A Conversation With Nicki Minaj & Joe Budden

all right Mike Mike Mike we good I'm good voice good last look she looks good I look good all right you know the [ __ ] Vibes yeah we meet once again I'm here with the amazing Nicki Minaj this is our first time in New York talking and this is our first time in album cycle mode talking and this is our first time where I've had to sit and digest music when we talked every other time it was it was low we had to kind of guess what Nikki is doing now we have a good idea I want to start with what is different about Nicki Minaj since the last time we've spoken I don't think I've found my complete um balance yet in terms of like even having help with the baby and stuff yet like that but in terms of Music um I really got back to a way better place than I was when I saw when I last spoke to you cuz when I last spoke to you I was talking about I was just getting out of writer's block and now I'm far at the other end of that and the other end of that is like being able to write and rap and record all the time non-stop you know I'm in that mode when it's like everything is a bar because it's fun again and it wasn't for a while that's what it sounded like last time we spoke yeah last time we spoke we did a lot about the beginning and the start um and it sounded like you were in the process of putting a plan together what this looks like is that the plan came together now thanks it looks very centered and focused it looks like you hit every Mark that you were trying to hit with this project do do you feel like that absolutely only thing is though just minus the Roman um part I didn't add the Roman part yet um but that's the only thing like I know whenever my fans listen to an album they want that main Roman Focus track so I I purposely wanted to hold it back this time because I noticed when I would put stuff out people would people always want to focus on what they think to be controversial and sometimes that can like overshadow just great music and I just wanted to get back to great music like I just wanted to get back to the kind of music that I used to want to listen to when I was being inspired by music and so yeah that was it track one yeah because I want to go over the project tell me about when this track was made in the process of creating an album and tell me why we started the album This Way my favorite tracks are probably two three four and like right after one you just start going crazy M but one seems like seems like you started this way intentionally can you speak to that well yes I always start in a more reflective way um and of course this one I wanted it to be my intro because well when I heard Billy's version of the song and just like I don't know I'm like I just love words and I love the I love people who can like make me hear words in a different way and just like the way that song was worded it was just like whoa what is this it just sounded so dope and fresh and interesting and it sounded new and old at the same time like like ancient um and I was like wow anyway so once I was able to get that get them to do it and Phineas go back and forth and do the beat and all of that stuff and even get Billy to be cool with the idea um it was like I knew that I wanted it to be the intro from the very first second like I never it never was one of those things where it was like one of the songs I loved and then I said okay this is going to be my intro no like from the very day I even texted them about it I said this is going to be the intro for my album got it because I don't know it was a dope it was such a huge statement and it was talking about I've learned I've learned to lose you can't afford to and it was something that um I have like felt but I've never been I've never put into words I've never I've never known how to put those that into words really I never thought about it like that but I felt it before and so in reflecting on the last couple years losing my father was something I really wanted to make sure that people understood the J position uh position Ju the position of losing your father and um having your firstborn son and I just wanted to tell that story and because the documentary was going to be out people would have understood the song they would have understood the verse but but the documentary is not going to come out for like another couple months now so I kind of have to explain a little bit um and I did a little bit on on Twitter basically it was that my father um we really needed help and um one day I was rocking my baby in his room in the in this rocking chair and um I saw my father calling my phone and normally I do not normally at that time I was not picking up my phone even around the baby because he was so small I didn't want the phone like you know be an exent so it just so happens that I had the phone and I looked down and saw it was my father and I picked up cuz normally I wouldn't have those things would not have happened that particular time day and so I picked up and he was like he was like baby um book me my ticket for Monday um this was a Friday he was like um basically he was like I can fly out on Monday um to make a long story short anyway so that I said okay so happy we were about to get some help cuz we hadn't been sleeping and what was the L going one right after Co and stuff lot you know so in the middle of the night that night when I was sleeping I got a call and it was my mother and it's funny because the thing that happened that night was something that I had a had a dream about like the exact the exact thing that happened in that night but it was with the opposite so everything that was happening with my mother was happening with my father in real life but in the dream it was my mother mother it was the exact same thing it was I it was I picked up the phone someone said your mother's been in an accident we don't know if she's going to make it we'll call you back and then I hung up the phone that was ex the exact dream and and this is in in real life I got that call but it was about my father it was my mother telling me that so she was like she was going to call me back and let me know and um she called back she called back and said well she didn't have to say anything cuz it was just a look on her face and she I knew she had called me back too soon first of all um so she didn't have to say anything but cut two he didn't get to meet my son which is just so in like ironic to me I just don't understand that and with everything in life I just try to figure out why and that one has been it's been the only thing in in like I think probably in years that has left me like why so I had to explain that because I don't think people understood the gravity of what was happening um because it wasn't just that it wasn't just that you lost a parent because a lot of people have lost parents and I feel Looking Back Now I think about how many kids that didn't have their parents when they were younger um but it wasn't just that it was everything surrounding it it was getting a phone call in somebody super happy to be flying out in a couple days and then just never ever seeing them again but then that my son didn't get to see him and he and he was so good with stuff like that he would have he would have been cooking for me he would have been yeah like and