By: Amanda Anderson-Niles
Nicki Minaj isn’t one to hold her tongue and ever since she confirmed she would be leaving her stint as a judge on “American Idol” after feuding with Mariah Carey for the majority of the season, she’s made it pretty clear she still doesn’t have any regrets for agreeing to do the show. Those close to Nicki claim that although she doesn’t resent sitting on the panel, the experience has inspired her to change her image a little bit in an attempt to persuade people to take her more seriously. So Nicki has abandoned the neon pink wigs and toned down her fashion choices as of late. In a recent interview with Marie Claire, she confirms “American Idol” was the one experience that gave her the opportunity to show the public who she really is.
The female rapper covers the August issue and here are the highlights of the interview.
On her special language with fans whom she affectionately refers to as “barbs”:
“I’m very aware that millions of people on Twitter have no idea what we’re talking about. That’s because we kind of have our own language. I used to think it was just a Queens language or a New York language or an East Coast language, but now it’s a Barb Nation language. I have South African Barbz, Japanese, German, Saudi Arabian. You can be a Barb wherever you live.”
On her time as a judge on “American Idol”:
“The perception that people had of me completely changed because there are no cue cards, there’s no script, it wasn’t be performing a song. It was, ‘Let’s see your real personality.’ My core is a genuine human being who roots for other people. I didn’t want to blow smoke up their a*s. I wanted every contestant to leave with something that they could remember.”
Regarding her recent “epiphany” as an artist:
“I was on a world tour, a big feat for a female rapper. For the first time, I allowed myself to feel proud of where music had gotten me, and I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude. You feel the need to pay it forward, which starts with analyzing yourself with a true desire to grow. I was praying every day, ‘You know what, Lord? I want to be a mom one day, and I want to start becoming the woman who I want to parent my child.’ I wanted all of the feelings of entitlement to leave me, because some people have this life for a year or five or 10 – and a lot of them lose it. I didn’t want to become a person who wasn’t enjoying the moment.”
And when it comes to dealing with men, Nicki gives some pretty interesting advice:
“Don’t chase any man. Put your school first. Men love independent women. You don’t have to be a b*tch, but there’s nothing wrong with it at times. And: Men are kids at heart. They want to be nourished and pet like a dog.”
Check out the cover and a photo from the spread below:
The August issue hits newsstands July 16.
Nicki might act like a character and made me scratch my head sometimes but I have always felt that Nicki was a smart woman and this article proves it. And this cover is the prettiest I have ever seen her. Kudos Nicki
Thus us why I love her! She’s such a boss!
*This! Ugh!
She looks very pretty with the toned down look.
Great advice. I hope her young fans who are young girls pay attention to what she said about men. My mom drilled that into my head when I was young and that’s why I went off to college. Independence is great for women.
I actually like what she said in this interview. Did Hell freeze over?
I like what she said in the last part. And that’s all I’ll say because I’m still not a fan.
LOL at men are like pet dogs…hilarity
So is she not going to tell her fans not to support a grown man with that “independence” she’s talking about. Because that’s what she does…when will SB get his own damn money?
SB was there for Nicki when she was broke and trying to get on. Yeah, she makes all the money now but she’s loyal and is smart enough to understand you don’t dump someone who loved you when you were broke to be with someone who only came into the picture when the struggle was over. And he helps her record her albums, come up with material, and he’s her hype man too. They are a team.
She looks so much better without the clown getup she used to rock all the time.
I’m starting to have respect for Nicki. Shocking.
Nikki looks beautiful.