We’ve already seen Nicki Minaj have, well, a menage a trois with herself on the most recent cover of PAPER magazine, but inside its pages, she talks her upcoming LP, collaborative efforts, and staying grounded.
ON HER NEW ALBUM: I think the real music lovers just wanna be surprised, and all they care about is if I’ve grown as an artist and if they’re gonna be able to truly relate…I really don’t have much to say about the album other than it’s great and I’m excited about it….I believe in my talent, I know who I am…And when you have that knowledge, you just have to kind of sit back and wait for the rest of the world to catch up. And I feel like this new album is gonna do that.
ON POSSIBLE JOINT ALBUMS WITH BEYONCE & FUTURE: I would be open to doing [that] if the time was right. I haven’t thought too much about that, though. The only person that I’ve seen a lot of people speak on, when talking about an album of that caliber, is Beyoncé ’cause we did “* Flawless” [remix] and “Feeling Myself” and we’ve actually performed together…but, you know, those are the kinds of things that are just wishful thinking from fans…They’re far-fetched because usually artists are in such different places in their personal lives and career lives that it’s hard to make that work. I mean, I even at one point was about to do a mixtape with Future recently, [but] with me working on my album and with him doing other projects — and he thought we should be in the same place at one point to really vibe — it was hard, ’cause he was on tour and I was in the studio. So even when you like an artist and you respect their work, it’s very hard to make those types of ideas come to fruition, but when they do come together like the Jay and Kanye [project], then it’s magic for sure.
Ellen von Unwerth
ON STAYING GROUNDED & INVINCIBILITY: I always get the last laugh. That’s been the theme of my life….Because I have a strong relationship with God. I’ve watched Him work miracle after miracle in my life. I’ve watched Him shut down every person who’s ever come up against me, and so it’s comical at this point….Nicki is always gonna continue to be successful because I give so much to people who don’t deserve. And when you are consistently doing good for people who do not deserve your goodness, the universe has no choice but to give that back to you, tenfold….I feel this year I have never been stronger, I have all my super powers back. I’ve never felt this powerful, as a woman, as an emcee — I’ve never felt this invincible….I think people have thought that they were gonna witness the Nicki Minaj nervous breakdown, but you’ve never seen it and you never will. You’re gonna continue to see me queening at Paris Fashion Week and having fun with my best friends. All my girlfriends have been in my life for over twenty years. I don’t have a circle of people around me of ‘yes-men’ or fakeness….It keeps me grounded and it keeps me genuinely happy, and when you really truly feel grateful every day, then you become really invincible. Read the interview here.
Rumor Report | Nicki Minaj poses topless with ‘clones’ for Paper Magazine cover