and but he and he loves to cook so he would have been like cooking good stuff we ended up having a bit we was e in like fast food and just [ __ ] for a while but and you know he's one of those Trinidadian real triny people that take pride in like making Kingfish soup and every any soup you can think of um and also knows like all of the stuff that you should eat when you're unhealthy when your body like you know what I'm saying like how they be just know we like Weir stuff um so he would have been just so good for so many reasons but but one day right I was I never I never face timed anyone with my baby but one day I don't know why something told me to call two people to FaceTime them to let them see the baby um and that was another person she's older and it was it was him and he I said I just let him I just let him pick up the phone and he saw the baby and he just like lit up and was like you know doing the most and so at least he saw him he saw him and he saw him and his psyche the baby um but anyway so I I had to start the the album like that because if I was following up on my fav artist I would need to know that in order to put other things into perspective and a lot of times you can't put those things into perspective for people in the entertainment world because you don't know those things because who wants to share those things most of the time so um that's why I shared it in the beginning and also because it's an end and an intro it's the new baby so here is the new beginning to start Ping Friday it sounded that vulnerable it did when you experien that type of pain do you need to take a break from the work or go harder with the work well I couldn't go hard hard harder with the work if I tried to okay I had I had no way I I didn't even know what the hell was going on um so I definitely took a break my I didn't take a break but my brain took a break for me and also I was a I was just a mom so I was focused on that wasn't focused on work but um I knew though that I would have to come back to it because that's just how I am as a artist for like with my core fans they know that I knew that I would have to come back to it and I knew I didn't want to and I knew that I just would wrestle with it and that's exactly what happened all the way down to the last minute which is why and I know this is a long answer this is I'm no I'm not going to do long answers after okay but what happened was the second verse because the first verse was so freaking gut-wrenching to write and then keep on listening to over and over and over and over I couldn't get to write the second verse so I ended up writing the second verse on December 3rd and my album came out on December 8th was that the last verse you wrote no yo you're bugging by the way cuz the album's long already so now how many songs in total do well right now as of now we have 22 right now but all together it's going to be I think like 26 by the end of the week how important or how convenient how great is it you know pink print to how important is it to have Friday Pink Friday 2 how important is it to have a classic that you could kind of lean on that Equity right like when do you decide okay I did this then I'm doing this now part two that comes with expectations that comes with is she do she still have it like how does that process go yeah well I don't know but you know interestingly enough like a few years ago I tweeted Pink Friday too I don't know why didn't know that two years or three years later that I would still feel that way but I just started feeling a shift in myself and it all it almost felt like a shift of being comfortable with yourself so that's why I was like you know going back to that um but you're right I it is it is it's kind of scary too because you know people are going to be like that's how I knew they were going to be looking for the main Roman track MH so I was never going to say Pink Friday 2 until I knew that I was back in my bag and I'm back in my bag and you've managed to capture one of my favorite things about your album is you have managed to capture still like the sound of earlier that's remniscent sonically not the bars but the music it's like it's like fresh Young Money still like I don't get that from current Wayne I don't get that from current Drake it's like you're still carrying the man sonically you know um I I I feel like that when I listen to the album too like I I feel like I'm back in that time for it's weird you know what I think though it's that this time I was like I don't give a [ __ ] about anything else I just want to make the music that's making me happy and that I love so I wasn't going into it with I need this amount of I need this amount of hits or this amount of this or that I was just like yo I just want to make music that's gonna make me happy really yeah less pressure or more pressure making this project then Queen yes oh my God I had so much pressure making Queen that's why it feels so forced like something to prove and that's why this feels like I'm not [ __ ] what I wish the [ __ ] you [ __ ] would y'all y'all [ __ ] know better you said that throughout hope I'm not getting there yet I'm not getting there yet I'm slow walking the dog um track two is the bone thug flip the bone Tu flip and there's a few flips there's a few flips on this project all that [ __ ] sound expensive too by the way oh you ain't going to want to they don't want to know what uh Mr uh bizy bone uh done that wait I thought that was interpolated no it didn't matter but I think that's fly I think that's fly that you take notorious Thugs and do that to it and guess what I think it's fly that we had people like that to inspire people like me who can now Inspire other people because that [ __ ] music is timeless and it and I knew one thing I knew that everybody no matter what age was going to have an emotional connection to that second song because it feels whether you first of all most of us know it so we already have that like right when we hear it but even if you didn't know that that that that is one of the most iconic records in the entire history of rap you can feel something about it and and so shout out to Bone Thugs in harmony because what they were doing I still never heard or seen anyone do it I mean they were so different and like almost now that I think back on they like on some like rock band type of is where at where it's so so different so you know Cutting Edge um and then of course biggie you know like his ability to spit spit his pain while dissing somebody while his truth his struggle his hunger but his Melodies if you really think about how many Melodies I did in my verse and they all in my song yeah all from one man's one verse a hook and two verses true and I didn't even use everything I mean this is the Brilliance that music used to feel like and that's why I knew number two was the I know it was thank you that that track two with a double time flow and there's a lot of double time flow on the project there is uh I think my favorite track is uh [ __ ] the club up I like that Bop from you that kind of bees in the trap kind of Bop but you seem like extremely comfortable in the double time flow that just pops up periodically throughout throughout the album talk talk to me about all of the different flows and which one is your favorite pocket