Nicki Minaj has laid out exactly what she says pushed her toward Donald Trump and away from the Democratic Party, and the names she drops are Barack Obama and Jay-Z.
In a wide-ranging interview with Time magazine, the 43-year-old Trinidadian rapper explained that her political conversion began with what she describes as an unspoken expectation in the music industry that Black entertainers would fall in line behind the Democratic Party.
As theGrio previously reported, Minaj first revealed publicly that empathy for Trump drove her political shift during an appearance on “The Katie Miller Podcast” in February, and she has since become one of the administration’s most prominent Black celebrity supporters, attending the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in April. The Independent reported that what most directly triggered her shift were Jay-Z and comments from former President Barack Obama.
On Obama, Minaj pointed to his 2024 campaign trail speech for Kamala Harris, in which he suggested some Black male voters were uncomfortable with putting a woman in power. Minaj’s criticism was pointed. “I just saw so many videos of Black men saying that they didn’t like the way they felt about that speech that Obama gave,” she said. “They felt like they weren’t being listened to.”
On Jay-Z, Minaj pointed to their long-running rivalry and her accusations that Roc Nation has wielded disproportionate industry power against her. “Jay-Z ended up costing Obama a lot, whether he knows it or not,” Minaj said, claiming, “Lots of rappers don’t like Jay-Z and were afraid to say it.”
Minaj said the frustrations compounded what she described as a broader pressure to conform politically. “It’s been ingrained in everyone’s brain in the music business that we are supposed to be a Democratic family,” she said. “I just knew they would not like me supporting Trump.” She added that since going public with her support, she’s “never felt happier” and “never felt better.”
“When you can be yourself, you’re happier,” she said.
The Independent said it has contacted representatives for Obama and Jay-Z for comment.
