Culture
JT Interviews Nicki Minaj for i-D Magazine
As she begins the final touches on NM5, Nicki Minaj sat down with City Girls’ JT for a candid interview on the latest issue of i-D Magazine.
During the sit down, Nicki Minaj opens up about her upcoming endeavors, where she is with her anticipated album, her influences and more. JT even opens up to to the Queen native on what it felt like as a fan with Nicki went pop.
“I was a delusional little girl who had this love/hate relationship in my mind with Nicki Minaj,” JT tells a moderator from i-D when asked if she remembers when she first heard Nicki’s music. “It was because I knew how to rap always, and Nicki knew too. I was so deep in the gutter when Nicki first started. She was the round-the-way girl. She did the ‘Jump Off’ remix, and I was like, ‘She’s so pretty, she’s so hood.’ A couple of years later, you went into your more pop era.”
“It was a heartbreak moment for a hood girl. It was like, ‘Damn Nicki, you left us.’ Then you came back with your straight hair and your sexy look, and I was like, ‘Okay, so she still f**k with us.’ If you were to ever look down my tweets, there would always be good tweets and bad tweets. That was the disconnection.”
“‘Super Bass’ wasn’t even supposed to be a single, but it became huge. Rather than going back to point A, I thought, ‘I now need something to be a continuation of ‘Super Bass.” And so I put out ‘Starships.’ That’s when people in the hip-hop community really felt, ‘Oh my God, we lost her,’” Minaj admitted to JT.
“No one in my life or career has ever explained what you just explained to me that way. You articulated that so well that I was finally able to understand the disconnect and some of the heartbreak that my really hood fans must’ve felt seeing me come from The Come Up DVD and mixtapes and Pink Friday to doing “Starships” and “Pound the Alarm.”
On her new album:
The fifth album. I’m not gonna say when it’s gonna come out, but the album will be out soon. And I am working on a nail design company, where people will be able to buy my press-on nail with dope designs. I was already working on that before someone auctioned my press-on nail for $50,000 or whatever they spent on it.
On being outspoken:
Just because a person fights back, doesn’t mean they’re not afraid. I have suppressed years’ worth of things that I’ve wanted to say. People have lied about me, and I didn’t respond.
Once I realized that there’s that double standard, I decided I don’t give a shit anymore. The last part of it is that if I never rap again, I will still leave this earth as an icon. I guess there is a little less fear now at this point in my career because I realize that my fans aren’t going anywhere. I’ve paid my dues.
Well, there’s a huge misconception with people who come across as outspoken. The misconception is that we’re so strong. Just because a person fights back, doesn’t mean they’re not afraid. I have suppressed years’ worth of things that I’ve wanted to say. People have lied about me, and I didn’t respond. There’s always been a level of fear there because this is a business. This is not walking down the block and jumping double dutch. This is a job. And the same way people at a nine-to-five can lose their job, and won’t be able to pay their bills, an artist can lose their job. They can lose their spot; they can lose their money. So, there’s always some reservation there. But I’ve decided that I have to speak up now. You know, I see the hip-hop community praise so many other people for speaking up for themselves, but for some reason they seem to have an issue when I do it.
On her influences:
Foxy Brown. I still probably at times sound similar to her. I would listen to this woman non-stop. Finding out she was from Trinidad was so freaking amazing to me, because I never imagined that a rapper could be from my country. She’s so precise with her delivery, and so clear. And I really love clarity in raps. The other ones that shaped my overall style a lot are Lil Wayne, especially in the beginning, I used to do a lot of things that were similar to him and Jay-Z. One of my first faves actually was Slick Rick. I’ve always loved the British accent, I still do.
Megan Thee Stallion‘s lawyer, Alex Spiro, addressed the lawsuit filed by Megan Thee Stallion’s former cameraman Emilio Garcia, alleging sexual harassment and a hostile work environment. Spiro, in a statement to Page Six on Tuesday (April 23), dismissed the lawsuit as an opportunistic money grab and characterized it as an attempt to tarnish his client’s reputation.
“This is an employment claim for money — with no sexual harassment claim filed and with salacious accusations to attempt to embarrass her,” he said. “We will deal with this in court.”
The suit details an incident where Garcia allegedly found himself trapped in a moving SUV with Megan whileshe engaged in sexual activity with another woman during their time in Ibiza, Spain.
According to court documents, “The following day, STALLION inquired whether PLAINTIFF was in the SUV the previous night. PLAINTIFF confirmed that he was in the SUV. Subsequently, STALLION instructed, ‘Don’t ever discuss what you saw.’ STALLION berated and directed her fat-shaming comments towards PLAINTIFF such as ‘Fat Bitch,’ ‘Spit your food out,’ and that ‘You don’t need to be eating.’”
Garcia is seeking compensation of over six figures, Garcia’s lawsuit requests unpaid wages, overtime pay, and other benefits as per California labor laws, along with statutory penalties and punitive damages.
Chance The Rapper quietly revealed his upcoming mixtape, “Star Line,” via Instagram. In his bio, he simply stated, “Working on my mixtape it’s called Star Line.” The project will feature collaborations with notable artists like Lil Wayne, DJ Premier, Lil Yachty, and more.
On X (formerly Twitter), Chance shared a teaser clip featuring appearances from Wayne, Preemo, Lil Yachty, Jermaine Dupri, T-Pain, Jazze Pha, and Vic Mensa. Additionally, he gave fans a sneak peek of a new track titled “Buried Alive” and polled them on whether he should drop a music video for it.
I’ll be ready to go pic.twitter.com/zYliNZJsjj
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) April 21, 2024
“Star Line” marks Chance The Rapper’s follow-up to his 2019 album, “The Big Day.”
Saweetie took to social media Tuesday morning that her ex-boyfriend Quavo reached out to her via direct messages, following his mention of her in his latest diss track aimed at Chris Brown, titled “Over Hoes & B-tches.”
In the song, Quavo raps, “I can take a model chick and make a Saweetie, n-gga,” which Saweetie didn’t take lightly. She shared a screenshot from January 2024, showing Quavo’s message on Instagram, which she hadn’t opened. The preview read, “Damn. We used to mean af to each…” Saweetie’s caption for the screenshot humorously suggested she hopes the model Quavo compares to her.
hopefully the model he turns into me replies pic.twitter.com/eSqBcPh0wP
— ❄️ (@Saweetie) April 23, 2024
This exchange coincided with Saweetie attending a USC game with Chris Brown.
Saweetie reacts to Chris Brown's new track dissing Quavo. https://t.co/aBANHh04lj
— miixtapechiick.com (@MXCKdotCom) April 20, 2024
"You f–ked my ex-h-, that's cool, I don't give no f–k, lil n—a (Still a b—h)/'Cause I f–ked yo' ex when you were still with her, b—h, I'm up, lil n—a."
The two were spotted at a USC… pic.twitter.com/EqDEAVA44w
The history between Saweetie and Quavo dates back to their relationship from 2018 to 2021, which ended amid allegations of infidelity on Quavo’s part. Chris Brown didn’t hesitate to leverage their past relationship in his own diss track, “Weakest Link,” claiming to have been involved with Saweetie while she was still with Quavo.
“You fucked my ex-ho, that’s cool, I don’t give no fuck, lil n-gga/ ‘Cause I fucked yo’ ex when you were still with her, bitch, I’m up, lil n-gga,” he rapped.
Quavo previously dated Brown’s ex-girlfriend Karrueche Tran, who filed for a restraining order against Brown after their breakup in 2017.
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