to be in okay well if I'm being honest okay the what my favorite pocket to be in because if I'm being lazy of course I'm you know is the if you heard this song with R&B with me Wayne and that's my pocket cuz I always know I'm smooth and I'm I'm you know what I'm saying I could you know I could make my little but but I could I'm just you know cruising in that pocket I could do that pocket in my sleep but the the double time is arm in the first of all I still didn't nail it if you want to be honest the cuz one11 Angel Number spashing boots but the but because I was taking forever to do a bunch of [ __ ] um but but the double time is what people love from me so I have to give people I try to give them what they want and that happens to be something that people love seeing love hearing I realized because I would go back I would go back recently that's the other thing I was able to do finally I I don't know if I told you I never used to be able to go back and listen to my old music and watch old so like I don't know that's how I knew I started finding my inner peace and like um being okay with myself and everything and my mistakes and all that stuff is because I was finally able to go back and listen to my own music and when I was able to go back to listen to my own music I understood what all these um because you know anyway but double time now here's the other thing the voices I don't love lot of it lot of it though I but I don't like it but I know my fans like that I don't think you could have you couldn't have done it Pink Friday without the voices but I don't feel like where do you feel like it's voice like it's not that like voices like Roman's Revenge do we have anything like that yet it's it's it's moments exactly only certain people can tell but you know they be wanting me to go like a like it's not happen I think most people feel like that's one of your strong suits but I you can't I mean believe it well yeah I mean it's probably only you and Kendrick that play like that so if you abandon it then and that's for another project you can't abandon it on Pink Friday well yeah let's see I have a Roman track that I'm working on for this for Pink Friday too let's see but it was some sprinkles in there but I don't I'm not comfortable in that pocket but I know that's the pocket that some of my fans like also the poppy pocket is always very easy for me um I could tell you the one like now now when I if I'm doing double time and it's fun I could do that in my sleep because the bar has come and I'm not even trying to have a bar like it's one you know so yeah how big of a muse was your husband for the project well I thought that was super interesting because as a [ __ ] we right about the chick like whoever we [ __ ] at the time might be the vied I ain't never been married but all throughout this project married married married when I listen to it when I listen to it completely she might not have been able to make this without this [ __ ] no when I listen to it after I was like why did I say that that that many times but because you telling me where he work out in you going I didn't no first of all I didn't say that was a specific song of my husband shut it's all throughout I'm not every song don't mean I'm I'm a writer if I say um um in your sweats what's the line I forgot then I think you talking about your husband what I'm watching you do your pull out and just P up yeah well you know I mean no but I was I thought you meant like the ones that are clearly you know referencing him when I'm saying married Mar I'm like why I said married so many SS but I didn't realize because I was writing it over a few years it wasn't like I wrote just made up made the album in the last year you know but the marriage bars R&B uh is a few Cal me down let me calm down with jcole yeah oh my God so great job thank you and boy bold for even calling Germaine Cole CA he's been on a rampage he's been tearing [ __ ] up he's been tearing [ __ ] up he didn't do it to you though tell me yes he did I don't think he you I don't think he to you up and I ain't saying that just I'm telling you but I'm just telling you he did ABS [ __ ] lutely at this point are rappers like are are y'all like no not me no I want the person to be the best I want the person to give me their best verse like that made me know that he respected me and cared about my project you know like that was so dope like everybody on this album gave me their best I feel they gave me their best them what they're known for you know what I'm saying like so even Wayne Wayne don't got to say another metaphor until the day he died y'all be know he just great he the greatest but so he doing like the he we know Wayne gonna say [ __ ] 25 times you know what I'm saying like and that's Wayne like it just everything felt so nostalgic about everybody um you nailed the features thank you you nailed the features thank you all of them I love the Wayne record I'm glad that you had uh Drake and Wayne just I'm sure a lot of people were glad about that was that important oh of course oh my God and and and that's the Drake song that I've wanted for me and Drake for the last few years just like that Vibe man CU um he he to me he's the only one that can do that and and he's been out of it for him yes like he's not he hasn't done it in a while so I knew it was gonna be special to for it to like be on pink on Pink Friday 2 like oh my God and and that's the one I was just downstairs playing when I was down there smoking I'm like yo this [ __ ] is knocking right now yeah it feel it just feels right I love that song it was and yes it was important for me to have both of them in album talk to me about the the decision making that goes into having future sing or having future rap I have both I have another I have a future record that he's rapping on um but it's just that Joe do you know this song that future and I Nicki Hendricks this one was meant for Queen so this song been for like five six years five years really yeah that one was done a long long time ago and I happened to just played on live one day and I remember how much I had freaking loved it and my fans was like yo what the [ __ ] was that yeah and you know I had future and he was like y you PR that [ __ ] like he love it he loves the song too he's basically tell tell me like yo you bugging for not you know putting that [ __ ] out um a long time ago and I was like well you know and so so but I do have a rap one with him um I just have to is that that's shut up no because it's gag City and I'm Dro every week is a is a new is a new I got it I'm keeping up yes but some of these new records are not done no well no okay okay so it's really only it's okay there's a Kea Cole and mon corer that's coming out tomorrow I saw y'all live y'all look good thank you so there that one is coming out tomorrow the one with 50 oh the one with 50 I never worked with 50 before ever ever I wanted to ask you about that if you have if you have 50 on the remix how hard is it to not put that version on there I didn't have it yet oh you just oh you winging it no I'm not winging it I do something called the um the I am it's it's chaotic but it's very in order for me it's I I'm I know exactly how and when and why and I hit 50 last minute because I first of all beb wasn't originally meant for