text: Rob Markman: I need everybody sit down. Everybody sit down. Everybody sit down.
  Please give a welcome to the lyrical queen, the genius herself, Miss Nicki Minaj.
  Im good how you doing babe?
  Nicki Minaj: You guys I love you so fucking much. Thank you so much for being here yall. I really freaking love you and appreciate you. I know its late and Im sorry to keep you waiting.
  I literally just left a video shoot and now I have to go back to a different shoot. Maybe you guys will see one tomorrow Im try.
  Rob Markman: Uh-oh.
  Nicki Minaj: But I just really, really, really appreciate your presence tonight and I wanna thank Rob for doing this.
  I had no clue that other things got added. I had no clue the thing I just had to do.
  Rob Markman: Right.
  Nicki Minaj: Completely did not know.
  Its been such a whirlwind for the last couple days.
  So just make some noise for him yall cause he really—
  Rob Markman: Love, love, love.
  And make some noise for yourselves cause yall been patient—
  Nicki Minaj: Did you guys—
  Rob Markman: Peaceful
  Nicki Minaj: Did you guys eat?
  Wait okay.
  Wait you guys, we need to get—
  Rob Markman: It was rough.
  Nicki Minaj: We need to get them some food.
  Rob Markman: Well get on that.
  Nicki Minaj: So what is close around here that we can buy.
  Mcdonalds? Ew
  Rob Markman: Number two with the mac sauce.
  Come on!
  Miss genius we gone talk about these lyrics.
  Nicki Minaj: I want some hot sauce and—
  Rob Markman: Oh Lord.
  Nicki Minaj: Four wings and some french fries, hot sauce—
  Alright okay. Okay now.
  No but honestly you guys.
  G, someone can we please seriously make sure and get some food for them real quick? Can some one get some food?
  Rob Markman: Well get on it.
  Nicki Minaj: Some food and some like, I dont know.
  If theres pizza around thatll be easier right?
  Rob Markman: Well find some. Yeah.
  Nicki Minaj: But we black we can eat some chicken and stuff right?
  Rob Markman: Right.
  Nicki Minaj: You know what Im saying?
  Some fried chicken and some... but Im not giving yall no soda.
  I dont want yall drinking soda no more.
  Rob Markman: Its to late.
  Yeah, yeah.
  Nicki Minaj: I want yall to drink some water, Gatorade.
  Okay, you can get soda.
  Fuck it I want some soda.
  Rob Markman: Yo, Nick.
  Nicki Minaj: Alright.
  Rob Markman: Nick.
  First of all I wanna welcome you to genius because you and I have been talking about
  this for a while.
  I dont know if the Barbs know.
  Genius we put all the lyrics out for every song.
  We deal with a lot of artists.
  I have not met or worked with an artist before who cares this much about their lyrics.
  When the lyrics go up on Genius and if its one word wrong, Im getting that call and
  we getting it right because its important for he to be represented the right way.
  And this is the type of artist that we need to celebrate at Genius who cares about they
  mother fucking lyrics.
  Nicki Minaj: Thank you.
  Rob Markman: So Nicki tonight were gonna break down some of your lyrics were gonna
  decode some of you lyrics were gonna go through your whole catalog.
  Nicki Minaj: Okay.
  Rob Markman: I want for me, Im kinda selfish cause I wanna understand what goes on in you
  mind as youre creating and I know the Barbs wanna know whats going on as well.
  Nicki Minaj: Yup, okay.
  Rob Markman: First question, just a broad question.
  Your pen is very important to you.
  Why?
  Nicki Minaj: I think it started a long time ago before I even got a deal.
  I think it became important because we were so conditioned to believe girls didnt write
  or girls had a ghost writer.
  So I had this huge chip on my shoulder when I first came in.
  And I was telling everybody,  I dont care.
  No man is ever gonna write my rhymes.
  I dont care.
  Im gonna write.
  Im smarter that these niggas and dadadada.
  And so it carried me through my whole career.
  And If you ask any human being that has known me since the beginning of my career theyll
  tell you Ive been saying that since the beginning, since my mix tape days.
  Rob Markman: Right.
  Thats ill.
  And before we get into the specific lyrics, your process whats the process?
  I know some artist who like to write in the shower.
  I know you talk about writing in bed a lot.
