Up and coming rap superstar Nicki Minaj (like it or not) gave a pretty revealing interview recently, where she talks about being an openly bisexual rapper, how she feels about being a role model to teenage girls and how she goes through about 15 markers per night from signing all those boobies. She also touched a bit on her eccentric image and rapping styles, and explained how her alcoholic, drug addicted, abusive father inspired her to become who she is today.
Q: What can women get away with in hip-hop that men can’t?
A: I have a lot of freedom to be crazy. I can rap in a London accent, make weird faces, wear spandex, wigs, and black lipstick. I can be more creative than the average male rapper. And I can show my boobs. Guys can’t do that.Q: You sign your fans’ breasts at shows. Do their boyfriends get jealous?
A: If anything, boys are telling me to sign their girls’ boobs. I’ve gone through 15 markers in a single night—because the girls are usually sweating, and a marker will stop writing if the girls are wet.Q: As an openly bisexual rapper, do you think hip-hop is getting more gay-friendly?
A: I think the world is getting more gay-friendly, so hip-hop is too. But it’s harder to imagine an openly gay male rapper being embraced. People view gay men as having no street credibility. But I think we’ll see one in my lifetime.
Q: Your father set fire to your home when you were a kid in Queens, New York. What happened?
A: He drank a lot and did drugs, and he would get violent when he did. When he set fire to the house, he was attempting to kill my mother. She got out before it burned all the way down. I’ve always had this female-empowerment thing in the back of my mind—because I wanted my mother to be stronger, and she couldn’t be. I thought, “If I’m successful, I can change her life.”Q: As younger and younger fans come to your shows, do you feel pressure to tone down the racier elements of your persona?
A: I do. I’m a role model now. I didn’t know I was gonna have 13-year-old fans, so I’ve tried to change a few things here and there. But I also know that the girls don’t want me to be Miley Cyrus, either.
