Nicki Minaj addresses Miley Cyrus feud in New York Times interview
When Nicki Minaj looked over at Miley Cyrus during the 2015 VMA's and said, "Miley, what's good?" you could almost hear viewers all across the country gasping and wondering "Is this real or some sort of skit?"
When Nicki Minaj looked over at Miley Cyrus during the 2015 VMA’s and said, “Miley, what’s good?” you could almost hear viewers all across the country gasping and wondering, “Is this real or some sort of skit?”
Now, Minaj has sat down for her first in-depth interview since the incident and is making it clear that both that moment and her gripe with Cyrus are very real.
When asked about her issue with the twerking pop star, Minaj tells The New York Times:
The fact that you feel upset about me speaking on something that affects black women makes me feel like you have some big balls. You’re in videos with black men, and you’re bringing out black women on your stages, but you don’t want to know how black women feel about something that’s so important?
Cyrus has often come under attack for the way she blatantly appropriates and exploits black culture for publicity. Minaj insists that cherry picking what part of the black experience you want to acknowledge isn’t something she’s ok with:
Come on, you can’t want the good without the bad. If you want to enjoy our culture and our lifestyle, bond with us, dance with us, have fun with us, twerk with us, rap with us, then you should also want to know what affects us, what is bothering us, what we feel is unfair to us. You shouldn’t not want to know that.
Later on in the interview, the reporter makes the mistake of asking of Minaj, ‘‘Is there a part of you that thrives on drama, or is it no, just pain and unpleasantness—’’
This question is referring to the issues Lil Wayne is having with the head of their label and the pseudo-beef between Drake and Minaj’s boyfriend Meek Mills. Nicki is squarely planted in the middle of four powerful men who are not getting along, and many have openly wondered how she feels about it.
While the inquiry is valid, it is clear Minaj takes offense to the use of the word “drama” and then quite ironically chooses to sit up in her chair and end the interview… dramatically.
“That’s disrespectful. Why would a grown-ass woman thrive off drama?” Minaj pushes back. ‘‘What do the four men you just named have to do with me thriving off drama? Why would you even say that? That’s so peculiar. Four grown-ass men are having issues between themselves, and you’re asking me do I thrive off drama?’’
She then points at the reporter and begins to insinuate that this is another case of a woman being catty to her.
‘‘That’s the typical thing that women do. What did you putting me down right there do for you?’’ she asked. ‘‘Women blame women for things that have nothing to do with them. I really want to know why — as a matter of fact, I don’t. Can we move on, do you have anything else to ask?’’ she continued. ‘‘To put down a woman for something that men do, as if they’re children and I’m responsible, has nothing to do with you asking stupid questions, because you know that’s not just a stupid question. That’s a premeditated thing you just did.’’
After calling the reporter “rude” and “a troublemaker,” Minaj then ends with, ‘‘Do not speak to me like I’m stupid or beneath you in any way. I don’t care to speak to you anymore.’’
She then kicks the reporter out of the room.
