S. Samuel
Young Money rapper Nicki Minaj opens up about her gay fan base and how much of an impact they have on her movement in the new issue of Out magazine.
In her feature, Minaj also reveals Lil Wayne‘s uneasiness toward gay fans.
“Obviously, the majority of the men in hip-hop don’t want you to think they’re gay. That’s just the reality of it,” Minaj says. “I’m a woman, so I have a lot more flexibility. And I don’t lose credibility in any way if I say I think girls are dope and sexy…Normally, Wayne probably wouldn’t have gay guys coming to see his shows much, but they’re definitely a big part of my movement, and I hope they’d still come out and see me…I think that will be really, really interesting, just to start bridging that gap. We’ll see.” (Out)
Earlier this year, Minaj talked about one day hoping to witness a male rapper openly admit to being gay.
“I have a lot of freedom to be crazy. I can rap in a London accent, make weird faces, wear spandex, wigs, and black lipstick,” Minaj explained in an interview. “I can be more creative than the average male rapper. And I can show my boobs. Guys can’t do that…I think the world is getting more gay-friendly, so hip-hop is too. But it’s harder to imagine an openly gay male rapper being embraced. People view gay men as having no street credibility. But I think we’ll see one in my lifetime.” (Details)
Fellow New York rapper Fat Joe addressed singer Ricky Martin coming out of the closet last April.
“Everybody’s their own man,” he wrote in a blog post. “And if Ricky Martin felt like he had to come out of the closet and that’s what he does and that’s what he represents, then good for him. It ain’t for me to make a decision whether he should come out or whatever the case may be…With me, it’s all about being comfortable with who you are and if you gay, fine, be gay. I’m not gay but fine, you do what you do. I’ll do what I do. I think it’s 2010 and everybody should be allowed to live happy and live their lives and whatever makes you happy, then so be it.” (VIBE)
Minaj recently talked about having a multi-layered rap image.
“I think very often people miss that I’m from New York, and I don’t really know why that is, but I remember I said on Twitter one time, ‘Shout out to Queens,’ and all of the gay boys thought I was talking to them, and I realized that people haven’t gotten that I’m Southside Jamaica, Queens, New York City. I feel like I say it a lot, but I guess I’m not saying it that much, or it’s that I’m so diverse and I don’t always rap with the New York accent–I switch it up, you know. People don’t see me as just repping one city or one state. I actually really like that. That was always my goal: to be able to bridge that gap, you know, whether it’s to London.” (XXL Magazine)
Check out Nicki Minaj’s interview with Out down below:
