In the midst of Nicki Minaj releasing her two new singles “Chun-Li” and “Barbie Tingz” on World Record with Zane Lowe, the Queens native opened up in a way that most fans have never heard before, but have been dreaming about for some time. Nicki not only opened up about her artistic process of late, but she also touched on her relationship to social media, Meek Mill’s legal situation, and the thing that everybody has been dying to know most: her feelings about Cardi B. Here are seven standout moments from rap’s leading lady sitting down with Zane Lowe:
1. Nicki talked about her relationship with Cardi B, with whom many fans have speculated she had issues. The conversation largely dealt with how the public perceived Nicki and Cardi not appearing in the “Motorsport” video together as Nicki Minaj being difficult. She told her side of the story.
“The only thing with Cardi that really, really, really hurt my feelings was the first interview she did after ‘MotorSport’ came out… With ‘MotorSport,’ I kinda felt ambushed. Up until this recent interview she did, I had never seen her show me genuine love in an interview. And I can just imagine how many girls wished they could be on a song with Nicki Minaj.”
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2. Zane Lowe asked what it felt like for Nicki to be in the middle of Drake and Meek Mill’s beef in 2015. She admitted to being in an uncomfortable situation:
“At the time I did love both of them. I couldn’t erase the love I had for my team, but I also couldn’t speak out, I couldn’t say much.”
3. Nicki got particularly passionate when asked about the drama surrounding the release of “Motorsport.” When it dropped, there was speculation about her not wanting Cardi B to be on the song, especially after mentioning that the track was initially intended for her and Quavo only:
“I kind of felt ambushed,” she said after Quavo “didn’t back [her] up” on the story of how the record came about.
Nicki also said that Quavo’s told her: “I would go on Twitter and back you up if you were my girl.”
4. Nicki confirmed that she’d be going on her own tour at some point this year but didn’t specify when that would be happening. Save your money now:
“I’m gonna announce the tour soon and I can’t wait to go around the world. I’m going to everybody’s country. Let’s go.”
5. Lil Wayne and Birdman made separate, surprise calls onto the show in which both praised Nicki’s influence on the rap game:
“She made her own way and there’s a gang of people, not only women, following her path,” Wayne said.
On the two’s recent legal disputes, Nicki added: “When there’s a dispute with family, I don’t take sides.”
6. When talking about another previous dispute, Zane asked Nicki about her relationship with Azealia Banks, who once said Nicki’s music was “basic” during a Twitter rant in 2015. Since then, the two have made up, which Banks revealed on Instagram last year.
“When people apologize and they acknowledge their wrongs, I move on… And also, Azealia Banks’ new record is dope.”
7. Before the interview ended, Minaj also revealed that she had been considering to not release anymore albums. But due to her fans’ consistent support, she had a change of heart.
“I wanna say, I’ve been reading your tweets. I’m glad you love the records,” she said. “I feed off of your energy and I love you. Without you, I didn’t know if I would’ve put out another album.”
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