(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Nicki Minaj used Lil Wayne as inspiration to make it big.

As soon as the Trinidadian female rapper watched the American hip-hop artist perform in the recording studio, she prayed to God to ask for his level of effort at work.

The 26-year-old - who is currently enjoying international success with her debut album Pink Friday - insists that to be successful you must ask for what you want.

"I was like, 'You know what? This one is doing their thing; this one is doing that; why can't I do it?'" she told MTV News. "But see, I looked at people like [Lil] Wayne. I would go to the studio, and I would observe Wayne, and I would literally pray. I would say, 'God, give me his work ethic.' You have to ask for what you want. You have to identify what it is you need to get where you need to go and then speak that. You have to say it."

Nicki has just finished shooting a promo for Moment 4 Life with Drake, a fellow artist signed to the Young Money Entertainment music label.

She believes a strong work ethic should take over jealousy as a motivation to become successful. "If that's what you want is a great work ethic, then you have to program that into your life," she said. "But looking at somebody with a great work ethic and hating them is not going to help you." (C) Cover Media