Music
Nicki Minaj Talks About Motherhood, New Album & Personal Growth as She Covers Vogue
Nicki Minaj, the iconic rapper, and artist, has made a stunning appearance on the cover of Vogue’s latest issue. In her interview with the fashion magazine, Nicki talks about various aspects of her life, from motherhood to her music career and personal growth.
For the cover image photographed by Norman Jean, the 40-year-old rapper wore a cream-hued satin dress with a ruched accent on one hip and a draped neckline.
In the interview, she opens up about her experience with motherhood, which began during the isolating days of the COVID-19 pandemic. She discusses the challenges and joys of being a new mother, revealing how her son, whom she affectionately calls “Papa Bear,” has brought happiness into her life. She also reflects on her initial belief that having a family might lead her to lose her desire to make music, only to discover that her passion for music remained strong even as she embraced motherhood.
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“I think that deep down inside, I believed that once I had a family, I would just lose the desire to make music,” Nicki shares. “I would always tell people, ‘Watch, when I have a child I’m going to cook every meal for him and bake cookies every day.’ Maybe subconsciously I hoped my focus would just be on being a mother, and I looked forward to that idea. It felt like a relief. But what happens is that you find out you have to work.”
I’m not going to lie, things got testy between us. Because of our history, I think we knew we’d get past it. But there’s no such thing as confidence in parenthood. I kind of wish that someone had told me—although I’m sure I wouldn’t have been able to understand it—that there’s a level of anxiety, and you think it’s going to go away, but in fact it gets scarier. So often you think: I don’t know how to do this!
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Nicki Minaj’s new album, “Pink Friday 2,” is a sequel to her debut album and will be released on December 8. It’s her first album in five years and her mix engineer, Aubry “Big Juice” Delaine, says the sound is fresh and exciting, building on her previous work. He compares it to a greatest hits album but with all new songs.
On Marriage
Because I’ve known my husband for so long, there’s an ease we have with each other. We make each other laugh. We’re silly. And we’re always reminiscing about some old story. If it was a guy that I met as Nicki Minaj, I think I’d feel like they liked me because I’m Nicki Minaj, and what if I don’t look like Nicki Minaj every day? And that, combined with pregnancy, would probably have made me crazy.
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On body positivity, and promoting mental health awareness:
I just looked at a video that I posted on Instagram when I was 25, and I would fucking pay to look like that right now. But today I can say that I’m at peace with who I am and how I look. I have to say this as a Black woman, though. I’ve made certain choices for my son, to not give him sweets and candy and juices, because of illnesses like diabetes that run in our community. I’m not in favor of body positivity if it means unhealthy bodies. That’s bull. It’s not believable, so let’s stop pretending. Recently I had to get a breast reduction, and actually, I love it. I used to want a bigger butt, and now I look back and realize how silly that was. So—love your curves, and love your non-curves. There’s nothing wrong with any of it.
Credits:
Photographed by @normanjeanroy
Written by @robertjhaskell
Styled by @maxortegag
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