my album I was playing it just because it was some old song I've been had for years um but it was a song that like that was my was favorite song my like my husband loved that song so you asked about one of my favorites too yeah he loved that song and he and we would always laugh cuz he kept on he never could stop he never could wait for for me to say the part when I said um got him robbed in that ass beat like every time he would be echoing it out I'm like that's your favorite line so I knew when he like when I told him that 50 um was about to get on it you should have seen how he was acting like all all you know we all queens [ __ ] so everybody everybody's hype and 50 really bodyi it um so um so it's not that I would have had a verse from 50 and not put it on oh hell hell no hell no I would not do that no but but when you get when you get it you gotta put that [ __ ] up there I ain't G yeah I need a lyric breakdown from you because stay in your Tory Lanes [ __ ] I'm that Iggy for me is like a quadruple on Tandra like I could think of 10 different things that that might mean what are what does it mean what does it mean to you well it could be shade to a few people it could be well without saying if you think it's shade to somebody what do you think it the line itself means I'm not one of them that's what I think it means and I think it was was a clever way thank you to say that thank you okay I really appreciate me getting a compliment for Mr buttons I'm about piing it yeah I like you ass I like Queen I I no the bars was hitting but I didn't like that the album so I don't I don't care if anybody else like I didn't no well I yeah not not the way I love this album oh God I'm so obsessed with this album you everything about you seems different though you seem to be in a different space okay it it seems like yeah it seems like you just have a different appreciation for what's going on right right now I do I'm in full constant state of gratitude but you're very vocal about the current state of hip-hop I'm not that vocal I don't be saying [ __ ] oh oh here we go I listen to go I listen to the whole here we go I heard the entire album and I heard the rant it was a rant rant on online did they put out and say I did a rant yes what on station head or whatever about the current y'all be thinking I'm uh uh serious and a lot of times I'll be like in My Little gag City having fun with my barbs why y'all be dropping on our business yeah no but we listening to that [ __ ] people not bars okay now but when I listen to you talk about it I ask myself would Nikki be totally would Nikki be okay if she didn't have any complaints about the state of Hip Hop if everything were perfect no right no would Nikki be just cool would you be able to rap the same exact way if everything was to your liking no so you kind of need that you kind of need for [ __ ] to be I don't need that no it's nice when it's there I mean it's not that Joe it's that people people for years have been saying these [ __ ] ridiculous things about me and now here it is a woman that in 2007 I dropped my first mixtape here it is me she breaks the record Spotify 24 hour streams I thought y'all said she was only po because I nobody else compe so you so you remember so you remember people saying this stuff oh people did say this stuff oh okay and now it's different what now it's different it's not there's plenty of people out Nikki is still surging Nikki is still thriving Nikki is is still spitting no and Nikki dropped Nikki dropped first that's the thing that [ __ ] like me look at you dropped damn right because I don't need nobody to set the pace I set the tone right in your face like a can the responsibility that comes with setting that tone as a veteran and I knew I had Joe what was happening was ABS [ __ ] what was happening most people would say that female rap is in the best space that it's ever been rap is 40% we was at number one genre in the world because the more rap albums that come out and are not selling it be it goes into the average pool the average number and then now you have oh rap is not selling and they've been wanted that or you think they were happy that rap was the number one genre no of course not but you know let's water it down in hopes that we and now back to the drawing board again yeah yeah you like that you like that [ __ ] on it no it's not about liking [ __ ] I'm this is what people H say I'm that [ __ ] period not if when just period so the things that I say people might think I'm I don't know I guess I don't I guess I don't have a right to speak about you know the my own work my own work for you like my my job my like just imagine if you whatever you do and you can't speak about it when people are going outside um ticketing and and what ticketing boy whatever um when when they're doing their stuff and they're trying to get better wages you can't tell them oh you get too you already get M what whatever the [ __ ] is going on in they [ __ ] they have the right to speak on it because they are the ones busting their ass doing it you're not doing it you don't know what it what it what what goes into it so um I just want to say I just wanted to make it be known that I predicted this that was my point I predicted that remember the gatekeeper convos well if you let everybody into the [ __ ] gate guess what yeah one day you wake up and there's nothing but a pile of [ __ ] cuz everybody's eating right y was y everybody's eating right yeah I wonder we say pile [ __ ] now what there's no balance that's why there's no balance there's no gatekeeping there's no it's just hey everybody let's go come on whack whack whack let's go yay you're great no they're whack and that's okay but and by the way they might not people not and and please don't make it seem like I'm speaking about females and that's what y'all always do don't y'all no y'all don't make it seem like I'm speaking about women because in fact women are some of the best spitters right now actually so let's let's do that number one and hungry and doing so I'm not talking about women I'm talking about in general new rappers new rappers are taking it as a game Nicki Minaj as a joke you are all over your album saying that these [ __ ] Can't Rap they can't and don't they can't it's a difference they can't do you think do people expect the modern female rapper to be able to P her own RS now they will deliver execute no not prior to December 8th 2023 because they forgot what and let me excuse me let me see I'm having fun and I have to remember I can't do that let me stop let me not get too carried away because people might not understand that I'm having fun um and there's a lot of female rappers that I really really really actually love like as an artist and as a person and I and what I don't want this to turn into honestly even though I like being funny and stuff I don't want this to turn into like bashing female rappers to be honest so let me reel back for a second because it's female rappers right now that are even inspiring me you know what I'm saying like I hear boys and like oh whoa so let me make sure I say that um and even their delivery and cadences and flows I be like whoa you know what I'm saying and girls that I like as a friend too so I don't want to make it seem like that cuz people always think no