  I know some artists who only write in the studio.
  I know some who use a pen and a pad, some who go off the head, some who use their phone.
  Whats Nicki Minajs writing process like?
  Nicki Minaj: Well its changed.
  I have written a song in my head in the shower which has saved me a singing song.
  Most of the stuff that I sing, I dont ever write it.
  I just freestyle that.
  Like the chorus on whatever that was never written down, just like a freestyle.
  But in terms of lyrics, recently Ive switched the approach to doing a reference type of
  mumble track on the beat.
  And to me, whatever I do the first time is usually the dopest flow.
  And I jut like to kinda keep that flow and then add words to that flow.
  I find that sometimes its a bit confining for me to try to write in the studio.
  You know a lot of times studios are so dark and it just feels like... and I always feel
  like its dark, I fell like Im claustrophobic or something.
  But the minute I go on my balcony or if I even walk outside... now I have a studio at
  my house so its so much doper.
  But sometimes if Im in a studio it feels like Im working.
  Sometimes if I put a book and a pen in front of me it feels like its work and I just cant.
  But if I take myself away from it and Im not thinking about it, I literally wake up
  with lyrics.
  Rob Markman: 
  Nicki Minaj: You know, yeah because its art.
  It shouldnt feel like work.
  It shouldnt feel like pressured.
  Once you start feeling like that, you loose, I think the essence of it.
  The essence of rap is fun.
  Rap started from having fun in the parks and shit like that with the DJs—
  Rob Markman: Absolutely.
  Nicki Minaj: And stuff like that.
  So once it starts becoming too clinical its not that easy.
  Even though its clinical for me after the fact because thats when I wanna make sure
  every word rhymes right and sound right and blah, blah, blah.
  But in the beginning, for me to feel inspired is important for me to feel very relaxed.
  Rob Markman: Whose the first rapper that you heard that you was like, Oh this is what
  I wanna do?
  Nicki Minaj: Slick Rick.
  Rob Markman: Me too.
  Me too.
  Me too.
  Nicki Minaj: I love him.
  Rob Markman: What was the record?
  Do you remember the record?
  Nicki Minaj: Mona Lisa right?
  Rob Markman: Mona Lisa, okay.
  Nicki Minaj: I remember I used to be walking around with my mother singing that song and
  I didnt know that I was a little kid talking about a virgin honey needed a slap.
  And I dont know why my mother was letting me say that but she just, she would let me
  say the whole entire rap.
  Rob Markman: It was funny though because for me too it was like La di da di, Childrens
  story.
  A lot of his lyrics, a lot of his songs were almost like lullabies.
  Nicki Minaj: Yeah.
  Rob Markman: Punched her in the belly, stepped on her feet, slammed the child on the whole
  concrete.
  We used to be in the playground singing that.
  Nicki Minaj: Right.
  Rob Markman: Thats super dope man.
  I wanna start getting into your bars and I dont know if you remember and its okay it
  you dont because weve known each other for a few years.
  The first time we met, we did a interview at XXL magazine—
  Nicki Minaj: Mm-hmm .
  Yes I do remember that.
  Rob Markman: back when I worked at XXL.
  And first Nicki did walk in there and said, Rob and she didnt know me said, You got
  egg on your face.
  Because the freshmen cover.
  Nicki Minaj: Oh.
  Oh I wasnt on the XXL—
  Rob Markman: Nicki—
  Nicki Minaj: Me and Drake wasnt on the XXL freshmen cover.
  Rob Markman: Wasnt on the freshmen cover.
  No, listen, listen!
  But no, thats no the point of the story!
  Did she need the freshmen cover?
  No.
  We know that now.
  Nicki Minaj: It dont matter.
  Rob Markman: I know it hurt at the time.
  Nicki Minaj: No go ahead, go ahead.
  Rob Markman: But she said, Man you got egg on your face.
  So I think you came in kind of real skeptical as an MC should.
  And we sat down and did this interview and I talked to you.
  Beam Me Up Scotty was out and I talked to you about my favorite song on the album because
  it was the one that made me realize who you were as a person.
  And you couldnt believe that I listen to the entire...
  I was a journalist, hip hop journalist.
  She was like, You actually listened to my mix tape all the way through to the last song?
  So I wanna play a little bit of the song and a little bit of the lyric that stood out for
  me.
