Nicki Minaj Speaks On The Lack Of Representation For Black Black Women Within The Industry And The Importance Of Speaking Up, “Just Because A Person Fights Back Doesn’t Mean They’re Not Afraid”

( 📸: ID Magazine | Carlos Nazario )

Cousins! In conversation with ‘City Girls’ group member JT exclusively for id magazine Nicki Minaj spoke on the importance of breaking barriers as a Black woman within the industry while facing the challenges of misrepresentation! She also reflected on the power of standing up for yourself even if you’re afraid!

“You received so much hate. But now that I am in the industry, I understand your story much more. So when you make “Boss Ass B*” or “Lookin A”, call yourself a Black Barbie, those songs give us confidence. What makes you want to share that message?,” asked JT.

“There’s always been a lack of representation for Black women: as soon as you start becoming famous, you owe it to the entire culture to say things that other Black women can repeat to make themselves feel great,” says Nicki. “When you grow up and you’re only seeing people that look a certain way on the covers of magazines, in the movies and on TV, you can start feeling, “Am I not good enough?”

As we all know Nicki has been a lot more transparent with her career on social media in the last couple of years, including her speaking out against things she deems as unfair. “Why is it so important for you to speak up,” asked the Miami native.

“Well, there’s a huge misconception with people who come across as outspoken. The misconception is that we’re so strong. Just because a person fights back, doesn’t mean they’re not afraid. I have suppressed years’ worth of things that I’ve wanted to say. People have lied about me, and I didn’t respond. There’s always been a level of fear there because this is a business. This is not walking down the block and jumping double dutch. This is a job,” Nicki explained.

“And the same way people at a nine-to-five can lose their job, and won’t be able to pay their bills, an artist can lose their job. They can lose their spot; they can lose their money. So, there’s always some reservation there. But I’ve decided that I have to speak up now. You know, I see the hip-hop community praise so many other people for speaking up for themselves, but for some reason they seem to have an issue when I do it.”

Nicki says, “Once I realised that there’s that double standard, I decided I don’t give a shit anymore. The last part of it is that if I never rap again, I will still leave this earth as an icon. I guess there is a little less fear now at this point in my career because I realise that my fans aren’t going anywhere. I’ve paid my dues.

Nicki made headlines back in October following a direct message to the Grammys on Instagram as she spoke out against their alleged notion to have her chart topping single ‘Super Freaky Girl’ added to the pop category instead of Rap.