Nicki Minaj responds to criticism that colorism helped her career

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Nicki Minaj and her former manager Big Fendi sat down for a candid interview where they covered a bevy of provocative subjects including the ongoing debates around colorism and how it has affected female rappers.

“I think brown-skin rapper chicks, no disrespect, I think since you came in the game [you] kind of made it harder for them,” Fendi told his former client in the interview that was published on YouTube last week. “You set a bar because a lot of chicks at that time were like, ‘Nicki poppin’ right now. I got to be at least trying to catch up to her to look like her somewhat.’”

READ MORE: Nicki Minaj becomes first female rapper to amass $100M

“Well, I will say dark-skin and brown-skin women have to work extra harder in any field,” Minaj responded. “I don’t feel like my complexion is the reason why I made it, but I also try not to be blind or play dumb to what’s really happening in the world.”

“But I feel like now it’s changing,” she added on a more optimistic note. “I feel like a lot of people now are making it their business to be like ‘melanin.’ You know, that whole trend is very much happening now, which I love.”

READ MORE: Nicki Minaj’s husband Kenneth Petty reportedly arrested by Feds

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVWzRSFjEbM&feature=emb_title

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To Fendi’s point about her success, last month Minaj became the first female rapper to amass $100M.

According to a Twitter post put up by her label Young Money, since her 2010 debut studio album, Pink Friday, Minaj has brought in more than $100 million which from a financial standpoint currently makes her the most successful female rapper in history.

The Young Money tweet was accompanied by a portrait of Minaj along with the caption: “Nicki Minaj has become the first female rapper in history to amass a $100 million net worth,” and also included the hashtag #QueenTingz and the crown emoji.

Her fortune puts her ahead of other female rap superstars such as Queen Latifah ($60 million), Missy Elliott ($50 million), and Lil Kim ($18 million).