Nicki Minaj's The Pinkprint is laced with relationship frustrations and heartache. It is considered one of the rapper's most personal records to date. Minaj stopped by Power 105.1's studios recently to talk about the album, and she even got a little emotional when she talked about her ex-boyfriend Safaree Samuels, whose presence on the record is looming, XXL noted.
"My relationship was based off of love," Minaj told Angie Martinez. "And there still is nothing but love there. This is not some person I picked up off the street. This is somebody I grew up with. Like I don't even know how I'm gonna function without that person in my life. I've never lived my life as a famous person without him."
According to Minaj, the only reason the two are not married with children now is the music industry.
"I don't think people realize it's not just a relationship or breakup. That was a humongous part of my life," she added. "It is something that I am dealing with publicly and it's not easy. I'm also not gonna joke about it or try to disrespect him and try to act like he didn't mean the world to me and still doesn't mean the world to me. I'm just figuring it out."
Music Times dissected The Pinkprint after its release. Here s what we had to say about the album's personal nature:
"The Pinkprint, for me, is Nicki Minaj rapping as an 'alter-ego' we haven't heard before: Onika Maraj," Caitlin Carter wrote. "Being a female in the industry, she was always having to prove herself and be everything at once: smart, sexy, cool, badass, fun, etc. Through all that, she ended up becoming more of a brand than a person. She had given the people what they wanted, but ultimately lost her legitimacy as a hip-hop artist."
Listen to the Power 105.1 interview below:
