Nicki Minaj tones it all the way down in the April issue of Elle magazine. The Pink Friday rapper [whose notoriously known for her bold make-up, pink lipstick, and multi-colored wigs; scaled back to her authentic looks for her latest magazine cover and boy does she look GREAT. So what made her do it? Well, Nicki says that removing the a few layers of her public persona for the mag was HUGE step for her.
“I’m so, so attached to my pink lipstick, it’s hard,” Minaj told the magazine. “To go in front of the camera without pink lips or big ol’ crazy lashes; you know, Nothing! I felt naked.””It was scary!” Minaj said. “So this photo shoot was a real accomplishment in my eyes.”
In the mag, Minaj talked a little about her childhood experience coming from west indies [Trinidad] to the United States and having to adjust to American culture. Minaj says she was often “bullied” in her earlier years
“I went through a lot of bullying early on,” Minaj said. “Girls made my life a living hell. We had come to America from a different country. My brother and I had accents. It was very tough.”
“My advice to women in general: Even if you’re doing a nine-to-five job, treat yourself like a boss. Not arrogant, but be sure of what you want — and don’t allow people to run anything for you without your knowledge. You want everyone to know, Okay, I can’t play games with her. I have to do right by this woman”
Nicki went on to say that her initial dreams when entering the rap game was to buy her mother a home. However, now she seeks to do more for her legacy.
“My goal in the beginning was to buy my mother a house. Now I realize, okay, if I really focus and become a key player in business, then I can build an empire – says Minaj. I’m thinking of a legacy that I can be proud of and wealth that my grandchildren can use to go to college, she said. So world domination — in terms of providing for my family — is absolutely my goal.”
Bonus: Here’s a funny clip of Nicki Minaj playing interviewer and interviewee with her self with the help of one of her other alter-ego’s Nicole. Take a watch below: