By: Taren Vaughan
Even though her gig on American Idol hasn’t been the most pleasant one, Nicki Minaj has accomplished things in her career thus far that no other female rapper has done before. From making history on the Billboard charts to landing lucrative cosmetic deals, the list keeps growing for the Young Money rap star as she gained a sizable fan base who were drawn in by the Barbie image that she had going on. Gone are the days of the Head Barb though as Nicki has seemingly ditched the outrageous outfits and colorful wigs for a more chic look that most aren’t used to seeing from her. As she may not be fully going back to her ‘Come Up’ days, Nicki Minaj is on a mission to get people to take her more seriously as an entertainer. And as Nicki Minaj is known for putting her feelings right out there on the table, no filter, in a recent ‘MTV First’ interview that she did, Nicki says being the “lyrical ill b*tch” that she is, she doesn’t get the props that she feels she is due.
Mack Maine’s comments about Nicki being “perfect” and “a brand artist” were brought up in the interview and Nicki was asked if she feels pressure knowing that people put her on that level. And she says she did feel overwhelmed at times thinking about all that was accepted out of her from people and made a bold statement about her rhyming skills too:
“I think I had more pressure doing my second album you know, because I had just sold 2.5 million records worldwide, after eight years, a female rapper having a number one on Billboard. So I had all these things in my head like ‘Can I live up to this?…I felt so bombarded with everything people were expecting. But this time, I care less about the acceptance and more about me being the lyrical ill b*tch that I am. Knowing that I am lyrically better than most of the male rappers out there, yes, I’m gonna say it. I don’t get the credit that I deserve. Like ‘Up in Flames,’ if a dude was on a that song with me, everyone would’ve talked about it and they would [argue] ‘Who had the best verse?’ blah, blah, blah. When I put a song out by myself, people are like men because men run the Hip-Hop game. Let’s be honest, they’re the program directors, they wanna be able to rap stuff and they’re not gonna recite a female [verse], they just feel funny and it is what it is.”
Even though she says that men have the most pull in the world of rap, Nicki says she puts thought into her lyrics and feels that people tend to ignore that:
“But when I look at my verses and the wordplay and the metaphors and all that stuff, outside of a hot new artist or a buzz or a hot new song, I’ve put in my work lyrically, and people act like it doesn’t exist.”
And Nicki says that she used to let that upset her but now it only makes her work that much harder:
“Before, I used to get upset about it but now it drives me. I’m gonna keep on playing, keep on having fun and keep on giving my fans what they expect from me, which is greatness. I’m not going to allow that to deter me. I’m super duper excited to get back into the studio.”
Check out Nicki Minaj’s interview below:
Nicki please. You’re average at best.
LOL!!!!!
*grabs popcorn*
Well it’s kinda hard to take her seriously when she been around here acting like all these damn characters. She just recently start dressing like she got sense. But Nicki needs to realize she has to pay dues in order to get respect. She got successful very quick but she still has to pay dues. Everybody ain’t gon bow down for a rookie in the game.
Again, you’re right on point. Agreed.
Well when we think of most of the male rappers out, she might be right. Only a few of them are good.
Not a fan, but when you consider that people like 2 Chainz and Future, yeah, I agree.
Ma’am. I actually think she’s as average as the rest of them. The rap industry is pathetic these days.
Some of you are hating. Y’all know she had the best track on that Monster joint. Easy!
I have to agree with you boo. She bodied that whole song. I was impressed.
Aaah nicki is da best
Nicki can actually rap when she wants to. So I won’t drag her for these comments. LOL.
She’s ok. Not the best. But is she better than a lot of male rappers out? Absolutely. Most of them are trash. You don’t have to be a Nicki fan to admit that she’s not lying here.
In a crappy industry, I would have to agree with her. She does outshine most of the other rappers on the track. But she didn’t outshine Eminem on that one song she did on her Pink Friday album, whichever one that was (she’s had so many Pink Friday albums).
She told the truth. She’s not a terrible rapper. She’s pretty good but won’t get props because she’s a woman and decided to become a CLOWN for crossover appeal.
When I think of the current rap game, I have to admit, she’s not lying. These newer rappers are terrible.
Yall need to stop sleeping on Nicki. She’s also more witty and lyrical than your fave Lil Kim too. #YeahISaidIt
Well, they do teach us to believe in ourselves as children…
Hilarious. Delusional much?
*side eye*
Lyrical would put her in the same league as Kendrick Lamar, Nas, and Andre 3000. She’s all flash, like Lil Wayne. They are punchline rappers. They couldn’t rap an entire song backwards like Nas. So…FALSE.
And by they, I mean Nicki and Weezy. All they do is rap punchlines. That’s not being lyrical.
I think Nicki would get respected more if she was more humble. She needs to more like Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, Salt n’ Peppa. These ladies got respect because they were humble.
@Heather B. Thank you. She’s corny n alot of the crap she says doesn’t make sense
She was jumping on alot of tracks that were already hot. No comment about the rappers out now. I prefer Lyte,The Queen etc. Their s#@t had true meaning (not to mention you knew what the hell they were talking about).
Someone is very delusional…What up with this new artists so cocky and arrogant, just cuz they get a little sucess and a bit of money, they imediately think they’re the king or queen of the world…they’re lucky that they came out when the internet is the leader of information, cuz if they would have come 15yrs ago they wouldn’t last a minute….SMH
Even with the current state of the rap game, her overall content is not better than “most” male rappers. You can’t name two rappers and say she’s justified in her comments. I’m glad she has faith in herself and I hope her true talent comes to fruition. However, based on what’s been presented this far?! Babygirl is quite delusional. Just because the rap game is subpar doesn’t make her the best lol. She’s part of the reason it is what it is. She either needs to embrace the image she’s presented OR put out lyrical albums to support what she says in interviews.