Watch a newly leaked Nicki Minaj video from before she was famous

Heavily produced and mega-famous hip-hop superstars who perform with dozens of back-up dancers, smoke plumes, and multiple wig-changes per show can sometimes seem inauthentic — like perhaps they didn't work their ways up the ladder, but rather sprang fully formed from St. Kanye's Academy for Young Ladies with Game (school motto: "Conquering Shyness, Believing in Flyness — Since 1893").

Maybe that's why the internet is so excited about this old video of Nicki, before she had so much mun-mun-muny. The previously unreleased video, which popped up on th' internet today, is called "Dirty Money," is from around 2007, and features no pink wigs, no growly-voiced monster personas, and no motorcycles made out of ice — just a young-looking Nicki walking around the streets of Queens.

Far better than the actual song, though, is the latter half, when she candidly talks into the camera, free-styles, and then asks everyone to "hit her up on MySpace." It's a nice glimpse into the evolution of her talent, and a testament to the fact that said evolution absolutely happened. And it kind of makes me miss old Nicki, even though I didn't know she existed a few hours ago.