Nicki Minaj covers the new issue of Elle where they decided to not use her usual clown makeup. Instead, they went for something more natural, ie, something that didn’t make her look like a shopping spree after Easter.
On her Elle style: “When I saw myself with barely any makeup at, it was such a… like, I’m so, so attached to my pink lipstick, it’s hard. I feel that it’s become a part of me. To go in front of the camera, without pink lips or big ol’ crazy lashes- you know, nothing – I felt naked. It was scary! So this photo shoot was a real accomplishment in my eyes.”
On being bulled: “I went through a lot of bullying early on. Girls made my life a living hell. We had come to America from a different country. My brother and I had accents. It was very tough. So I’ve always put up this wall – it was a self-defense mechanism growing up – because I was almost expecting people to attack me. And I still have it. It’s sad.”
On future goals: “My goal in the beginning was to buy my mother a house. Now I realize, Okay, if I really focus and become a key player in business, then I can build an empire. I’m thinking of a legacy that I can be proud of and wealth that my grandchildren can use to go to college. So world domination- in terms of providing for my family – is absolutely my goal.”
In addition to the Elle spread, there are also a few pictures in the gallery of her in a hot tub from her new music video with Lil Wayne because seeing Nicki Minaj not dressed in eye searing colors feels unsettling.