Before working in music, Minaj was a server, a customer service rep, a telemarketer, a receptionist and…a fire extinguisher saleswoman?
Interviewer: Joe Sabia
Director: Maximillian Stenström
Director of Photography: Jess Dunlap
Editors: Evan Allan, Katie Wolford
Senior Producer: Jordin Rocchi
Coordinating Producer: Qieara Lesesne
Assistant Camera: Ajiri Akpolo
Gaffer: Ron Arrendondo
Grip: David Gonzales
Audio: Glo Marie
Color: Oliver Eid
Audio Mix: Nick Cipriano, BANG
Associate Producer: Marisah Yazbek
Production Assistants: Brock Spitaels, Lauren Boucher
Production Coordinator: Ava Kashar
Production Manager: Natasha Soto-Albors
Line Producer: Romeeka Powell
Senior Director, Production Management: Jessica Schier
Assistant Editor: Billy Ward
Post Production Coordinator: Jovan James
Supervising Editor: Kameron Key
Post Production Supervisor: Edward Taylor
Entertainment Director: Sergio Kletnoy
Director of Content, Production: Rahel Gebreyes
Senior Director, Programming: Linda Gittleson
Executive Producer: Ruhiya Nuruddin
VP, Digital Video English: Thespena Guatieri
Interviewer: Joe Sabia
Director: Maximillian Stenström
Director of Photography: Jess Dunlap
Editors: Evan Allan, Katie Wolford
Senior Producer: Jordin Rocchi
Coordinating Producer: Qieara Lesesne
Assistant Camera: Ajiri Akpolo
Gaffer: Ron Arrendondo
Grip: David Gonzales
Audio: Glo Marie
Color: Oliver Eid
Audio Mix: Nick Cipriano, BANG
Associate Producer: Marisah Yazbek
Production Assistants: Brock Spitaels, Lauren Boucher
Production Coordinator: Ava Kashar
Production Manager: Natasha Soto-Albors
Line Producer: Romeeka Powell
Senior Director, Production Management: Jessica Schier
Assistant Editor: Billy Ward
Post Production Coordinator: Jovan James
Supervising Editor: Kameron Key
Post Production Supervisor: Edward Taylor
Entertainment Director: Sergio Kletnoy
Director of Content, Production: Rahel Gebreyes
Senior Director, Programming: Linda Gittleson
Executive Producer: Ruhiya Nuruddin
VP, Digital Video English: Thespena Guatieri
Category
✨
PeopleTranscript
00:00 (birds chirping)
00:02 (knocking)
00:06 - Joe, how are ya?
00:10 - Hi, Nicki.
00:11 How are you doing?
00:12 - I'm blessed, and you?
00:13 - I'm fantastic.
00:14 If you knew just how many of your fans have asked for this.
00:17 - I know, they have made me aware.
00:20 Thanks, Barbz.
00:21 - 73 questions, Nicki Minaj, this is happening.
00:24 Let's do this.
00:25 - Come on in, Vogue.
00:27 - Now before we begin, I just wanna say
00:28 how beautiful the drive was here,
00:30 and it's even prettier in here.
00:32 - Thank you.
00:33 - Can you tell the audience where we are right now?
00:36 - We are in Malibu, California at the recording studio.
00:40 - Yes, we are, and what precisely were you doing
00:42 just before I arrived?
00:43 - Actually, I was working on a very special lyric.
00:46 - And it's in the studio where most
00:47 of the lyric working happens, right?
00:49 - Yes.
00:49 - And how are you feeling about life these days?
00:52 - Blessed, happy, thankful, grateful.
00:54 - Given that we're in Malibu,
00:56 what would you say is the biggest difference
00:57 between life in New York and in LA?
00:59 - New York has the queens.
01:06 - Yes, it does.
01:07 And how would you describe yourself
01:08 to the few people on earth who may not know who you are?
01:11 - Pink, rapper, animated.
01:16 - That checks out.
01:18 Now you gotta know how excited I am for your next album,
01:20 and that you recorded it here.
01:22 - I did.
01:23 - It's pretty cool.
01:24 So what exactly does a typical day at work
01:26 in the studio look like for you?
