In a world where many a MC literally fakes it to make it, Nicki Minaj‘s difficult past comes as one of the only authentic stories to emerge from the field.
Now, as to share her story with ‘Teen Vogue‘s impressionable readers, the Rapper has spoken on the difficulties she faced growing up- dishing on her abusive father, being bullied at school and how this has shaped the way she handles the entertainment industry.
HQ snaps and moving quotes below…
On her childhood:
“Every time my parents fought, my mother would have us move and I would have to go to a new school, which meant I’d have to face the task of making new friends. I dreaded it. I had butterflies in my stomach each time: Are people going to like or hate me? … Sometimes there’d be a fight, sometimes not. I let people know I wasn’t going to be pushed around”.
On the music industry:
“People treat this business like it’s high school. It can absolutely feel like one big popularity contest, and you know what? I can’t be bothered. I can’t allow myself to play ridiculous games with grown adults in the industry. I can’t be nice to someone just because they’re hot right now. I can’t do it”.
On her critics:
“I used to read the bad things people said about me, then I asked myself, ‘Why am I reading that when I have millions of people saying great things?’ You cannot give negativity power. I tell teens, if you’re having a problem, there’s nothing wrong with deleting your social media. If people keep taunting you and you keep reading it, it’s poison.”
Many thanks to ‘Teen Vogue‘s June/July edition!