“I knew my worth from very early on. Some may call it attitude, some might call it genius” - Nicki Minaj.

For autumn/winter, Nicki Minaj returns to the cover of Dazed to discuss her feverishly anticipated return, her ten-year reign as rap royalty, and how her outspokenness has forged a better future for female emcees. For artists like Minaj, confronting past selves is a brave thing to do – but she has always challenged herself in her quest to break new ground. One of pop’s most consistently polarizing figures, Minaj fronts an issue of agenda-setters who refuse to apologise for their art.

Our limited edition cover star, the Burberry-repping Adwoa Aboah, is a similar kind of star, whose unmistakable presence stands to inspire. Then there’s Wolfgang Tillmans, whose decades-long sabbatical from music-making was interrupted when techno troublemaker Powell entered the fray. Shooting the London-based musician in the city, the legendary photographer discusses invading the senses with his new audio-visual project.

Elsewhere, Charlotte Gainsbourg looks back on four decades of fearlessness across music and film while previewing Rest, her rawest album to date; hip-hop wunderkind Noname ponders her newfound optimism; image-making icon Torbjørn Rødland offers a rare glimpse of his earliest work and notorious director siblings Josh and Bennie Safdie share behind the lens insight into their claustrophobic new crime thriller, Good Time. 

Nicki Minaj photographed by Steven Klein, styled by Robbie Spencer

Adwoa Aboah photographed by Angelo Pennetta, styled by Robbie Spencer