Nicki Minaj’s new interview with Ebro Darden on Apple Music held so much compelling conversation and so many takeaways that we’re still parsing through its best moments. Moreover, they discussed her new album Pink Friday 2, her place in the rap game, her personal growth and current state, and much more. In addition, they also spoke on common criticism that the rapper is a “bully” for demeaning her peers, something that she was quick to laugh off. It’s a bit of an ironic reaction for an accused bully to tease folks as to why she would care about such a thing, but that’s just Roman being Roman.
“You’re just getting Nicki when you hear the music,” Nicki Minaj told the journalist and commentator during their sit-down. “The other stuff is work and some of it is play. I mean, let’s face it. This is my f***ing job. I have to have some sort of fun. If it means making fun of these h*es– why the f**k not? The thing is though, I’ve realized it’s like a movie. They’ve made me the bad guy so I’ve welcomed the challenge. You know why? It’s because I know I can accept that challenge. None of them can. None.”
Furthermore, she also spoke on her acclaim in the rap game and how it differs to the critical leniency male rappers receive. “[It] always has mattered to me that, whether you knew how I look, whether you knew where I was from, whether you knew if I was a male, female, whatever, all that mattered to me was that, ‘Are they liking my raps?’” Nicki Minaj expressed. “And somewhere along the line, that shifted, and it’s everyone’s fault, as a whole, as our culture. It’s *nsane to go backwards. And I’m keeping it a thousand, because when I think about the people who inspired me, I can still pull from them right now. That’s why Biggie, rest in peace, he seems to always make his way on my projects. And I didn’t even realize that. You know what I’m saying?
“So thank God I had those kinds of people that, right now, I can still pull inspiration from them when I don’t have anything to pull from,” she continued. “Whether it’s Biggie, whether it’s Jay, whether it’s Foxy, whether it’s Wayne, whether it’s Lauryn Hill. Because they were so great, I don’t care about any of Biggie Smalls’ videos or Lauryn Hill’s videos. I care about the music. When I was riding on the trains to school, I had my CD player and my headphones. I didn’t give a s**t about what any of them looked like. And it kind of has become a little whatever.” For more news and the latest updates on Nicki Minaj, keep checking in with HNHH.
Nicki Minaj is riding high off of the success of Pink Friday 2, and recently sat down with Ebro Darden on Apple Music to talk about her life and career. While the rest of the interview was quite enlightening and satisfying, the Barbz might not be happy with her answer to one of their burning questions: where on Earth are the PF2 visuals? Moreover, the Young Money alum explained how a conversation with J. Cole in the studio about her song “FTCU” inspired a new perspective on this. “[I] didn’t like the chorus because, you know, you wouldn’t be able to play it on radio,” she recalled how her talk with the Dreamville boss went.
“[J. Cole] was like, ‘Who cares?’” Nicki Minaj remarked to Ebro. Funnily enough, she recently teased a potential remix of this song with an as-of-yet unknown male MC. “He was like, ‘Man, f**k the radio!’ And I was like, ‘You’re right! F**k the radio!’ And it dawned on me. Why the f**k– this is not something I’m putting out to be as a single. This is something that’s a part of a body of work. And I didn’t even wanna put out singles. I purposefully don’t have videos out because I want y’all to listen to the music.”
Nicki Minaj’s Full Apple Music Interview With Ebro Darden: Watch
As such, it seems like there’s not a lot of hope currently for us to get an “Everybody,” “Beep Beep,” or “Big Difference” music video. Still, it’s hard to ever imagine a world in which the Trinidadian superstar is anything less than a commercial powerhouse with anything she does. Pink Friday 2 broke Spotify records and, although divisive, still contains some beloved songs for the Barbz. Maybe her upcoming tour’s set-up is all we’ll get connected to the project’s visual aesthetics… and that’s okay!