it was a time where you were highlighting you were actually highlighting the women that inspired you yeah yeah the women that inspired me before and the women and the girls that I like that are now that are in the game that inspire me but but so so I just wanted to make sure I got that clear so when I'm when I I say stuff about rappers or female ra I'm not talking about the female rappers that I [ __ ] with and that's just the truth and and I'm keeping it all the way real um I'm talking I'm just saying it's just it's just talking [ __ ] like if you a female raap I don't [ __ ] with the shots for you however you want to take it whichever one of y'all want to take it you understand but it's not people try to make it seem like I'm talking about all female solely or female rappers or only female rappers every time I'm speaking no because the men can get it too of course there's tons of horrible whack men we know that in in rap and then don't take it serious and think it's a joke it's not only for women it's not only the women that brought down the average um in Hip Hop to 40 you know brought us down 40% what do you think about hip-hop 50 and the celebrations that have just come along with celebrating and honoring 50 Years of Hip Hop I'm glad um I'm glad that 50 years ago some guys from New York started doing something that was one day going to put food on a table for my son um I don't know what I don't know what I would have been doing I I don't I'm not really good at uh anything else so so so shout out to the people no those those OG's like we really got to give it up to them that's actually a great question like what would Nicki Minaj be doing if not for music last time I saw you it was a big thing that bog had not featured you you really kind of called them to the carpet in that interview no that was you remember when you said something and I was like I would have forgotten to say if you didn't say that wow so the Joy on my face I completely forgot to hit you I swear I wanted to hit you personally specifically and say yo do you see this but so much has been happening as you can see since then and I've been busy um that's crazy that we had just been speaking about vog yes yeah and they and they did what they were supposed to do talk to me about talk to me about the cover talk to me about that full circle moment well um a few months ago I got a call from Joe for my label and he told me um he was like hey I wanted to tell you I have something to tell you and um I'm like what can he be possibly tell me when he blurred that out I just like got so emotional cuz I'm like first of all I didn't even know they was trying to like really and I was not expecting that that was not in the back of my mind to do that I'm thinking you know that's the last thing on my mind and um this the the shoot itself was just just great Vibes the writer was phenomenal I thought talking time um I love the I love the actual cover but most of all that Anna wi tour an American vul would ask me to have my son in my very first bow cover I mean that's fine yeah it was just I'm so I'm so happy about that because that could you like the good thing is that to me it just puts a different trajectory on the careers of female rap rap ERS female rappers and female period like because I think that they're taught that okay your career should be going down after you're in the game for this amount of time nobody nobody has nobody knows how this one plays out because they've never seen it do you know how it plays out do I know like in the future I sure do I'm not asking no I not yeah that's that that'll be your private [ __ ] M can you dance so when the O when the uzi record when everybody is on in the when that record is on in the studio and you making it and it just seems like a Dance Sensation what are you doing oh God please no you said what am I doing that's that's what I'm in the boo doing I'm rapping I [ __ ] with that record cuz that the the his the uzi I want to ro the dance record I didn't think there was no words on it me either I didn't hear no words so the fact that you put words on no and I sent his ass back yes and said excuse me sir no because that last the last flow he used he had only did four lines of that I said sir I said that's hard I said you have to add to that you have to I said please that [ __ ] is so hard you got to end it like you know and he's just I just love him so much like you know he's just one of those people that you could talk to if he likes you like if he you know you know if he'll and he always like he he'll take advice for me and vice versa um but he said all right I got you and he went back in and sent that and I said oh my gosh because it was just a missing piece of the puzzle I record his heart thank you I record his heart I was scared to send it I wrote it for the Call of Duty remember I I was in a Call of Duty video game I voted for that that's why I'm like uh shoot neutralize Target got it that makes sense yeah it was just going to be me on it and then um some somebody from my label was like uh and I said you know what let me think yeah smart and then we ended and then at the end I was scared to send it to Uzi CU I thought like is this going to make him feel like I I did that like and then I the last minute I mustered up my courage and I said hey I just want to see if you want to Le so can we clear something up with that record because Fabio all day has been dancing thinking that thinking that you said his name but it's like everybody these rappers are great and I think he was trying and I'm still listening trying to be funny the more I listen I'm like oh [ __ ] she did say this [ __ ] no but I think he's trying to be funny so I'm in the strip club the other day in the strip club the other day and the owner brings this white boy over to me to introduce him to me he was mad excited real happy to meet me and then he leaves and the owner starts telling me that that's Cindy loer son and wow what a legend and I'm like why am I in a strip club with Cindy L's son and then I see you say about the Cindy loer sample that that's the first time she's ever cleared something clear cleared the master recording of that song of of her voice so she yeah so she's she let us use her actual the the master what is the concept though you spoke to her well I no Wendy at at Republic did okay um my it's actually funny a producer I signed he he he produced uh Chun Ley and Barbie Tings on last album he made that he's fire yeah he made that he made that beat um um he goes by many sometime he goes by Jr he goes by Jr Reed but um but anyway so he sent me that and um then when it was all done we felt like the beat needed like a little you know kick but and he came back and and and made it sound perfect like made the drum hit harder and did all that stuff and um and yeah so prior to me finishing it I already knew I was we were going to be able to clear it cuz I wouldn't have even you know cuz I was like oh are we gonna and Wendy was like no you know I'm cool with her and um and I and and I always have shown um Cindy l a lot of love in my interviews like from the beginning of time so never knowing that one day I would want to you know be do one of her songs though um but I already had like Wendy for my label check just to make sure we were good and we were good