Queens hip-hop megastar and Young Money leading femcee Nicki Minaj has reigned supreme over the rap game for about eight years now — and counting.
But, even with as much fame, success, wealth and credit as she’s raked up over that time, Ms. Minaj has her rainy days, as she described in her latest feature with the New York Times.
The Barbz Army went berserk when photos from the new interview dominated social media on Monday (October 16). With it, however, came some gems that she dropped in her conversation with journalist Roxane Gay, namely about her evolution as an influential, top-tier female emcee.
Nicki said that her confidence stemmed from her “wholehearted” belief in herself as an artist, a belief that, admittedly, took some time for her to get to.
“Sometimes I wake up and say, ‘I don’t know if I can do this anymore,’ you know?,’” Nicki said to Gay. “I’ve had those times. I’ve had those years where I’m just like, ‘Am I good enough?’”
Nicki added that, as a Black female rapper, she’s especially had obstacles thrown at her and her just due stripped from her at times when lined up against her male counterparts. Sure, Nicki had the Lil Wayne and Young Money cosign in her post-mixtape career all while making hits beside other big names like Gucci Mane and Yo Gotti. Even still, she believes the credit for the impact and career success she’s nabbed on her own rightfully belongs to her.
“No matter how many times I get on a track with everyone’s favorite M.C. and hold my own, the culture never seems to want to give me my props as an M.C., as a lyricist, as a writer,” she said. “I got to prove myself a hundred times, whereas the guys that came in around the same time as I did, they were given the titles so much quicker without anybody second-guessing.”
Well, we haven’t spotted a lie in that statement.
Read all of her sentiments in the full interview here and see some of her Sade-inspired looks from the feature below.
