Jada Pinkett Smith interviews Nicki Minaj.
Nicki Minaj is the latest cover star for Interview Magazine’s new issue, and she sat down for an interview with Jada Pinkett Smith. In the long interview, Minaj talks about the success of her latest single “Super Freaky Girl“, current female rapper, the current state of hip-hop, motherhood and more.
“I still felt true to myself on “Super Freaky Girl.” As opposed to, a lot of people were sending me songs, Jada, a lot of female rappers, especially, and I didn’t want to be mean, but every other word was “pu**y” and “f**king” and da da da, and I wasn’t there. I don’t think I can ever fully be there,” she said.
Continuing the conversation, Nicki stated why she feels some of her peers don’t “truly grasp” who she is. This led to references to Gunna and Drake, with Nicki emphasizing her choice to deny a collaboration with the former while simultaneously advocating for his release in the wake of the YSL incident.
She continued, “But also, I don’t think the new female rappers really understand who I am. A lot of the girls that came before me, they really were those se*ual beings, and I was so inspired by them. But I’m not like that, I’m more the goofy girl. Even some of the new male rappers—I turned down a Gunna song because it was just moaning and groaning on the track, but Drake ended up doing it and it worked great for them. And free Gunna by the way, I have to make sure I say that. But it’s just like, I told her I’m not there. I said, “Look, sweetheart, I’ve put this song on 50 times to try to write to it. I can’t. I’m just not in that moment right now.” Not saying that I’m not a freak with my husband, you understand?”
#InterviewMagazine
Fall Cover.
Interviewed by
Jada Pinkett Smith ✨ pic.twitter.com/2uoMmuFTXn— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) October 18, 2022
“Where do you feel like the state of hip-hop is right now, as a whole, but specifically for women?,” asks Jada.
“I wish there was some more singing,” responds Nicki. “I remember listening to Monica’s first album, for instance, and I couldn’t put it down. Or, of course, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Now, what happened was that we introduced this guy who was a really great rapper, but he has great melodies, and his name is Drake. And then the industry has changed so much in that, “Well, if I could be a rapper and I could get the same reaction that the R&B singers used to get from the girls, then I don’t even have to know how to sing. I could have the best of both worlds.” The biggest male rappers now are giving the best melodies. I always say Lil Baby, for instance, his melodies are freaking dope. He’s not a singer, but he’s got catchy hooks and melodies out the wazoo, and it’s like, “Oh my god, I see the switch.” I remember when [Lil] Wayne had started singing, whether it was in his rock era or after. Some people liked it and some people didn’t, but he was singing and using autotune. So I think over time, because the quote-unquote “rapper” or the “hood” person has always been more appealing to us, and when I say to us,I mean to us. Now it’s like, that’s who everybody wants to be. So now, the singers went out of style. But I wish the singers were back in style. Right now when I go to listen to music and I just want to be in my little somber place, even that used to inspire me as a writer of raps, which is crazy.”
“What I’m seeing now is that so many new artists are trying to become the person they looked up to instead of giving us a new flavor! And it’s irking the crap out of me! I know I could see so much talent in some of the new artists, females, males, whatever. But they lose me when I’m seeing the person who they are trying to be like or sound like more than I’m seeing who they are.”
“And so if I’m hearing too much of that artist who already has hits out, when I’m finished listening to your song or watching your performance, I’m going to go and play that artist. I’m not going to go and look more into you, because you’ve just reminded me so much of the other person. Now you just woke up all the other hits that they had in my head, and it’s later for you.”
“When I started falling in love with rap, I felt like everybody was their own unique thing. Whether it was the Jay-Zs and the DMXs or the Wu-Tang Clans or the Nases or the Pacs or the Biggies. Even the female rappers, whether it was Eve, MC Lyte, who I’ve always loved, even Left Eye’s voice was so unique, to Salt-N-Pepa. [Lil] Kim and Foxy [Brown] never even sounded alike to me. Everyone had their own thing.”
The reception to the mentioned “Super Freaky Girl” push has led to speculation that Minaj’s next record will be released before the end of the year. Nevertheless, no launch date has been revealed to the public.
Check out the full interview here.
Interviewed by my idol- Jada Pinkett Smith; for the Fall Cover of #InterviewMagazine pic.twitter.com/kxNZILk9Ci
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) October 18, 2022
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