After all, we still have plenty to look forward to when it comes to the 41-year-old’s still-evolving Pink Friday 2 rollout. She participated in a fan-favorite interview with Funny Marco, and has been hot on the press of the press with one media appearance after another. What other questions do you want to see answered about this era? Drop them in the comments and stay logged into HNHH for more updates on Nicki Minaj.
In the leadup to the release of Drake and Nicki Minaj’s respective albums, fans couldn’t help speculating whether the two Young Money artists would reunite after years of not quite collaborating with each other. In September, Nicki herself wondered aloud whether she would appear on For All The Dogs while confirming that he would show up on Pink Friday 2. While he did join her on the PF2 track “Needle,” Nicki didn’t land a spot on For All The Dogs.
In her new interview with Ebro Darden, Nicki added a new wrinkle to the tale, revealing that “Needle” was initially intended for Drake’s album. Addressing the disappointment from fans surrounding the duo only putting out one new collab, Nicki said, “He told the fans on his tour that I was gonna be on his album, and actually the song he was talking about was ‘Needle.’ But, he ended up feeling like sonically, it didn’t match for For All The Dogs and I from day one felt like it matched Pink Friday 2.”
She says she joked around with some of her friends that something would end up happening that would allow her to keep the song for herself — and it turned out she was right. “It was just God’s timing,” she said, nodding to fans’ disappointment and crediting it to neither artist announcing the change. On the bright side, though, as she points out, “It’s the perfect Drake and Nicki song!” You can check out Nicki’s full interview with Ebro below:
In late December, Pink Friday 2 debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Nicki Minaj’s third-career No. 1 album. Pink Friday 2 also snagged the No. 1 spot on Minaj’s personal ranking of her own albums, and the latter chart matters more to Minaj. The iconic rapper sat down with Ebro for Apple Music, where she shared that initially wasn’t sold on the commercial viability of “FTCU,” which led into an explanation as to why she hasn’t dropped any Pink Friday 2 visuals. (The Beyhive can relate.)
Minaj’s story is set in the studio with J. Cole, the featured artist on her Pink Friday 2 track “Let Me Calm Down.” While there, she also played him “FTCU,” and his reaction played directly into the now-popular song’s placement on the album. Minaj explained that she had told Cole she “didn’t like the chorus because, you know, you wouldn’t be able to play it on radio.”
“[Cole] was like, ‘Who cares?’” Minaj said. “He was like, ‘Man, f*ck the radio!’ And I was like, ‘You’re right! F*ck the radio!’ And it dawned on me. Why the f*ck — this is not something I’m putting out to be as a single. This is something that’s a part of a body of work. And I didn’t even wanna put out singles. I purposefully don’t have videos out because I want y’all to listen to the music.”
So, tour visuals will have to suffice. Minaj will begin her Pink Friday 2 World Tour on March 1. See the dates here.
Nicki Minaj is someone who loves to keep her fans engaged with her music and the process of making it happen. That was especially true throughout the rollout of Pink Friday 2. The album of course is a long-awaited sequel to her first Pink Friday, which was released back in 2010. While it has not been as well received as the pilot entry, the second installment has plenty of bangers on it.
One of which is the third cut, “FTCU.” It features a banging trap instrumental from the ever-so-talented ATL Jacob. One of the main draws of the song is the presumable shot thrown in the direction of Megan Thee Stallion. “Stay in your Tory lane, b****, I’m not Iggy.” While it is a fun listen on its own, there could be a new edition in the works.
According to HipHopDX, the Queen of New York sent out a tweet that has since been deleted. She throws out the question for her Barbz to debate over. “If there were a male rapper featured on the 3rd verse of “FTCU,” who would be your guess? #PinkFriday2.” Fans in the comments section of The Neighborhood Talk‘s Instagram post had plenty of interaction as they gave their ideal partner in rhyme. “BIG SEAN would body that Verse like Nicki bodied her A$$ verse,” one person says. Another goes, “2 Chainz, I was already surprised he wasn’t on the album. But he def gone match her sassy/bougie. Easy.” A few others that were guessed were Moneybagg Yo, Gucci Mane, Lil Durk, Gunna, and more.
