Nicki Minaj Is The Boss In Her Marie Claire Cover Story

The New York rapper discusses double standards for women of color in media and working with Beyoncé for the magazine’s November issue.

October 11, 2016

Nicki Minaj is the cover star of Marie Claire's November issue and, in her interview, she discusses double standards for women of color in media, competing with her male counterparts in the rap game, and how black women bear the burden of violence against black men in America.

ADVERTISEMENT

"When Kim Kardashian’s naked picture came out, [Sharon Osbourne] praised it, and my fans attacked her for being such a hypocrite," Minaj tells Marie Claire. "So it wasn’t trashy and raunchy when a white woman did it, but it was when a black woman did it? It’s quite pathetic and sad, but that is my reality, and I’ve gotten accustomed to just shutting it down.”

Regarding the killing of black men in America, Minaj spoke about the overlooked emotional burdens that this violence causes black women: “We tend to not remember the black women who are mourning these men and who are thinking, Oh, my God, what am I going to tell my child now about where his father is, and the struggle it is for black women to then move on after they lose their husband or their boyfriend … The strong women in these inner cities often go unnoticed … no one really ever puts a hand out to them.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Nick Minaj was very hands on in making the cover shoot go off without a hitch, as shown in a behind-the-scenes video. Minaj plays the roles of star, make-up artist. P.A., and photographer in the light-hearted sketch. One role she didn't take was creative director. That belongs to Nina Garcia, who also stars in the video and says of Minaj: "Everyone know Nicki runs every little aspect of her empire." Watch her bossing the shoot below and read Nicki Minaj's Marie Claire cover story here.

ADVERTISEMENT
Nicki Minaj Is The Boss In Her Marie Claire Cover Story