Despite her flirtatious exchanges with Eminem on social media, Nicki Minaj is not looking to jump into a new relationship just yet.
The 35-year-old rapper has discussed her current relationship status and her music in the cover interview for Elle's July 2017 issue ahead of the release of her next album, Queen.
Nicki Minaj Likes Being Single
The Grammy-nominated rapper has not been single for long. Over the past few years, she has had some high-profile relationships under the spotlight including Meek Mill, Safaree Samuels, and even Zac Efron.
Her most recent romance was with fellow rapper Nas. They started dating early last year but reports that they broke off their relationship surfaced in January this year.
While her former collaborator Eminem has suggested multiple times that they go out for a romantic night in town, Minaj says she is not in a hurry to be tied down into a relationship right now.
"It's the first time in my life I've ever been single," she told Elle.
The "Chun-Li" and "Barbie Tingz" rapper recounted that she had experienced feeling insecure and down in the dumps. That is until she realized that she does not need a man in her life.
"As soon as I realized that I could actually live and breathe, and eat and sleep, and walk and talk without having a boyfriend, something clicked in me," the celebrated rapper said. "Becoming single was one of the things that made me feel strong and powerful."
Blurry fuk!
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Nicki Minaj's New Album
Minaj is definitely doing great now that she is single as she can focus on her work. She has a highly anticipated upcoming album called Queen, which is set for release in August. She calls it her "greatest work to date."
Recently, she dropped a new single from the upcoming follow-up to The Pinkprint. Titled "Rich Sex," the track is a collaboration with Lil Wayne.
For Queen, Minaj said that she made the decision to abandon trap production in order to stand out in the sea of new releases.
"It has to be 80s," she told Elle. "It has to be boom bap. I don't want to do no trap s*** 'cause everybody's doing that s***."
Her plan, unsurprisingly, worked; her new releases have already entered the Billboard Hot 100. In April, "Chun-Li" even peaked at the Top 10 of the singles chart.
She also teased anticipated collaborations with her close friend, Ariana Grande. The rapper will guest in the 24-year-old singer-songwriter's upcoming track, "The Light Is Coming," from the album Sweetener. Grande returns the favor by appearing in Minaj's next single, "Bed."
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Queen will be released on Aug. 10.
