Nicki Minaj is a hip-hop superstar and one of the biggest artists on the Young Money label. But the famous femcee recognized early on the realities of being a woman in the male-dominated world of hip-hop–especially being a woman with such a highly-sexualized persona. In a recent interview with MTV, Minaj acknowledged that she made sure to protect herself assuring that no one thought they could take advantage of her. She admitted that she was adamant about not developing an “industry reputation.”
“When I started being around Young Money, [Lil Wayne] thought I was shy. It wasn’t that I was shy, I just didn’t want anybody to think I was easy,” she shared. “No matter what my lyrics were saying, when I got around these guys, I was a prude, because I didn’t want anyone in this game to ever be able to say ‘I had s*x with her’ or ‘when she needed a deal, she had to…’ No.”
Despite recently appearing in the steamy “High School” video with Wayne, and despite her label-mate Drake‘s admission that he was intensely attracted to her earlier in their careers, Minaj steered clear of any questionable behavior–lest her credibility become compromised.
“Until this day, not one single man in this industry can say that and I pride myself on that,” the 30-year old explained. “That’s the only bit of advice I would give the up-and-coming female rappers. You could be as sexy as you want, just maintain your dignity around these guys.”