01:28 - Well, I tend to listen to the beat,
01:32 and then I get a vibe for it,
01:36 and if it's something that I love,
01:37 then I go on the mic, my engineer juice records me,
01:42 I lay some ideas down, and then I listen to them,
01:47 and then I write it based on what reference I loved the most,
01:54 and then I record, and then we listen for days,
01:58 sometimes months, sometimes years,
01:59 and then one day it comes out.
02:01 - I'm so sorry if this is being forward,
02:03 but could you freestyle a few bars for me right now?
02:06 'Cause I can tell you Anna will love it.
02:08 - What?
02:11 That's scary.
02:13 I don't, what if she doesn't like it?
02:16 - How could she not?
02:16 - Okay.
02:19 Oh my gosh.
02:22 - No pressure.
02:23 - So I'd like to say that, I don't know if you know this,
02:26 Joe, but I definitely have mentioned her in my songs before.
02:31 - Oh, I know.
02:33 - But this one obviously would be a lot more special.
02:35 So let me think.
02:37 - Take your time.
02:38 You got this.
02:39 - Mm, okay, let me think.
02:45 (footsteps)
02:48 Okay.
02:53 I heard 'em who they sent for.
02:58 Said you were 10, you must've meant four.
03:01 Hiding the summer in the winter.
03:03 - Hello, I know winter.
03:07 - Yes, mission accomplished.
03:10 Now, you usually record in both of these rooms
03:12 or just this one?
03:13 - This one.
03:14 Come on in.
03:15 - Okay, getting a full tour here.
03:18 Now what exactly is the difference between these two rooms?
03:20 - You are entering the room where after I leave there,
03:24 I come here, I sit there, Drew sits here,
03:28 and we begin listening back to the iconic music we created.
03:34 - Now you've collaborated with so many artists
03:40 in your career.
03:41 I was wondering if you'd be willing to describe a few
03:43 in just one word.
03:44 - Okay.
03:46 - Ariana Grande.
03:47 - Ponytail.
03:48 - Elton John.
03:49 - Glasses.
03:50 - Beyonce.
03:51 - Blonde.
03:52 Hair.
03:53 - This is all true.
03:54 Who's another artist you'd work with?
03:56 - Miss Lauren Hale.
03:58 - What inspired the title for your next album?
04:00 - A Feeling of Whole Circleness.
04:06 - And why did you call--
04:08 - I'm sorry.
04:09 Joe, I'm sorry.
04:11 A Feeling of Full Circleness.
04:14 - All good.
04:15 Now why did you call your first album Pink Friday?
04:18 - Well, I wanted something that represented
04:20 my favorite color, pink,
04:21 and another member of my team at that time
04:26 said Pink Friday.
04:26 I fell in love right away.
04:28 - Now if you were to describe the look for this next album
04:31 in a single word or idea, what would it be?
04:33 - Vitement.
04:37 I mean, or as I said on my album, Vitamins.
04:42 - Now you've also said that Jay-Z, Foxy Brown,
04:45 and Lil Wayne were some of your biggest influences
04:47 when you were coming up.
04:48 What did each of them have that you wanted to emulate?
04:51 - Jay-Z, business savvy.
04:55 Foxy Brown, immaculate delivery.
04:59 Lil Wayne,
05:00 trendsetter.
05:06 - And out of all the people you can rely on,
05:07 who are the ones you go to if you ever need advice?
05:10 - My spiritual friends, I think.
05:15 Anyone who can speak with deeper meaning.
05:20 - And what would you say is the deepest meaning wisdom
05:23 that you've ever received?
05:24 - To remain humble.
05:27 - Important to be humble.
05:28 Okay, so your fans have now had a peek
05:29 inside two of your studios.
05:31 I say we keep exploring the property.
05:33 - All right, you guys,
05:34 let's go outside and get some fresh air.
05:35 - Let's do it.
05:36 We should just be in time for sunset.
05:39 So Nicki, I wanted to ask,
05:40 what would you say is your favorite feature,
05:42 not by Nicki Minaj?
05:44 - I would say "If I Rule The World," Nas, and Lauryn Hill.
05:48 - Good one.
