Nicki Minaj is closing out the year on top.
The rap queen, who scored three Grammy nominations at the 58th annual awards, is featured topless on the cover of Billboard’s “No. 1s” issue, speaking to the publication about a slew of topics including her upcoming ABC Family sitcom, supporting Hillary Clinton, rumors that she is engaged to Meek Mill, and getting back to her mixtape roots.
ON MISSY ELLIOTT’S “WTF (WHERE THEY FROM)”: “I think it’s great. I think she’s great.”
ON SUPPORTING HILLARY CLINTON: “I support her as a woman. Am I convinced that she should be the next president? I still want to be open-minded about everyone. Obviously, I identify with her struggles as a woman. I identify with the fact that when she’s in that room and there are nothing but men there — there’s sometimes something in her that must feel intimidated. But I think that she uses that and turns it into a strength. Because that’s what I’ve always done. And so I love her for sticking it out.”
ON DONALD TRUMP’S PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDACY: “There are points he has made that may not have been so horrible if his approach wasn’t so childish. But in terms of entertainment — I think he’s hilarious. I wish they could just film him running for president. That’s the ultimate reality show.”
ON MOVING TO LOS ANGELES WITH MEEK MILL: “I love it [in Los Angeles]. I spoke to Beyoncé about it, because she came out here recently too. She said exactly what I used to say when I first moved here. We just feel happier. She was saying that simple things that would normally feel like a task, they don’t [feel that way] out here. She told me it’s not bothersome to get up super early and have to take Blue to school, because it looks so beautiful.”
ON THE DIAMOND RING THAT MEEK MILL GAVE HER: “He and I are not engaged. But he said he would like to give me three rings before we get married. My birthday’s coming up, and he better get the new one, because he got [the first one] for my last birthday.”
ON ADVICE FROM BEYONCÉ AND JAY Z: “We actually spoke with Jay Z and Beyoncé about it, too. After our show at [Brooklyn’s] Barclays Center [in October], we had dinner together. They were so giving with advice. I love them so much. It was just a beautiful conversation to have with people we love and we look up to as a couple. They’re so strong.”
ON GETTING BACK TO HER MIXTAPE ROOTS: “I’ll definitely drop a mixtape. I have to. I want to touch a couple of beats that I wasn’t on. I could have bodied a lot of the records that came out in the last year. But the main thing is, I have to set an example for female rappers. I’m at the top of that food chain, and it’s important to lead by example… It’s important that you are bigger than your music. Some fans are going to fuck with me for the rest of my life because they know where I came from. Fans know my struggle. How hungry I was. That I was not settling, I was not giving up. I was on everybody’s beat. I was ruthless.”