After twerking in front of thousands at the Tidal X concert, and bowing down to her idol, Lauryn Hill, Nicki Minaj called morning show The Breakfast Club on Monday (Oct. 17) to discuss meeting Hill for the first time in-person, postponing her forthcoming TV show, and the newer rap acts she loves.
Here are the highlights from the convo below.
On meeting Lauryn Hill:
“Oh my god. Such a surreal moment. I couldn’t control myself. I was at a loss for words, and she was super sweet and gracious, and I was not expecting that. She was in the room right next to me the whole time, and I was kind of nervous to even run into her in the hallway. Then all of a sudden, I literally said the words, “Do y’all realize my idol is right there?” and within 30 seconds of saying that, she walked into my room.
“Shout out to Ms. Lauryn Hill for being epic, and I told her, ‘I want you to know this, that you changed everyone’s life.’ Everyone who I know feels like their life was a little changed by Lauryn’s Miseducation [of Lauryn Hill album].”
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On spending time in her native New York:
“I have so many things that I’m working on that are really exciting, so I’m happy about that. I’ve been in New York for a while. I feel like New York gives such a different energy, and I’m happy to be home.”
On postponing her comedy series:
“It’s postponed because a lot of things were happening at the same time. Creatively, we wanted to make some changes with the pilot. We’re taking our time. Everyone involved, [executive producer] Aaron Kaplan, wants it to be perfect, and I felt like there were other things that needed to be figured out first.”
On co-signing newer artists:
“I got a thing for Young M.A. Something about her, man, I really love. I’ve met Dej Loaf, I think she’s dope, too. People act like just being a female rapper is hard, but being a male rapper and being taken seriously is hard, too. We’re in the era of mumble rap and it’s men, and some of it is super dope and some of it is like, ‘Okay, let’s see where this goes.’ But it’s always difficult becoming a staple in hip-hop. It’s only a few superstars who become staples in hip-hop.
“So shout out to all the women coming up that are paying attention to lyrics. I love a lot of the new guys, too. I feel like they’re super fun. I love Lil Uzi, I love the melodies. I love Fetty. I did something with Fetty that’s gonna come out soon that I think is super dope.”
On putting out a Beam Me Up Scotty II:
“I listened to the mixtape on Tidal and I’m just like, ‘Yo, this is pretty dope.’ I think when artists are in their mixtape season, they don’t give themselves rules, and one of the most freeing things is just doing what the hell you want to do and having fun. During that time, I just did what I wanted to do. I didn’t think anybody was gonna really hear me so I was like, ‘Hey, I’m free to make mistakes.'”
“That’s the beauty of art. When you feel that you’re free to make mistakes, it propels you to another level of freedom … If I was working on a mixtape, I wouldn’t tell anybody. I would just surprise my fans with it.”
On Safaree’s twerking skills in comparison to her dressing room video:
“He can’t do better than that. [Laughs] I could tell y’all some stories but I ain’t.”