What are your initial thoughts on Nicki Minaj hinting at a male feature for “FTCU?” Is this the best song from Pink Friday 2, why or why not? Who do you think would be the perfect fit for this beat and why? Is this album still in your rotation? Does Nicki treat her fanbase the best out of any rapper? We would like to hear what you have to say about all of this. With that in mind, be sure to leave all of your hottest takes in the comments section below. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest breaking news around Nicki Minaj. Finally, stay with with us for everything else going on around the music world.
Nicki Minaj recently spoke to Ebro Darden on Apple Music about her new album Pink Friday 2, hip-hop’s current state, and a whole lot more. While she’s very much enjoying herself these days and enjoying the success of her project, this sit-down also called for some reflection. For example, the Trinidadian MC eventually expressed some thoughts and remarks about her late father Robert Maraj, who tragically passed away following a hit-and-run in 2021. Specifically, she recalled their last conversation, which was just hours before his death. It’s quite the emotive moment to witness, and one we hope will allow the 41-year-old to continue to heal and honor her dad.
“One day, I was rocking the baby in the rocking chair in his room,” Nicki Minaj shared. “I do not normally even have the phone on me when I’m rocking him. Because at that time, I was mad strict… But anyway, that day, as I’m rocking him, the phone rings. I look down, I see it’s my father, I normally would not have picked up, I promise you. I would’ve said, ‘OK,’ because I don’t like to be on the phone with the baby there. But something said, ‘Pick up the phone.’
“I picked up,” Nicki Minaj continued. “He was very happy. He was like, ‘Baby, I can come on Monday.’ Because he had been waiting to come to Cali to help me. And I kept saying, ‘Come on out.’ That was Friday. He said he wanted to come on Monday. And we were so happy. I was like, ‘Yes! We’re gonna get help.’
“And then we went to bed and sometime late while we were all asleep, the phone rang,” she concluded. “It was my mother telling me that my father was in an accident and that she didn’t know what was gonna happen and she would call me back. And then everything started spinning, like literally.” For more news and the latest updates on Nicki Minaj, stick around on HNHH. Rest In Peace Robert Maraj.
The Queen of Gag City, Nicki Minaj, joins Ebro Darden live in-studio in New York City for an in-depth conversation discussing all things ‘Pink Friday 2.’ The no-holds-barred conversation is wide ranging with Minaj revealing when she heard the news of her father’s passing and how that influenced PF2’s first track, “Are You Gone Already.” The interview explores how Minaj ended up working with J. Cole for the first time, why her feature with Drake, “Needle,” ended up on her album instead of ‘For All The Dogs,’ whether she feels loved and appreciated by the Hip-Hop community, and much more.
Additionally, Minaj touches on how scary it was for her to get so personal on this project, her upcoming tour including international destinations, and how producer ATL Jacob was the key to unlocking the album.
Nicki Minaj, the reigning monarch of Gag City, recently sat down with Apple Music’s Ebro Darden in a live, in-studio interview in New York City. The candid conversation delves into the intricacies of Pink Friday 2.
During the discussion, Minaj fearlessly opens up about the moment she received the news of her father’s passing, offering insights into how this deeply personal experience shaped the first track of PF2, titled “Are You Gone Already.” The interview captures the essence of Minaj’s no-holds-barred approach, providing fans with an intimate glimpse into the artist’s emotional journey and the profound impact it had on her latest musical endeavor.
During the conversation, Minaj revealed how she heard about the death of her father and how it influenced her album:
The first verse. The thing why it’s confusing a little bit is because my documentary was originally going to be out with the music, but because the music wasn’t out, I didn’t want to put the documentary out. It’s a great documentary. But anyway, because [it wasn’t out], people are a little bit lost, because they don’t have any context. So I’m going to make it quick. The first verse was me talking to… “You never got to meet Papa.” Okay, it’s me speaking to my father.
My father had just passed. So right after I had the baby, and it was during Corona, and nobody knew what was going on, so, one day, I was rocking the baby and I don’t normally have the phone on me when I’m rocking him. Because at that time, I was mad strict like, “Oh, that [radiation] is going to get in my child, don’t put the phone by my child.” So normally, I wouldn’t have it.
But that day, as I’m rocking him, the phone rings, and I see it’s my father. I normally would not have picked up, because I don’t like to be on the phone with the baby there. I would’ve called him back. Something said, “Pick up the phone.” I picked up, he was very happy, and he was like, “Baby, I could come on Monday” Because he had been waiting to be able to come to Cali to help me. I kept on saying, “Come on out.” He wasn’t really happy, but I knew that, when he came be with us, we were going to be happy.
He is this amazing, great person, who livens up the whole house. I was like, “Yes, we were going to get help.” And then, we went to bed, and sometime late, while we were all asleep, the phone rang. And it was my mother, telling me that my father was in an accident and that she didn’t know what was going to happen, and she would call me back. And then, everything started spinning, literally, because now, also, I just had my baby. After I had my baby was the first time in my life that I ever fainted. I never knew what it felt like to faint, but I’m already hypersensitive with everything. So to get that call, and it’s the exact replica of a call, I had in about four or five dreams, but it was the exact replica of one particular dream I had about this.
[In the dream] the person was saying, “Such and such, your mom, we’re going to call you back and let you know how it went.” But this call now is with my father. And I’m like, “Wait a minute. I dreamt this.” But I remembered, in the dream, I didn’t get the call back. I didn’t remember how it ended. So I called my pastor and we started praying. But two nights before that, I had already texted three, four people, because it was including my mother. And I said, “Something bad is happening, and everybody needs to pray.”
But anyway, because I knew the two days before, I saw all this blood coming out of someone’s head laying on the floor, but the person was conscious, they were scared, but it was just pouring out in the hair. And I’m like thinking, “Whatever, whatever.” I sent that text to everybody like, “This is crazy.”
And then, two nights later, this happened. So I opened the album with saying, “You never got to meet papa. He sweet proper, he keep Mama on my toes.” What else I said? “You never got to meet Papa.” So I call my son Papa Bear. So I’m telling my father, “You never got to meet Papa.” And then, I begin to explain the time from my mother first calling me, telling me he was in an accident, to her calling me, telling me that he didn’t make it. So I’m like, “The waiting, the pacing, the raving.” And at the end, “I just believed you’d awaken, a memory in the making. Call me. Won’t you call me? Are you gone already?” Because I couldn’t believe so fast from accident on.
A few hours earlier. He was the happiest that I had heard him in a long time. But anyway, but what was interesting, why I said, ” Are you gone already?” is because I knew he was gone already. Because while we were praying, the prayer changed to not like being “Help him or duh, duh, duh.” The way the pastor just started speaking him was like calling him back.
It feels as if we’ve been drowning in all things Barbie lately. The Margot Robbie-led film was a global blockbuster hit, and prolonging the pink-themed celebrations is Nicki Minaj. We’re approaching exactly one month since the Queen Barb dropped her anticipated Pink Friday 2, and fans have made sure to run the rapper’s latest up the charts.
As we wade through another season of Nicki stacking one accolade after another, the Rap icon sat down with Ebro Darden for Apple Music 1. The two chatted about the evolution of Nicki’s career as a femcee legend and, of course, touched on the rapper’s fiercely guarded private life. This includes the tragic death of Minaj’s father, Robert Maraj, in 2021 after he was hit by a car. She reflected on her final conversation with him.
“I picked up [the phone], he was very happy, and he was like, ‘Baby, I could come on Monday,’ because he had been waiting to be able to come to Cali to help me. I kept on saying, ‘Come on out.’ He wasn’t really happy, but I knew that when he came to be with us, we were going to be happy.”
The “Barbie World” hitmaker also spoke on reuniting with Drake—and named which one of her Pink Friday 2 tracks was initially intended to be on For All the Dogs. Watch the candid interview above and read through a few standout soundbites from Nicki Minaj below.
On If She Feels Loved By The Hip Hop Community
Ebro: But you know you’re loved, right? You know you’re appreciated and loved. Do you know that?
Nicki Minaj: By my fans, abso-f*cking-lutely, yeah.
Ebro: But just by hip hop in general, do you think that?
Nicki Minaj: I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know.
Ebro: I have never met a person who has fixed their lips to say, “Nicki’s not dope.” People might be like, I don’t personally listen to her albums, but they know skill-wise. And is that for you, as someone who came up in this game and fought to have respect right next to the dudes, the only woman that’s ever been on a record with Hov and Ye and Em and F*cking Carey, right? I think that’s what has always mattered to you the most.
Nicki Minaj: Always. Always has. Always has mattered to me that, whether you knew how I look, whether you knew where I was from, whether you knew if I was a male, female, whatever, all that mattered to me was that, “Are they liking my raps?” And somewhere along the line, that shifted, and it’s everyone’s fault, as a whole, as our culture. It’s insane to go backwards. And I’m keeping it a thousand, because when I think about the people who inspired me, I can still pull from them right now. That’s why Biggie, rest in peace, he seems to always make his way on my projects. And I didn’t even realize that.
You know what I’m saying? So thank God I had those kinds of people that, right now, I can still pull inspiration from them, when I don’t have anything to pull from, whether it’s Biggie, whether it’s Jay, whether it’s Foxy, whether it’s Wayne, whether it’s Lauryn Hill, because they were so great, that I don’t care about any of Biggie Smalls’ videos or Lauryn Hill’s videos. I care about the music. When I was riding on the trains to school, I had my CD player and my headphones. I didn’t give a sh*t about what any of them looked like. And it kind of has become a little whatever.
On Drake Sending Her “Seeing Green”
I was having so much writer’s block and dealing with being a mom and losing my father and losing a couple other people that were really close to me. But when Drake sent me “Seeing Green,” even though I went down in my studio three different times, I got it done. I pushed myself to be better. I was mad at myself for being… I’m like, “Am I late? What is wrong? What’s happening?” But I know one thing, I knew I was going to send him back a mother*cking verse he was going to mother*cking love. That’s what it is, sacrifice too about, it’s your passion. The f*cking best basketball player in the world, the best boxer in the world, they sacrifice. Why? Because they want to be the best. So why is it, in music, there’s no trade anymore?
On Collaborating With Drake For All The Dogs But Adding The Track To PF2
Well, he told the fans at his tour that I was going to be able on his album. And actually, the song he was talking about was “Needle.” But he ended up feeling like sonically it didn’t match For All The Dogs. And I, from day one felt like it matched Pink Friday 2. But even before that, so long ago, I remember joking with Juice and I think my homeboys, I was like, yo, maybe, you know what? You never know. Maybe something happens and it’ll get to be on my album. And this was probably almost a year ago.
I first heard that song in Trinidad when I was in Trinidad for Carnival, so that was in February. And as soon as I heard it, I played it like Glam. We were there doing everything, so they heard it, too. Everybody loved it, and I wanted it for my album. So it was just God’s timing. He said, he asked me did I want it for my album. I was like, absolutely. So the fans were mad thinking that, but he didn’t tell them that there was a change.
And I didn’t either. But yeah, I mean, you know what? It worked out for the best. He did also send me another song, but I wanted our next song to be just Dricki, me and him. And that is what “Needle” is. And it just makes “Needle” the perfect Drake and Nicki song.
My father had just passed. So, right after I had the baby, and it was during Corona, and nobody knew what was going on. So, one day, I was rocking the baby, and I don’t normally have the phone on me when I’m rocking him. Because at that time, I was mad strict, like, “Oh, that [radiation] is going to get in my child, don’t put the phone by my child.” So, normally, I wouldn’t have it.
