen and divorce papers to Christina, while she’s sitting there with a bulging belly, on the verge of popping out their kid. Even if their problems were sparked by Christina going Keke Wyatt on him, you would think he could wait until - at minimum - her water had broken. That’s a dirt bag move.

And again I ask, what was The-Dream thinking when he divorced her?

Maybe, during the course of a day, Christina Milian is a complete pain the ass - extra annoying. I think it’s simpler than that: The-Dream is going Stevie, you know, blind.

Evidence has revealed there is nothing that couldn’t have been worked out between them.

I give you..

Exhibit A

B

and.. see!