Nicki Minaj talks 'My Truth' with theGrio: 'Older black women…just write me off'
theGRIO REPORT - During an interview with theGRIO, Nicki Minaj discusses why she feels why people don't recognize the accomplishments she has made for black women...
Last night, the premiere episode of Nicki Minaj’s three-part reality series Nicki Minaj: My Truth premiered on E!. The show gives viewers a behind-the-scenes perspective of what the rapper’s life is like right now, as she is recording her new album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, appearing a judge on American Idol, and prepping for her first worldwide arena tour.
During a scene from My Truth that aired last night, Minaj revealed her frustration over how she is viewed amongst black women. “People purposefully don’t see the strides I made for hip-hop and black women in general,” she said while in a studio recording her newly-released track “Freedom.”
Today, Minaj went into depth about why she feels black women just ‘write her off’ during an interview with theGrio’s Chris Witherspoon.
People hear me talk sometimes and they think I’m trying to be cocky. No, I’m trying to be real. I’m trying to give facts. Me coming out and having and album that went number 1 in Japan, Australia, U.K, and the U.S.; name one female rapper that’s ever done it. You can’t. When I say things like that, I’m not discrediting anyone. Again I want to say I respect and love every female rapper that paved the way for me, okay, but I do think that people don’t respect the roads I’m now paving for others.
For instance, there has never been a black woman judging American Idol. That is the biggest TV show in America and a black woman has never been represented on the show, number one. That is the biggest TV show in America, and I don’t think people understand that.
I’m sitting here right now in my dressing room about to play to a sold out crowd at the 02 arena in Ireland. Name a female rapper that’s ever done it and I will give you $100,000.
There are certain things that I have to say because of the scrutiny that I get. For goodness sake I just did a Pepsi commercial. I did a multi-million dollar Pepsi campaign. Name one female rapper that’s done that. You can’t.
A lot of times within the black community, especially the older black women, they kinda just write me off. And I think it’s important for you to look at the companies that I’ve done business with and realize that every time I do a campaign and it’s a successful campaign, we show mainstream America that black women can sell a product and that black women are influential and that we can have our own people support something that we support. And so that’s what I want black women to understand. I’m not asking you to love everything I do. But I’m asking you to keep it real with yourself and really see exactly what I have been doing. It’s very important that they realize these things weren’t really being done like this before Nicki Minaj.
Part 2 of Nicki Minaj: My Truth will air Sunday 10:30 pm ET/PT on E!
Follow Chris Witherspoon on Twitter at @WitherspoonC
