On this week's (September 6) episode of the Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century podcast, we take a look at two rap experts: mixtape phenomenon turned Queen of Rap Nicki Minaj and polarizing superstar, who became the reliable veteran hitmaker Eminem.

First, moderator Andrew Unterberger joins us billboard Hip-hop writer Michael Saponara and branded producer and social manager (and #1 Barb on the team) Meghan Mahar talk about how Nicki Minaj has paved her own path in hip-hop and pop music over the last 15+ years . We illustrate how inhospitable the mainstream was to female rappers in the late 2000s, and explain how Nicki still managed to become ubiquitous in the Top 40 of that era – both as a featured performer on her own records and as a guest, the the scene steals from countless other artists – and how their legacy was confirmed in the early 2020s by a few chart milestones and a growing tide of younger rappers and pop stars who cited them as a formative influence.

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Then, fresh from her latest episode of Billboard unfilteredAssistant Editorial Director Damien Scott and Assistant R&B/Hip-Hop Director Carl Lamarre stop by (at 49:30) to reflect on the unforgettable career of Nicki's Roman's Revenge collaborator Eminem. We remember how immediate Em's earth-shattering impact was felt upon his debut at the turn of the century, and how his incredibly packed 2002 remains one of the best years of our lives experienced by an artist of any genre – and one that… quickly proved impossible for him to actually continue. We then cover the rockier rest of the decade ahead for Eminem and how he cemented his reputation in rap and pop at the turn of the 2010s and successfully transitioned into the veteran hitmaker status he still holds to this day.

Listen to our latest episodes below, catch up on our past episodes here, and be sure to subscribe billboardis the series “The Biggest Pop Stars of the 21st Century” wherever you get your podcasts! (New episodes are revealed every Friday following the release of our new Greatest Pop Star rankings for that week.)

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