  Can we play that?
  Can we cue that first?
  Turn it up.
  But when it rains, it pours for real
  Def Jam said Im no Lauryn Hill
  Cant rap and sing on the same CD
  The public wont get it, they got A.D.D
  Rob Markman: Yall can keep going.
  Nicki Minaj: Wow.
  Rob Markman: Nick, when I heard this, this was like, Oh shes... you know we heard
  Itty Bitty and the freestyles and it was like,  Yo she was really dope.
  But it was like,  This is a twenty year career.
  This is a legacy that could build.
  I wanna go back to this lyric.
  When it rains it pours for real Def Jam said Im no Lauren Hill, cant rap and sing on
  the same CD.
  The public wont get it they got ADD.
  Can you take me back to that?
  What happened with Def Jam?
  Was there a meeting?
  What is the stroy behind this?
  Nicki Minaj: Well I think that we were being shopped and I think that...
  Let me just say this.
  Every label passed up on me.
  Every record company passed up on me.
  And every crew.
  Im from New York, Jays crew and Fiftys crew didnt sign me.
  I wasnt signed to Nas and I wasnt signed to anybody.
  So I think it was just...
  They really did say that number one.
  Let me just say that.
  Rob Markman: Cause you just dont make that up.
  Nicki Minaj: No, no, no, no.
  They told the people that was shopping my music that.
  And I remember thinking, Okay so that means I have to limit myself.
  Even back then I remember thinking, if I looked a different way I wouldnt need to be limited.
  People always talk about, if you look a certain way you get preferential treatment but they
  never say that it works both ways too.
  You know what I mean?
  If a woman dresses sexy, for the most part theyre not taken as seriously right?
  I know Im going way over here but I remember watching something on TV with my boyfriend
  at that time.
  Not at that time Im talking about recently.
  A couple years ago when Donald Trump won.
  And I remember my boyfriend at the time talking about, I wanna say Kellyanne is the ladies
  name.
  Rob Markman: Kellyanne.
  Nicki Minaj: Conway.
  Rob Markman: Yeah.
  Nicki Minaj: I remember that she was on stage with Donald Trump at one time and he said
  immediately,  Oh she probably fucked him to get that job, right?
  And just remember my blood boiling and I was just like, Why?
  What made you say that?
  Because shes an attractive lady?
  She couldnt have been smart and attractive?
  She couldnt have been smart and gotten here degrees and did it the right way and climbed
  up the ladder the professional, respectful way?
  And we really had an argument about that.
  To me I never judge a woman that way.
  If I see a bad ass bitch I never assume, Oh shes stupid or she got where she got cause
  of the wrong reasons.
  Right?
  You gotta show me something else for me to think that about you.
  But it applied to that Lauren Hill statement because, because I didnt come in there with
  wraps around my head and being certain way and them feeling that I wasnt spiritual or
  culturally aware or whatever it is, they just assumed that I didnt have depth as a human
  being and as a woman.
  And it was really, really fucked up.
  I knew what I was capable of.
  I knew that I was a layered lady.
  I knew I was multidimensional ut they took one look at me as was just like, Nope!
  She gotta be doing this thing right her.
  Sex sells and thats it we gone keep her in that box.
  And for a long, long time I was really, really angry about that and so I wrote about that
  here.
  And now look.
  It just dawned on me.
  I just put out Queen and Im rapping and singing on Queen and cant nobody tell me a God damn
  thing.
  Rob Markman: Yeah.
  Nicki Minaj: Thats my favorite album.
  Rob Markman: That was my next question.
  And I know youve spoken before about your... the admiration you have for Lauren.
  Lauren has a legacy in hip hop and music that is unmatched and a lot of people though could
  never be touched.
  But you know who else has one of those legacies that is unmatched and cant be touched is
  Nicki Minaj.
  Nicki Minaj: Thank you.
  Rob Markman: I know youre confident.
  Are there days when you pinch yourself that youre on this list with the greats, with
  the people that you looked up to.
  Nicki Minaj: Sometimes.
  You know what was one of those moments.
  You remember that day when Jay was tweeting a bunch of people and...
  I just didnt expect to see my name as one of those people.
  And I remember it said Lauren Hill, Nicki Minaj and I almost just died right there because
  you never think that somebody that you look up to and get so much inspiration from is
  one day gonna tweet your name and it was after Laurens name.
