Women can sometimes be catty beings, but not R&B vixen Teairra Mari. The Detroit gal has nothing but love for her “Automatic” collaborator Nicki Minaj.

In an industry where female rappers can barely be counted on two hands, Mari had little to choose from when deciding which femcee to feature on her Jackpot Music-produced record. Yet, the songstress looked to Minaj because she was a devout fan. “I got Nicki on the song because I liked her,” she admits to staging-rapup.kinsta.cloud. “I followed her YouTube videos, so I knew what she was about. When I heard ‘Automatic,’ I thought Nicki Minaj.”

The song’s writer, Rico Love, was unaware of who the Young Money star was at the time. “He didn’t know who I was talking about,” she says. “He was like, ‘Who?’ I showed him her videos on YouTube.” Originally, Love opted for another rapper to be on the track. “At first he wanted to get Trina or Lil’ Kim,” Mari reveals. “I love Trina and I love Kim as well, but I thought we should get a fresh girl and Nicki Minaj is hot.”

While many artists later jumped on the Barbie bandwagon, Mari called on her talents before she was a hot commodity. “This was before anything was really popular,” she continues, “because she’s been releasing music.”

“Automatic” featuring Lil Wayne’s protégée will appear on Teairra Mari’s sophomore album, At That Point, slated for a June release.

–Georgette Cline