S. Samuel
Young Money's Nicki Minaj discusses toning down her sexual content in the new issue of Complex magazine.
Within her feature, Minaj talks about trying to find a balance between brashness and modesty.
“On ‘My Chick Bad,’ I had to show people that I can spit a verse without sex or talking about how good I look. I’m actually timid when it comes to being overtly sexy, which is weird because in the beginning people thought of me like some freakin’ porn star. Guys reference sex all the time in their raps–I can’t even think of a record where [Lil] Wayne doesn’t talk about sex–but when a female does it, people start tuning out. Then this gay dude the other day told me, ‘I say to dudes, ‘Maybe it’s time to put this p*ssy on your sideburns.’ I was crying laughing and I was like, ‘I can’t take this sh*t out of my act.’ People live for that sh*t. [Laughs.] I just have to balance it a little bit. ” (Complex)
Earlier this summer, Minaj said young listeners played a role in her wanting to limit her racy references.
“I made a conscious decision to try to tone down the sexiness,” she tells Interview magazine. “I want people–especially young girls–to know that in life, nothing is going to be based on sex appeal. You’ve got to have something else to go with that…I don’t mind being called a weirdo…There are a lot of people in hip-hop who are probably never going to get what I do. But, by just being myself, I end up touching a lot more people who might never have paid much attention to a female rapper.” (Rap-Up)
Recently, Minaj talked about limiting her sexy lyrics and toning down her antics in order to be taken more seriously.
“When I grew up I saw females doing certain things, and I thought I had to do that exactly…The female rappers of my day spoke about sex a lot . . . and I thought that to have the success they got, I would have to represent the same thing. When in fact I didn’t have to represent the same thing…I’m not abandoning the funny voices. I just did a crazy tribute to ODB‘s ‘Shimmy Shimmy Ya’…But it’s coming up more with the album. I had a teacher in elementary who would stand on her table and whisper. We’d all turn around like, ‘What is this lunatic doing?’ But she would achieve what she wanted. She wanted us to stop talking and listen. I feel like I need to mellow it down so people can hear what I have to say.” (VIBE)
Earlier this year, Minaj claimed she was trying to ditch the sex symbol image.
“I don’t know where I fit in the spectrum of rap yet, I think now I’m kind of proving myself, but before, people thought I was more of a sex symbol or wannabe sex symbol. Now they’re seeing. That’s why I make the goofiest faces, I don’t want people to think I’m up here trying to be cute. I’m trying toentertain, and entertaining is more than exuding sex appeal. I don’t think that’s fun. I don’t find it fun watching someone trying to be sexy. It’s wack. I’m trying to just show my true personality, and I think that means more than anything else. I think when personality is at the forefront, its not about male or female, its just about, who is this weird character?” (The FADER)
Check out a past Nicki Minaj interview below:
