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.Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj -
Suit and shirt Dsquared2. Tie Oliver Grant.
Nicki Minaj -
Shirt and pants, Dsquared2. Tie Oliver grant.
Nicki Minaj -
On the left. Total look Prada. On the right. Completo Roberto Cavalli. Tie used as belt, Thom Browne.
Nicki Minaj -
Total look Philipp Plein. Shoes Giuseppe Zanotti.
Nicki Minaj has a precise goal in mind and a tight game plan to get there: the New York rapper wants to earn five hundred million dollars and leave a permanent mark on the world of music. All within four years. After which, she will retreat and become a full-time mother. "I gave myself a time limit to reach my professional goals", says the 32 year-old singer on the telephone from her home in Los Angeles. "I don’t want to work my whole life without ever experiencing the joys of a family".
The singer, originally from Trinidad and Tobago, author of hits like Anaconda, Super Bass and Starships, never kept her ambitions a secret. And, in fact, she is not far from realizing them. Her rise to stardom was lightning quick, even by the Warholian standards of the term, thanks to a mixture of musical talent, sensuality and arrogance, which have transformed her in just a few years into the most influential woman in the history of hip hop. To gain respect in a world dominated by men who measure themselves by bouts of rhymes and testosterone, Minaj had to fight with her teeth and nails. She created a name for herself through her cameos in the songs of other male rappers (such as Monster with Kanye West, Jay-Z and Rick Ross). She constructed a persona with coloured wigs and eccentric costumes that highlight her body’s curves. And she has demonstrated her talent by mixing salty lyrics with passionate rhythms and risqué choreographies. "At first no one took me seriously», said the musician, who at the end of November will publish her third album, entitled The Pink Print. "In the world of rap, women are usually relegated to the choir".
With millions of records sold, tens of awards won and numerous sponsorships (including perfumes, clothing lines, cosmetics and toys), today this impression has definitely changed. The Caribbean artist, born Onika Maraj, is the only woman ever to have appeared on the Cash Kings list of highest paid rappers compiled by Forbes, the latest version placing her at number four, with 29 million dollars earned in 2013. It is therefore not surprising that Minaj has been compared to a female version of Jay-Z, considered the King Midas of hip hop for his ability to mix artistry and business. "It’s no coincidence that we have the same Zodiac sign – Sagittarius", points out Minaj, laughing at the comparison.
Minaj personally manages all of her business affairs, and since day one she has always aimed at transforming her name into a brand. "I want to build my empire. In my field, I have always seen men do it – from Diddy to Dr. Dre to Jay-Z. Now it’s a woman’s turn". In order to earn her success, she has created the image of a volatile and man-eating woman, who places her career above all else. It is therefore surprising to hear her dreaming about a traditional family with "an upright man, who will take care of me. The time is not yet ripe, but when I decide to get married and become a mother", she adds, speaking of her future soul mate, "I would like to take a hiatus and dedicate myself completely to my child".
On the other hand, family has always been a fundamental point of reference for the singer, through the good times and the bad. A few years after her birth, Minaj was left in the custody of her grandmother on the island of Trinidad while her parents emigrated to the United States in search of fortune. In the beginning, Minaj believed the separation would only last a few weeks, the time it would take to find a work and an apartment in New York. But two years passed before her mother came back to get her. In that period, the future rapper forged a profound relationship with her grandmother and with her entire extended family, who all took care of her and her brother. When her mother finally returned to the Caribbean island to take her back to the Big Apple, Minaj expected to fly to a land of fairy tales. But rather, she was catapulted into a nightmare. When they landed in New York, it was winter – unbearably cold, especially for someone who has never left the Caribbean. Her home in Queens, not far from JFK airport, was small and squallid; her father had fallen victim to crack fever – having become violent, unstable and unable to hold a job, he resorted to stealing from the household to support his toxic habits.
They were dark years for Minaj, who spent much of her time in a fantasy world, developing a series of imaginary characters, whom she would re-use in her musical career to express contradictory aspects of her personality. Roman Zolanski, angry, gay lunatic; Harajuku Barbie, the quintessence of femininity with baby-pink hair; Martha, Roman’s mother, with a strong British accent. In that period, Minaj saw her mother work exhausting hours to provide for her family while suffering her husband’s abuses. And she swore to herself that her life would turn out differently. "That experience had a profound influence on my way of being a woman – never let a man cross the line or control me, especially in my career". The absence of her father (with whom, since his coming clean, she has rebuilt a relationship) further strengthened Minaj’s relationship with her mother, who supported and guided her in all of her choices. It was she, for example, who pushed her toward the world of performance, convincing her not to give up after her first rejection from LaGuardia High School, the mythical New York high school from the series, Fame. By the irony of destiny, in fact, Minaj failed the musical audition and was accepted to the school because of her talent as an actress, a gift set aside in pursuit of her rap career, but which she dusted off this year for a role alongside Cameron Diaz in the comedy “The Other Woman”.
"Family has always been very important to me, and that is why I want to wait until the right moment before starting my own. Right now I am too busy, but at a certain point the situation will change". The question of how she will appease the role of a performer and business woman with that of a mother comes up often. For now, Minaj is so busy that at times she feels overwhelmed. Her most recent breakdown came during her return from Paris, where Beyoncé had invited her for a duet during a concert in mid-September. «I was flying in a private jet, tired from the performance and the jetlag, but instead of sleeping, I worried about all of the deadlines waiting for me in Los Angeles. I got really scared – I had a sort of panic attack". The problem is that Minaj always wants to be in control of everything and is not good at delegating to others. Luckily, however, beyond the stress it brought on, her trip to Paris helped her to confront these issues with someone who has made similar choices – and to come out of it with her chin up. "Seeing Beyoncé with her daughter and husband was so tender, and it showed me that it is possible to be an animal on stage and a caring mother at the same time".
Fashion Assistant Dwight Reeves
Tailor Malisa Brown@In-House Atelier.
Manicure Kiyo Okada@Marek and Associates.
Hair stylist Brent Lawler@Streeters using Oribe Hair Care.
Make up artist Mylah Morales@Tracey Mattingly using Laura Mercier.
Fashion Editor Rushka Bergman
Photo by Francesco Carrozzini
L'Uomo Vogue, October 2014 (n. 454)