05:49 And what is the one song with 100% certainty
05:51 that'll make you cry?
05:52 - "Hello" by Adele.
05:57 - I may have a feeling I know the answer to this one,
05:59 but what was the last great movie that you watched?
06:01 - "Barbie."
06:04 - Yep, there it is.
06:05 Updo or blowout?
06:07 - I'm definitely in my blowout era.
06:09 - Freestyle or written verse?
06:11 - Written verse.
06:13 I like to write.
06:14 - And while you are writing,
06:16 what is your go-to takeout order
06:18 whenever you need a break?
06:19 - Mm, four wings and some french fries,
06:23 hot sauce and ketchup.
06:24 - Delicious.
06:27 And when you think about your times
06:28 and history in Trinidad,
06:30 is there a favorite memory that always comes up?
06:33 - My grandmother, for sure.
06:36 - Now, what if that question replaced Trinidad
06:38 with New York City?
06:40 - The smell of snow.
06:42 - And when you think of yourself as a child,
06:43 how would you describe that smaller version of you?
06:46 - Hopeful.
06:49 - When did you first realize you loved performing,
06:51 entertaining people, being in front of an audience?
06:53 - Probably around the age of five.
06:57 - And when did you first hear the sound
06:59 of your own voice on the radio?
07:02 - Um.
07:02 - When I was working at Red Lobster,
07:08 maybe, I don't know, maybe 17 years ago.
07:12 - Must've been crazy.
07:14 And what was the worst part of that job?
07:16 - Having to constantly wash your clothes
07:21 because they smell like Red Lobster.
07:23 - What performance in your career
07:25 were you most nervous about beforehand?
07:30 - All of my televised performances early on in my career.
07:34 - What was the first album you heard
07:36 that completely changed your life?
07:38 - It's "Education and Learning."
07:40 - I read you wrote your first rap when you were 12 years old.
07:44 - Yes.
07:45 - Do you remember any of those lyrics?
07:48 - Cookies, the name, childless, it's the same,
07:50 but I suck up, that's the ally,
07:51 the cherry life, same, but.
07:53 - Now, I wanna go back to Red Lobster for a second.
07:56 What other jobs did you have before you got signed?
08:00 - Lots of waitressing, customer service rep,
08:03 telemarketer, receptionist.
08:09 - Mm-hmm.
08:10 - And also, I even sold fire extinguishers.
08:17 - Oh, random assortment of jobs.
08:20 Which of those jobs did you love the most?
08:22 - Office manager.
08:24 - Now, you originally uploaded your first mixes to MySpace.
08:27 If you remember, can you tell me
08:29 who was in your MySpace top eight?
08:31 - Have no idea, but I'm sure Lil Wayne
08:35 was probably one of them.
08:37 - Probably.
08:38 And what was your first accent that you think you nailed?
08:40 - Well, I thought I nailed it,
08:42 but I'm learning I did not.
08:45 The Jamaican accent.
08:47 - Would you like to demonstrate
08:48 a Jamaican accent for me now?
08:49 - Yeah.
08:52 - Hey, I successfully got you to freestyle.
08:54 I guess I can't ask for it all.
08:56 All right, follow me to the house.
08:58 - Now, Nikki, you were the first woman
09:00 who signed with Young Money.
09:02 Do you think that that came with any pressure?
09:04 - Absolute.
09:05 - When exactly did your alter egos
09:07 first start to come out in your music?
09:09 - I think on like "Five Star Chick" with Yo Gotti
09:14 and "Bedrock" with Young Money,
09:19 I started tapping in more into the Barbie persona.
09:22 - I'd like to list a few other personas.
09:24 Do you think you could describe each of them
09:26 with one word?
09:27 - Sure.
09:29 - Here we go.
09:30 Harajuku Barbie.
09:31 - Japan.
09:32 - Red Ruby.
09:33 - The Sleeves.
09:35 - Roman.
09:36 - Wah, wah.
09:38 - Now, out of Harajuku Barbie, Red Ruby, or Roman,
09:42 who is your favorite of the three?
09:44 - I guess my favorite right now is Red Ruby,
09:49 but as a whole in our Barb community, I would say Roman.