so I it's funny right I have such a new found appreciation for the songs that I would have nor that I normally know wouldn't have been for me on the project right so like at Thanksgiving or the family functions now when I come through cuz it's like kids now the kids just like oh my God you interviewed Nikki oh do you know Nikki I'm not used to that I'm used to still being that [ __ ] right but the young kids I like that I like that you know it brings me back to when I'm 11 and 12 Loving Hip Hop yeah so now that I know that my sons and my step kids and just the young kids have this affinity for you I'm able to appreciate how you tailor records that they will like right like the Rick James sample M I have a new appreciation for okay um the cendy loer record uh red ruby to sleev like these are records that our kids [ __ ] with how do you manage to like tell me about the process and hitting the different demos you hit the kids you hit the rappers you hit the girls you hit the seniors you manag to do that cohesively without [ __ ] [ __ ] up I feel like that's something new that you have found different than 2012 2010 true and I I so agree with you and that's why I kept saying that to my to my fans I'm like yo this is my best album I know like a person who is really like has an ear for music especially who who was a rapper I know they can hear it like clearly so I knew you would get it but um yes it's been something that I've been trying to I feel Master for the beginning of my career like but not knowingly so like in the beginning like that first album I wasn't knowingly trying to do that I didn't think Super Bas was going to be a pop song a big pop hit or whatever um but of course everybody knows the second album was I you know was way too much pop and then the third album ping print people loved pink print um my fans did but when I would listen back to Pink print it was certain things that I didn't love and I just wanted to master so Queen it went two two more I think over to the side of trying to prove that you're a rapper and then this because no more proving anything m y already know my body like that's it and now I can go back to where I just I just used to go in and play a beat and just get lost in the beat and make the song up from scratch like even that songs like um let me calm down or falling for you or um what is my other favorite melodic one um what would I say is my third fa blessings but even Nikki Hendrick like and Pink Friday girls right that has a sample but all of those to me Fel felt like they all felt like back in the days like how even on my mixtape days if I like something I would just rap on it because I loved it and it made me happy and I wasn't caring about the critique or who was rating my album or or I didn't even know what was that was rating an album or what that meant I don't like I didn't know what was going on the 100 or top 200 Top I didn't care I just loved the music so much so I was listening to Whitney Houston and Cindy ler and L dandas and din I was listening to all those people when I was a kid incl in addition to the rappers were there any records were any records that you wanted to do where the S we couldn't clear the sample not this album not this one I know that's right talk your [ __ ] well no well last album well I there but you know what um let me see I don't think so I don't I I can't remember why it's fine was there a concentrated effort by you to be more madic on this project or did that just happen when the Beats came it just started happening you did a lot of singing yeah but that's the thing Joe I used to do a lot of singing on my mixtapes and I used to do a lot of and I did a lot of singing on Pink Friday and in fact that was the biggest critique on Pink Friday 13 years ago but Pink Friday still wasn't close to Pink Friday too in that they can listen straight and feel like like you know like that way we used to feel and um that's how I know for a fact like when something you know to me is what it should be is when it doesn't matter if you're a woman or a man if you're young or what like this is something that can resonate with you it's something that like TAPS in and that's what I wanted that I want to feel like I didn't want to go too far in any direction um and I also feel like I I learned my lesson with what with what works and what doesn't work for me it's taking me a long time to get here but I feel like I've I've figured me and my sound out and what people want from me and I do have so many different people to please and I don't think people understand that everybody wants their own version of me when they get when they open an album their favorite version you know what I'm saying and um it's hard it's difficult to try to do an album to please so many different kinds of people um but what I do realize is good music is good music so people who I didn't even think were huge necessarily rap fans are talking to me about let's say [ __ ] the club up or Bobby dangerous because they could just just whether it's the beat or whether whatever it is they it just it translates so I'm like okay I'm just going to do what I I feel is right and the singing I used to love singing I stopped doing it because I felt again I had to prove this point with the rap [ __ ] but that was always a big part of my thing and but yeah this time it just came natural and I just let it I didn't hold the last album was C was some things like if I felt like a more more Melody coming I'll be like no let me let me not but this one I just went back into how I used to do sometimes even when I was working on like stuff that came out before my first album I'll be in the studio doing a bunch of harmonies I ain't know I a know what notes I was doing I care what no I was doing but I was just like having you know just enjoying the process of Music how much of this is still fun well now it's going back to fun I don't I feel like it wasn't fun for for a while for me but now it's fun because I don't know I just feel complete so now I feel back I I'm back to my my love of music of creative mus music and also focusing on my fans and seeing them happy reminded me of what why I started doing this [ __ ] in the first place you know what I'm saying like so it's funny that you were saying like I didn't even know that anything was said was on like a Blog that I was doing a rant because I have it's always on the bar because I haven't even because I haven't I haven't had the chance to even go on the blog you know what I'm saying like to see it because because but also like once my fans are happy I really don't like we be in our own world but yo that's the other thing I meant to ask you about I don't know if it's only me that sees this this album cycle it seems like even a maturation of the bars yes oh they inform formation yeah but it seem it seems like damn how do I say it it's different it's different even from them like they soulle focus is you and maybe it's always been you they figured out a lot of them have figured out that they've been being used yes yes yes yes they figured out that they that they are often used by not only artist but but by labels and by Publications and by blogs and by all types so now they are you know they're taking control of their the power that they give that they give to people which is dope okay