Rolling Stone sure has been digging deep into celebrity psyches these days, hasn’t it?

Tomorrow’s issue of the music mag features “Nicki Minaj: The New Queen of Hip-Hop,” an article that, from the very beginning (well, based on the online excerpt) starts trying to unravel the mystery that is Minaj’s crankiness.

Mystery, because she’s so successful right now, people can’t fathom why she might not be in the best of spirits all the time.

People used to tell me, ‘What is wrong with you? You’ll just sit there and think and get yourself depressed.’ I’ve always been a thinker. – Nicki Minaj

Throughout the article, Minaj talks about growing up with her father’s past abusive ways and his alcoholism and drug abuse, her not-so-great relationship with fellow rapper Lil’ Kim, where her ambition comes from, and the tough job of keeping a handle on who she is.

My good buddy and fellow Psych Central blogger Chato Stewart is on a mission to help the Child & Adolescent Bipolar Foundation win a $250,000 grant from The Pepsi Refresh Project.

Chato blogged about the event back in November, and even though the CABF didn’t win during that month, they finished in 5th place, making the organization eligible for voting during the month of December.

If the CABF wins this time, the organization plans to use the grant money to:

[...] launch an outreach campaign to inform parents about the symptoms of mood disorders and how to find help. The outreach will be accomplished via:

• Detailed Communication Plan
• Online ads
• Bi-weekly webinars
• Weekly podcasts
• Daily social networking
• 150,000 brochures & 3 mailings to psychiatrists

According to its Pepsi voting page, the CABF is currently ranked #1. BUT, it’s just December 6 – there’s a lot of month left!

Has dealing with the mental illness of a family member or other loved one helped you in later life situations?

According to Gary Dell’Abate – or Baba Booey, as his boss, Howard Stern, likes to call him – that’s exactly what prepared him for success.

In his new memoir, They Call Me Baba Booey, Gary (or Baba?) pens “the story of his upbringing and how his mother suffering from mental illness prepared him for his future success” (PopEater.com).

And, according to PopEater’s Rob Shuter, the fact that Booey chose to write a book about his own life rather than the tell-all about Howard Stern that book publishers wanted him to write is “a blessing for us all.”

Huh. Sounds like it might be worth checking out.

Last May, I had nothing but praise for “Not Afraid,” the first single off Eminem’s Recovery album, and even though I wasn’t surprised Recovery won Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album at the 2010 American Music Awards, I admit I was thrilled.

It really seems like Mr. Marshall Mathers is getting his act together – mentally and professionally (I think the jump from Relapse to Recovery is just one indicator of that) – and I’m really happy about it.

If you’re an Eminem fan, or for whatever other reason have been keeping up with his climb back to the top, you might want to check out the November 25, 2010 issue of Rolling Stone, which features a fairly candid interview that has the 2010 AMA Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist (yeah, he won that, too) talking about everything from his battle with prescription drugs to his struggles with trust issues.

Want a teaser to hold you over until you can get to the magazine rack? Check out the online excerpt.