11 Revealing Quotes From Nicki Minaj’s Hot 97 Interview
After ditching her Summer Jam performance last year, Nicki Minaj’s relationship with New York radio station Hot 97 seemed damaged. But now the Barb is back to make amends. During a sitdown with Ebro and Peter Rosenberg (who took the infamous jab at “Starships” that made Nicki cancel her appearance), Nicki apologized for reneging on her performance and also talked about getting back to rapping and why she dabbled in pop. Check out the best quotes.
On why she should’ve performed at Summer Jam
“In hindsight, I should’ve just come and... I should’ve just did the show because I’ve never allowed anyone to—no matter what I’ve gone through personally or professionally I’ve never allowed that to make me let my fans down. And even if it wasn’t a Nicki Minaj fan, just a fan in general. Somebody that was there and paid to see the show... I apologize for not coming out and doing the show.”
On Peter Rosenberg’s background
“I get it. That’s what you do. I guess to me I just don’t know your résumé. So I never found you funny. I never found you entertaining. I never found you smart. I just found you annoying... To me, you don’t have enough of a résumé to make those comments.”
On the success of "Starships"
"I don’t give a rat’s ass if people don’t like ‘Starships.’ ‘Starships sold 7 million copies worldwide. That means 7 million motherfuckas love 'Starships.'”
On doing pop music
“I am not your typical rapper. I am not your typical person. I just did the biggest TV show in America for God’s sake... But I appreciate the fact that you see me as an MC because that’s what I do and that’s who I am. People try not to give me my credit. But I really do this, so I understand when I step out and do a pop song, it’s like, ‘Damn, Nick, really?’ A lot of people are really disappointed and I totally get it... But I wanted to experiment.”
On trying out different sounds
“I never put a limit on myself. And I don’t like when—especially Black women—put a limit on what they can do. You should be able to try whatever the hell you want to try as long as you’re keeping your integrity.”
NEXT PAGE: Nicki Minaj Talks About Getting Back To Rapping, Other Rap Chicks
On what her next album will sound like
“I’m choosing to get back to my essence and just feed the core hip-hop fan. I feel like I need this because it’s a more powerful platform for me. Even when I’m on stage performing my rap songs, it’s more organic. It’s more authentic... I really grew up here. This was all I knew... But I still grew up loving Cyndi Lauper and Madonna.”On her next album
"For the third album, I've been doing a lot of rap features. And I've just been getting back to that place where I was when I dropped my first album, which is kill, kill, kill, kill everything."On how she studied rapping
"Rapping makes me always stay on my grind. 'Cause I'm very competitive when it comes to wordplay, my writing, my flow... I kind of feel like a lot of girls come in the game and feel like, I'ma just put some words together and make 'em rhyme. And I studied for so many years how to make my flow sound to the point where it feels like you're watching art. I don't like to just get on and say a regular thing. That's why I started doing all those crazy voices."On her varying interests
"My favorite actress is Meryl Streep. That should tell you something. I don't limit what I like. But I agree that Nicki Minaj should focus on rap. But I would not have done it differently."On mistakes she made with her second album
"There is one regret. When I was working on my second album, I took on so much. I had to rehearse with Madonna for the Super Bowl. I did the NBA All-Star thing and I did the Grammys. It was too much for me to focus on writing my album... I spread myself way too thin. For this third album, once this movie is shot, the kid is going back home and I'm going to my dungeon."On being labeled a diva
"I handle my business, and also I speak up for myself. But if I was not like this, so many people would've taken advantage of me... People try to make such a big deal when a woman stands up for herself."
