Earlier this week, Nicki Minaj sat down for a nearly two-hour-long interview with Joe Budden on Instagram Live. During the interview, she talked about her fourth album, Queen, which she admitted wasn’t “presented correctly,” a label and management company she’s working on founding, and her overall influence on hip-hop.
When Minaj first stepped onto the scene, she donned a pink wig, which made up her signature look, and is now part of many female rappers’ repertoires.
“I would never see any female rapper wearing pink hair, pink hair became a part of that starter kit,” Minaj said in the interview. “Every female rapper will put on a pink wig at some point.”
Still, despite the influence of Minaj’s aesthetic, the “Do We Have A Problem?” rapper admitted she’s frustrated at the fact that she’s never been on the cover of Vogue. She also noted that the influence of white artists is regarded differently than that of Black artists.
“When Billie Eilish comes out and sets a trend with her green hair, she’s immediately put on American Vogue,” Minaj said, before later recalling pleasant encounters with Vogue editor Anna Wintour.
Minaj later said, “The same way I feel like I should have been on the cover of American Vogue, so should have Lil Kim, if we being all the way a thousand.” She continued, saying, “When myself or Lil Kim goes on the internet, every day we see our influence. I’m not gonna say it’s about me only and not give that woman her just due about what she did.”
Early Minaj songs, including “Roman’s Revenge” and “Stupid Hoe” are thought to be about Kim. While Minaj has never confirmed the subject of these songs, Kim has slammed Minaj several times, including in a Hot 97 interview with Ebro and Peter Rosenberg, where she called Minaj “a snake,” but said she’d be willing to collaborate with her.
Check out the full interview above.