Nicki Minaj is the queen of multiple thrones – rap, entrepreneurship and motherhood. The multifaceted mogul has proven time and time again that she is a force to be reckoned with.
With a career spanning over a decade, she is known for her many hits and catchy rap flows. The Grammy-nominated rapper has had quite a remarkable career, and she later paused to focus on being a mother.
In a recent interview with “Vogue Italia”, Minaj opened up about navigating motherhood and fame, a chapter she’s embraced later in her career.
After years of dominating the music industry, Minaj took a step back to focus on being a mother to her four-year-old son, whose name has never been made public but is affectionately known as “Papa Bear”. She shares her son with her husband, Kenneth “Zoo” Petty.
The 42-year-old rap icon revealed that she prioritised her career and supporting her family before starting one of her own, which led her to delay motherhood until later in life.
She said, “As a woman, I put off becoming a mother. A lot of women in the industry, especially older than me, never had children. Some don’t regret it, but others do. I put it off.
“And I didn’t go to every Thanksgiving, every Christmas, or birthday party because I had to work to support my family. I think the price was not having a ‘normal’ life.
“Things are different now, because I can give my son things I never had, but there are things I want to make sure he has, and I still need to figure out how to give them to him.”
She added that while her successful career has granted her the ability to provide for her son, as a celebrity mother, she still faces challenges when it comes to protecting her son’s privacy, as she consistently has to weigh the importance of spending quality time with him against the risk of him being photographed.
“When we go out, for example, I have to worry about someone photographing it. So every day I have to decide: is it more important to go for a ride with my son or to avoid him being photographed?”
The Trinidadian rapper also opened up about the criticism that comes with being in the limelight and how it has affected her over the years in the music industry.
In April, she was named “Best Female Rapper of All-Time” by “Billboard” based on a comprehensive set of criteria, including chart performance, cultural impact, lyrical skill, longevity, as well as flow.
Despite achieving immense success with over 100 million records sold, the “Super Bass” hitmaker admits that she has struggled with self-doubt due to the constant criticism she faced, which had her questioning her position in the music industry.
“I’ve heard every possible criticism about me. I’ve thought about quitting so many times. I’m glad I didn’t. I hope my story can be an inspiration and push kids, adults, anyone, not to give up,” she said.
When asked about her next album, she revealed that she has a lot of music in the vault, however, she does not want to rush creating an album as she wants it to be meaningful to her and her fans.
