Nicki Minaj has made one incredible comeback and we couldn’t be happier. The rapper dropped two new tracks, ‘Barbie Tingz’ and ‘Chun-Li’, yesterday and it’s safe to say that the internet has gone wild.
To coincide with the release of the tracks, Nicki sat down with Zane Lowe on Beats 1 for an in-depth interview which is now available to listen to on Apple Music. During the interview, Nicki discussed her forthcoming album, taking a break from social media, her relationship with Drake, and much more.
On how she felt when she woke up on release day morning:
I was about to cancel it, yes. How did you know?! Let me just say, I was about to cancel it. You know, I was like, you know what. Oh my God, why do I do this. But yesterday, I went to sleep, like I literally slept for like 12,13 hours from yesterday, because I hadn’t slept in like, 3 days, because I was trying to finish stuff up in the studio still, and then you know, I got to do it now. I already told the world I was gonna do it, so I just gotta do it. I just didn’t know about doing the actual interview. I was fine with releasing the songs.
On why she took a break from social media:
I needed to focus. And I just didn’t know. You know, I wanted to make sure I was writing something that was meaningful to me and that would inspire and that would captivate my audience. But most importantly, I wanted to have fun again.
I wanted to go in the studio and have fun, without giving a shit. I didn’t want to see anything. You know, I wasn’t only not posting, but I also took all forms of social media off my phone, and it actually was the most genius decision I ever made for myself, as a human being, because it gave me peace and it put my focus back on what it needed to be on, which is the music.
When I was doing mixtapes, I wasn’t on Instagram. I’m not like these artists that are out now that have the luxury of you know, Instagram, you know. Twitter was just starting off. So I was like why am I including this information and taking this information into my spirit? I don’t need to see what people are saying about me. I don’t need to know what people are saying about anything, really.
On her forthcoming album:
This is the best album I’ve ever in my life ever ever ever created. I feel like you’re always working on your next album. Like as soon as the album comes out, you’re working on your next album. But I think that things that I won’t get into right now… I think that those things took my focus away from my music for a long time. And so, to be completely honest, I would say I been working on this album since December. But listen it is — this is this is very important for people to know — some songs were written a year and a half ago and that’s important to know. Because sometimes, when you hear a song, you’ll hear an artist say some certain things and you’re like, why did she say that now? It’s because that’s how I was feeling at the time when I was writing. And then if the record is dope, the record is dope. It is what it is. My fans are going to love the title of the album. It fits everything. Everything that I am right now in my life, where I am where I am in my life.
On women being more powerful than ever:
I think that well I’m definitely dominating voice in hip-hop culture and hip-hop culture is the most imitated culture in the world. And so of course, that makes me always feel a sense of responsibility to up lift women, especially. I feel like right now women are more powerful than we’ve ever been. Ever. Ever in life, ever in time. And I think my role in that is putting out music that makes women feel like they can to go from, you know, a poor neighborhood — Southside Jamaica Queens, New York — and then come to doing records with the greats and being hailed as someone that shifted the culture.
I think the reason why I don’t want to drop songs is because the album is very layered and there are things that … like, “Barbie Tingz” and “Chun-Li” — they’re like pop-shit type records. There are songs on the album that are those types of records that I feel women really need right now. I’m excited about my fans getting the full album, so that they can listen to it in the way I wanted them to hear that music.
On Adele rapping ‘Monster’ during Carpool Karaoke:
I love Adele. That’s my baby. I love her so much. I was crying, because she had the hand motions down like, the Nicki hands and when she did that, I was gone. I posted on Instagram like how much I think she killed it. She killed it. She bodied it.
On her relationship with Drake:
He’s always mad at me over something! Drake is always mad at me. He always finds a reason to not be my friend anymore. We’re like an old married couple! [We’ve fallen out] A lot. And then every time we make it back, I’m like, no you know I love you! I love you! I love you! You know, then why did you say you hate me? Like, it’s so stupid! But you know what. On a real, Drake also has given me some of the best advice of my career. He’s given me some great advice. He’s very smart and you can’t take that away from him. Even when there were things happening, even when I couldn’t speak to him, I think he felt the love that I will always have for him.
Nicki Minaj’s interview is now available on Apple Music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGYmH_FMaNI&feature=youtu.be