09:54 - Okay, and how would you describe your fashion and style
09:57 early in your career?
09:59 - Kooky.
10:01 - Does that word still describe your style today?
10:04 - I wouldn't say so.
10:05 - When did your fans first start calling themselves Barbz?
10:09 - I gave them that name because first I was calling them
10:11 Barbies 'cause I was calling myself Barbie,
10:13 and then I just thought that Barbz sounded more like
10:17 a term of endearment, and it stuck.
10:20 - I like it.
10:21 What did you think when you first saw your official Barbie?
10:25 - Oh gosh, well, I just,
10:30 that was very emotional, grateful,
10:33 couldn't believe it, ecstatic.
10:35 - Yeah, it was amazing.
10:36 Now shifting gears, if you could eat only one food
10:38 from a bodega for the rest of your life, what would it be?
10:42 - Well, definitely it would be a sandwich,
10:44 turkey, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, salt, pepper,
10:47 oil, and vinegar, jalapenos, mayonnaise, mustard.
10:51 (groaning)
10:53 Extra turkey, extra cheap.
10:58 - Wow, there's a lot going on with that sandwich.
11:00 Next time I'm at a bodega, I'll order the Nicki Minaj
11:02 and see what they do.
11:04 - So would you like to have a drink?
11:05 - I'd love a drink, thank you, Nicki.
11:07 - Okay, come on.
11:08 - Okay, I'll hang here and enjoy the sunset
11:10 while you're gone.
11:11 Now Nicki, what would you say Queens does better
11:13 than any other borough?
11:15 - Get the money.
11:16 - And out of all the places you've ever given a concert,
11:19 what's been your favorite city to perform in?
11:21 - Well, I would say New York.
11:26 - Well, obviously, New York City has to be the best.
11:30 And whose style did you look up to the most
11:32 when you were younger?
11:33 - I looked up to a specific era of the hip hop culture
11:38 where the energy of salt and pepper
11:42 is sort of like really cemented into my psyche at one point.
11:48 And it's why, till this day,
11:50 I am in love with bamboo earrings.
11:52 And I even put bamboo earrings in my Fendi prints online
11:56 at one time.
11:57 It's sort of like the girl that LL Cool J
12:00 was describing on "Round the Way Girl."
12:03 - Now I gotta ask, what's the secret to a perfect cat eye?
12:06 - Well, you can't be nervous, you can't be late.
12:13 You have to be very calm.
12:15 And you just have to think angle and sharp.
12:20 - Noted.
12:24 And what was your favorite Met Gala look?
12:26 - Yikes.
12:27 - And what about a typical Nicki Minaj at home look?
12:34 - I rather like this look, actually.
12:36 Delos and Gabbana on the coat,
12:38 and Tom Ford on the sneaker.
12:41 Little YV on some jean shorts, nothing too much.
12:45 Barbie chain, of course.
12:46 - What was the first designer item you ever bought?
12:52 - I don't remember, but I remember the first designer,
12:56 fake designer item I was given from my friend.
13:01 It was a fake Louis Vuitton.
13:04 - Ooh.
13:05 And what clothing item do you have the most of
13:07 in your closet?
13:08 - I have a lot of sweaters because I'm always cold.
13:15 - Who's a new designer that you're super excited about
13:17 at this moment?
13:18 - You know, well.
13:21 Does Batman count as a new designer right now?
13:27 Not really.
13:29 Joe?
13:30 - Counts for me.
13:31 - Does it?
13:32 - Yeah, I love Demna.
13:33 - Okay, so let me say that.
13:33 Want me to?
13:34 - Yeah, shout out to Georgia.
13:35 - Okay.
13:36 - What has been the most rewarding part
13:39 about being a mother?
13:42 - Every single second of every single day,
13:47 learning that I was able to love on a whole other level.
13:52 - That is beautiful.
13:54 And how did having a baby affect how you recorded
13:56 your most recent album?
13:57 - Well, because some of the songs started off
14:01 being written about four years ago,
14:04 there were songs, I couldn't record sexually explicit songs
14:08 while I was pregnant.
14:10 So I ended up just getting turned off
14:12 for a very long time.