good so I'm watching your um you announce your tour dates first thing I do when I see tour dates of people I know and [ __ ] with I go right to the New York show uh tour starts in March YES tour starts in March and I went to the New York show and I immediately stopped myself to say can I go to a Nicki B show like hold up as a [ __ ] of course all the real [ __ ] [ __ ] with me the real [ __ ] why you think the [ __ ] always be on my on my albums and stuff they know like so why would you be able to be people that you would go to their show would be like on a s coming out whatever that I would come see a Nikki show but I don't want to be the lone dick and a crowd full of you're not going to be a lone the lone dick crowd full of like teeny boers and women right like I want [ __ ] to be up in the they be there with they girls BR my girl huh maybe I'll bring my girl yeah why not okay that's what F that's a good way to look at it how excited are you about going back on the road lot of dates yeah those are not only those are not even it said adding more I was like all right she won't sleep no time soon oh god well you're done out here no I what are you talking about this the energy it takes a lot of energy to do all of this [ __ ] it takes energy to do this [ __ ] this before we get The Print TV movies we we only on music that was mad dates and I know that's great but like where do you find them one how do you feel about getting back in front of your fans two how do you replenish self so you can continue to give self well I take my time to myself like I don't always when I'm on there I'm on there but when I'm not I'm not and I'm comfortable with also not being on there for months at a time you know what I'm saying like I I know I anyway but yeah so that's how and just spiritually like staying prayed up I think that's very important and um but I'm very excited to see my fans because a part of the energy that like I didn't realize I missed was like that energy from them like seeing them in person and I don't know like I've seen my fans grow into actual PE like actual real professions out here like doctors and people in the freaking like like you know what I'm saying Congress um all types of feels I keep on forgetting that they are and some some of them are grown as [ __ ] and grew up with you yeah and so a lot of them were saying oh my God I used to like dream about being able to be grown so I could pay for um mer Nicki merge and Nikki this and Nicki that and now I could do it like it it's so funny and I recognize them a lot of times when I see them you know I be like what the they all grown up so it's a dope journey and we get to we get to kind of like have our like you know just reunite when we on tour as you see all of these veteran and OG artist sellout Arenas like do you get even more anxious to get out there like no no no no um only reason I'm not anxious at all to get out there I'm just I'm happy to get out there only because I have a body of work that I love and that was like if I didn't have that I still wouldn't care to go out there cuz I would sounds like it'll perform well thank you it does and I heard some tea too uh oh I heard some tea about some artists do you have the openers do you have do you have I haven't locked it in but I do have a couple that I want I heard about a couple I heard about a couple people trying to get out of their [ __ ] so they can make the to I want I'll tell you later okay I'll tell you later um I want to hear about the importance of Cowgirl In album okay because there's nothing else on the album like that to me really yeah that's a standout that's a standout record both sonically and it sounds like conceptually and I listen to it a few times I'm like I need to ask her what this song is about because I might be missing it what is that song about well it's just a sexual song um just when to get and I'm a Ru cowgirl um I didn't write the chorus on that song so yeah see I thought I might have been missing something yeah on that Rec all right so you just [ __ ] yeah so 2024 yeah we're approaching yes is your year like all the way booked is it booked all the way through not not all the way through till December and I'm and I'm not going I don't want to do I I want to take a moment at least in in the middle of the year because I am a Mom first and I need to you know we focus on being being a mom at some point in 2024 but they'll space it out you know so I think I asked you last time we spoke what were your short and long-term goals and it feels like you accomplished quite a few of them what are the new goals for Nicki Minaj well I just want to just stay in my zone in terms of the music and staying focused on the stuff that really matters you know like that's it of course um I'm working on business stuff but they'll come you know the new perfume came out um Pink Friday too um the Pink Friday Nails the Pink Friday tour wait what's Pink Friday Nails I'm doing I have like a presso on nail line now um and I allow my fans started signing up I think like last week um so they'll be getting those soon there's something else that you can't say but um but yeah but more music like I'm in the music you know type of vibe and touring and will there be a deluxe or is the gag City exclusives kind of acting as that's kind of acting as a deluxe okay I think if I put out well you know what I don't know Joe honestly I have a lot of music so if I feel like it I'll drop it whenever I want tell me about the think tank that comes up with gag City I think that's brilliant well I it wasn't it was just a little term like that's a great idea I know that's what I'm saying it was just a term I said and my fans made it into this world but I kept saying it leading up to the album like we're going to G said going G G and then one day I wasn't on the in there for a couple days and I came back I'm like what the heck is going on here and I saw that they are incredible but yes I love that idea and people like people love has like having an escape like people love those fun moments on the internet where it's not about negative stuff or whatever it's just about everybody feeling like oh wow this is a new world this is dope like we're involved everybody can be involved and so that was fun that was nice I feel like I feel like we're getting to see you in this like [Music] new just peaceful at at ease light actually that's what I said when you hopped in sold your Bo jco [ __ ] I said ni Nicki Manaj oh that was so funny being a peac maker I'm always a who else could we call on in Hip Hop to calm down soldja boy that was funny and I didn't even know that I didn't even know that was going on I I got on live because I was about to cuss him out because he had said something about the VMAs and I knew he was trying to throw shade because I did Itty Bitty Piggy but that was the last minute decision so I really got on there to talk about that and apparently he was already going off about that so I kind of got caught up in it and then I had to like navigate through it like oh okay so I had to just kept you know figure it out while I went but thank God I had I had heard about it and we've had our own talks to whereas you have called me unhinged I have yes oh you've called a few other people unhinged called yourself unhinged so when I so when I see that