But that day, as I’m rocking him, the phone rings, and I see it’s my father. I normally would not have picked up, because I don’t like to be on the phone with the baby there. I would’ve called him back. Something said, “Pick up the phone.” I picked up, he was very happy, and he was like, “Baby, I could come on Monday,” because he had been waiting to be able to come to Cali to help me. I kept on saying, “Come on out.” He wasn’t really happy, but I knew that when he came to be with us, we were going to be happy.
He is this amazing, great person who livens up the whole house. I was like, “Yes, we were going to get help.” We went to bed, and sometime late, while we were all asleep, the phone rang. It was my mother telling me that my father was in an accident and that she didn’t know what was going to happen, and she would call me back. And then, everything started spinning, literally, because now, also, I just had my baby. After I had my baby was the first time in my life that I ever fainted. I never knew what it felt like to faint, but I’m already hypersensitive with everything. So, to get that call, and it’s the exact replica of a call I had in about four or five dreams, but it was the exact replica of one particular dream I had about this.
[In the dream] the person was saying, “Such and such, your mom, we’re going to call you back and let you know how it went.” But this call now is with my father. And I’m like, “Wait a minute. I dreamt this.” But I remembered, in the dream, I didn’t get the call back. I didn’t remember how it ended. So, I called my pastor, and we started praying. But two nights before that, I had already texted three, four people, because it was including my mother. And I said, “Something bad is happening, and everybody needs to pray.”
But anyway, because I knew the two days before, I saw all this blood coming out of someone’s head laying on the floor, but the person was conscious. They were scared, but it was just pouring out in the hair. And I’m like thinking, “Whatever, whatever.” I sent that text to everybody like, “This is crazy.”
And then, two nights later, this happened. So, I opened the album with saying, “You never got to meet papa. He sweet proper, he keep Mama on my toes.” What else I said? “You never got to meet Papa.” So, I call my son Papa Bear. So I’m telling my father, “You never got to meet Papa.” And then, I begin to explain the time from my mother first calling me, telling me he was in an accident, to her calling me, telling me that he didn’t make it. So I’m like, “The waiting, the pacing, the raving.” And at the end, “I just believed you’d awaken, a memory in the making. Call me. Won’t you call me? Are you gone already?” Because I couldn’t believe it so fast from accident on.
A few hours earlier, he was the happiest that I had heard him in a long time. But what was interesting—why I said, “Are you gone already?” is because I knew he was gone already. Because while we were praying, the prayer changed to not like being, “Help him or duh, duh, duh.” The way the pastor just started speaking to him was like calling him back.
Nicki Minaj brought her Queen aura to E11EVEN nightclub in Miami to ring in the New Year. During her performance, Nicki would cut “Starships,” revealing the song is no longer in her setlist. I don’t perform that song no more, y’all,” Minaj said. “I don’t like it, what y’all want me to do?”
Nicki Minaj stops her hit ‘Starships’ early at a New Year’s Eve event.
To close 2023, Nicki Minaj found herself on a Billboard chart she never topped before: the Hot Gospel Chart. According to Billboard, Minaj’s “Blessings,” a Pink Friday 2 collaboration with gospel star Tasha Cobbs Leonard, has hit No. 1.
Billboard notes the single pulled in 3.1 million U.S. streams and 3,000 downloads, taking over both the Gospel Streaming Songs and Gospel Digital Song Sales charts.
Additionally, Nicki Minaj and her Pink Friday 2 album have flooded the Billboard hot 100. The album sits at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 as well.
Pink Friday 2 launched 14 songs into the Hot 100, with two debuting into the top 40, “Everybody” feat Lil Uzi Vert at No. 26 and “Needle” feat. Drake at No. 34.
Pink Friday 2 has now pushed Minaj to the top of the list of female rappers with the most No. 1 albums on Billboard.
Before the release of the album, Minaj was tied with Foxy Brown for the record. Pink Friday 2 moved 228,000 equivalent album units in the week ending Dec. 14.
Additionally, the album is the biggest debut for a female HIp-Hop album in Spotify history. The album also sold 25,000 copies of vinyl.