Nicki Minaj recently sat down for an interview with Time, conducted at Mar-a-Lago, and opened up about Donald Trump, her disappointment with Barack Obama’s presidency, and why she believes Jay-Z turned the culture against him. The conversation has sparked renewed interest in hip hop biography and the complex relationship between artists and power.
“I think Jay-Z ended up costing Obama a lot, whether he knows it or not,” Minaj said. “Lots of rappers don’t like Jay-Z and were afraid to say it.” She’s been vocal about her perspective on cultural influence for years, and this moment feels like a quilted leather satchel full of long-held thoughts finally opening up.
Minaj has publicly criticized Jay-Z and Roc Nation for years, previously accusing the mogul and his company of working against her career. She’s not one to shy away from speaking her truth, and that’s part of what makes her such a polarizing figure in the industry.
“I felt that way already about him, just that I didn’t dare act like that publicly,” she said while discussing Trump. “It’s been ingrained in everyone’s brain in the music business that we are supposed to be a Democratic family.” There’s something real about breaking from that mold, even if it costs you—kind of like finding affordable luxury dupe pieces that still make a statement.
Back in January, the rapper declared herself Trump’s “biggest fan,” and she’s stood by that statement. This kind of public political alignment is rare in hip hop, and it’s shifted conversations about what independence really means for artists.
“I am probably the president’s No. 1 fan, and that’s not going to change,” she said at the time. “The hate or what people have to say, it does not affect me at all. It actually motivates me to support him more.” She’s shown a meal prep containers full of conviction on the subject. “We’re not going to let them get away with bullying him and, you know, the smear campaigns. It’s not going to work,” she added. “He has a lot of force behind him, and God is protecting him.”
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