14:14 And I had a writer's block for a while,
14:16 even after I had the baby.
14:18 And so now I'm doing a balance of what I think feels
14:23 like Nicki Minaj, but doesn't make me feel like eek.
14:30 - Yeah.
14:34 And why did you go with the nickname Papa Bear for your son?
14:38 - Well, I don't know.
14:42 You know, I've always been a nickname person.
14:45 I give everyone I love these nicknames normally.
14:48 And he actually had a couple nicknames.
14:53 His first nickname while he was in my stomach was Bubba.
14:57 And when he came out, it just transformed into Papa Bear.
15:02 I can't explain it, but when I looked at him,
15:04 that's what I thought.
15:06 - That's really cute.
15:07 Do you see any of yourself in his personality yet?
15:10 - Yes.
15:13 - And what is the number one most favorite thing
15:15 that he loves doing in life?
15:17 - Swim.
15:18 Or just be in the pool in any way,
15:21 in water, playing in water.
15:23 - Can you give me any hint about what his name is?
15:27 - Sure.
15:29 - Amazing.
15:29 So many people have asked me to ask you this.
15:31 - I can.
15:33 - Okay, ready for the hint.
15:37 All right, well, we'll keep it a secret.
15:39 I read you've been doing voices for him.
15:41 Will any of these show up in the most recent record?
15:44 - No, that's for me and him.
15:47 - Fair enough.
15:48 I also read that you quoted Lauryn Hill
15:50 in your high school yearbook.
15:51 - I did.
15:52 - What lyric did you use?
15:53 - To survive is to stay alive in the face of opposition.
15:57 - Which of your Wrap Snacks flavors is your favorite?
16:02 - I'll never tell.
16:04 - What did no one tell you about being famous
16:07 that you really like other people to know?
16:10 - It is...
16:17 It's only, it's not for the faint of heart.
16:23 - You once said that being famous comes with a lot of guilt.
16:26 How do you manage that today?
16:27 - By just focusing on the positive energy,
16:34 the love energy, and learning how to love myself enough
16:39 to realize that I put in my blood, sweat, and tears
16:43 into this, I deserve it, it's okay.
16:46 - What celebrity do you have saved in your phone
16:49 that would completely surprise me
16:51 or anyone else out there who's a fan of you?
16:53 - Hmm.
16:55 Hmm, that's a very interesting question.
17:04 At the moment, I would say the iconic, the legendary,
17:08 beautiful,
17:10 boss,
17:15 I know him too.
17:15 - I wouldn't say I'm completely surprised.
17:19 What was the last time that you were truly terrified?
17:22 - My son ran out of the door in the hotel I was at recently
17:27 and ran in the hallway,
17:28 as if this was just another part of the house
17:31 that he thought he was in.
17:33 And so just for those couple moments, I was terrified.
17:38 - That is scary.
17:40 Nikki, what makes zero sense to you?
17:42 - What makes zero sense to me is
17:48 thinking that you could ever go up against the Barbz and win.
17:55 - What is the biggest misconception about you?
18:00 - That I'm mean.
18:03 - Would you still consider yourself a homebody?
18:06 - Yes.
18:08 - You once said that the thing that motivates you the most
18:10 is proving to yourself that you can do something.
18:13 What do you have left to prove to yourself?
18:16 - If it was all worth it.
18:19 - I think it was.
18:20 But Nikki, you've now answered 72 questions.
18:23 Before I go, I wanna ask you,
18:26 10 years ago, you said you'd be married with a baby
18:28 and that has come true 10 years later.
18:31 What do you predict for yourself in another 10 years?
18:34 - Hundreds and hundreds of billions
18:37 and being able to help a lot of people
18:44 that I think need help in today's world.
18:49 - Well, we can't wait to see you achieve that.
18:51 What a great answer to end a great interview.
18:53 It's official, you've just completed your 73 questions.
18:56 - Thank you.
18:57 - And your fans are gonna love it.
18:58 - Thank you for having me, you guys.
18:59 I love you so much.
19:00 This is a dream come true.
19:02 Thank you for having me, I love you.
19:05 [BLANK_AUDIO]