I'm like see the unhinged we can we have a role nobody else was going to do that and he was receptive to that [ __ ] right so that means he would have been receptive to probably anybody if they would have done it you don't think so because he probably but that's the thing people probably don't think a person would be receptive to stuff like that and they probably would be well I'm glad that you were able to do that uh I want to ask I want to ask a few questions that have nothing to do with music at all like how much TV time do you watch TV not much not right now not right now but um but I love watching the crown on Netflix okay that's the one thing that puts me in my zone and I I escape from all this other [ __ ] you have to have your Escape I know tell me about it but that's the only thing other than that not not big on TV recently um give me the last time you cried cried i' I've cried recently because of the album because I've been writing I've been doing writing emotional stuff like the first song The so I definitely cried that day on 123 um and I don't remember I cried since but I was writing I I cried on 123 because I was was writing something that was very very emotional Okay so we've cried recently how how long of a break do you plan on taking after this after the work is done here oh I'm not taking a break I'm just going to be doing tour rehearsals after the work is done here the work is just beginning for gag City and it's a long tour no not [ __ ] that's two it's only two it was couple months months it was months that's a couple away from home diet changes Tendencies oh my gosh is this supposed to make me feel happy or bad no and I meant and I meant to tell you you look great you've lost weight since the last time I've seen you like you you're killing thank you you're killing yeah you know I like I like I like album release Nikki I like album released Nikki in New York oh my fans was saying that too like they was acting like I wasn't going to come to New York Vibe be here sooner but you know I was didn't hand in the album all time so I had to push everything back do you find a difference in in you creating here or you being here just the New York energy and oh yeah the New York energy for sure but I prefer to create where I was at why just I like to have a really big space face to think so the more I'm seeing it's the more I can think but if I'm in a small closed up Studio it's like so every so if I need to really write if I and if I have to write fast the water or big spaces so where I was recently recording my um in Malibu it was easier for me there malib was nice it's just about having like an open space like something it does something to me mentally that I can't I get it I get it when can we expect when can we get another when can we get another like I don't want to say another monster cuz that's a time capsule in itself yeah but when can we hear you get on a record with other prominent rappers and just [ __ ] on them oh my cuz I feel like on this album you were focused on creating the music and the songs like it wasn't I'm about to [ __ ] on all you [ __ ] real quick not while they were on the song right I was about to say one the songs that I chose to do that on like I'm sorry red ruby it's no [ __ ] a life I wanted to ask you about red ruby but I didn't feel like he was about to be honest so [ __ ] it it a ain't no [ __ ] Al alive on planet Earth that ever walk the earth so until yeah but we might have another gag or two coming but I but I don't but that even when I was doing those kinds of songs before I didn't go into it thinking I was about to body anybody a [ __ ] like I just was being silly and having fun and rapping so I don't go into something with anybody that want to work with thinking that oh I'm a body don't want to no I'm doing I want to work with them because I want them to be great yeah I don't why would I do that because it's fun and competitive well it I it's different kinds of songs though like like I said I'm on the song that calls for that oh on a song that calls for that oh okay you saying like you want one of those kinds of songs again [ __ ] on yeah when that song calls for it yeah okay so the closest thing we've had to that recently was seeing green okay well at least and but that was my first out of rers block thing but at Le but Wayne and Drake um Del devoured and delivered and I I gave that one to to u to Drake but a lot of people G gave it to Wayne and um I don't know that's and if you notice that's a different beat kind of than I that I used that I do those kinds of songs on like C green was more slower than that kind that when I rap like that I don't really go in that direction on those kinds of Beats that like hard I don't know but I'm working on one of those right now but it won't have other guys on it I don't feel the need to do that with guys anymore because I I've already done that did it did but if the opportunity presents itself I certainly will you know I'm not going to if it's with people that I [ __ ] with yeah why not yeah you're right you think you proved your point right like I think most people do regard you as they put you with [ __ ] they put you with [ __ ] you did it yeah you did it yeah so I'm I'm anxious to see what that Nikki looks like I'll say that in closing I am anxious to see what the Nikki that just I did all that [ __ ] like now on this album it still sounds like you feel you have something to prove which is a beautiful thing oh wow I I rewrite my verses all the time so in that way so okay there's a difference between having something having something to proove and being a perfectionist so let's make sure we talking about like which one we're talking about you talking about being a perfectionist okay that's right so so with me um I will always in people's mind in eyes when and ears when they hear me rap from now till thy kingdom come have something to prove because I'm always going to push my pen because that's what I do because I'm a perfectionist period so in that way I feel like of course you're going to hear that of course you're going to hear me trying to trying to like say some [ __ ] that [ __ ] is goingon to be like oh oh wow I didn't get that on the first time but oh I see what you know whatever like I love that that's that's what I love about rap one of the things I love about rap so I'm G always do that I just want to thank you again this is our third or fourth time chitchatting I know that you're in album mode interview after interview studio session smiling picture kiss the babies motherhood like it's just I know that it's chaos I certainly appreciate you always taking the time thank you the amazing Nicki Minaj makes the Amazing Joe Buttons you guys makes a noise Fu That Ass Clap [ __ ] clap [ __ ] is wrong with you [ __ ] you're cold get them out of this cold [ __ ] thing whatever you got to in thank you

Channel: Joe Budden TV

Views: 908,251

Keywords: JOE BUDDEN, JOE BUDDEN TV, Slaughterhouse, i'll name this podcast later, podcast, The Joe Budden Podcast, Joe Budden Podcast, state of the culture, revolt, revolt tv, pull up, JBP, joe budden network, joe budden 2023, humans, podcast joe budden, queenzflip, melyssa ford, joe budden humans, humans joe budden

Id: I81v1maRnBI

Length: 74min 7sec (4447 seconds)

Published: Mon Dec 25 2023