  I was like, Oh my God.
  Because all those people are people I look up to.
  Rob Markman: Right.
  Lets talk about this Jay Z fella because...
  Were gonna fast forward a little bit and out of present company excluded is just my
  favorite artist, like Jay.
  I grew up looking up to Jay and we used to argue about, when Jay gets on the track with
  anybody Id argue.
  Like, Nah Jay got...
  Jay and Eminem Renegade, which they argue and you know.
  Nicki Minaj: Who you be saying?
  Rob Markman: I say Jay.
  But listen it was one instance when Jay was on the track with a certain rapper.
  Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
  Respectfully.
  This verse was a turning moment.
  I just wanna revisit this verse.
  Can we revisit this verse?
  You know where we going with it.
  Nicki Minaj: Rob Markman: Okay.
  What!
  Nicki Minaj: You know they gonna do this all night right?
  Rob Markman: Yup.
  Alright.
  Nicki Minaj: 
  Rob Markman: Alright, alright, alright.
  Alright, alright , alright ,alright alright.
  Nicki Minaj: Alright, okay you guys.
  Rob Markman: Thats amazing though.
  I love yall energy give it up for yourselves.
  Nicki Minaj: Theyre so dope.
  Rob Markman: The one line here and thats rap.
  Thats like when you get on the track as a MC even if respect, and I know the respect
  you have for Jay and Kanye and Ross is on the track.
  Its still like youre not gonna body me Im gonna own my now.
  And we talked about this too because before you named this album I remember I was calling
  you King.
  I said, You not the queen you the king.
  Nicki Minaj: Aww.
  Rob Markman: Because a lot of times, and queen is a dope title and you are the queen but
  sometimes we gotta stop this stigma where the woman MC is number two.
  Nicki Minaj: Thank you.
  Rob Markman: Its certain shit.
  Its about your wordplay.
  Its about your bars.
  And its certain field of sports where man and women...like I think Serenas the best
  tennis player on Earth.
  I think you can put her on any—
  Nicki Minaj: Absolutely.
  Absolutely.
  Rob Markman: You know what Im saying?
  You could put her up against any man and they getting bodied.
  And you could be the king but watch the queen conquer.
  Can you please talk about that and what was going through your mind?
  Nicki Minaj: I dont know.
  That was a long, long, long time ago but Im trying to think.
  Oh I know.
  At that time well I knew I was on Kanyes album.
  Even at that time, Kanye was a pretty big deal.
  So I knew I was getting on an album with someone that was a big presence.
  So I was basically talking to him.
  Like, Alright Im gonna show you something.
  I wanted to impress him so to speak and show out pretty much.
  When I started there was really no presence really.
  Of course there are so many women who opened the door for me but there was a drought when
  I came.
  It was a long drought for a long time.
  So it was just like the rebirth really.
  And I think that song and that was a moment in time.
  Ive never seen anything like that happen.
  Rob Markman: Yeah
  Nicki Minaj: I remember Kanye calling me he
  said,  I know niggas gonna say this is the best verse on my album.
  Im taking a chance by putting this shit on here man.
  You know what Im saying?
  And you no Kanye is so dramatic.
  Hes so colorful, the way he talks.
  In my head I was dying like inside I was dying because I was like, Please dont let this
  man not put this song on there Jesus!
  I was praying.
  I really prayed to Jesus.
  I was like, Lord please let him just be okay.
  I didnt know Jay Z was on it until the song came out.
  Rob Markman: Were you sweating?
  Were you a little bit nervous?
  Nicki Minaj: Little!
  Actually Im lying.
  Months had gone by and Kanye said I put Jay on it.
  But of course I didnt here Jay on it so you dont know until you know.
  I didnt hear anything and I did not even wanna say can I hear it.
  I was so nervous.
  This is to tell you how different stuff was for me at that time because now I have so
  much control over everything.
  It was so different that I did not even approve the mix on my vocals.
  Everybody that know me know how crazy that is right now.
  Anybody thats in the industry they know right?
  He took other take and put them together in one take because I did not want all those
  grunting sounds in one verse.
  Rob Markman: Right.
  Nicki Minaj: And I was like, Can you please no!
  I fought him while we were still in the studio.
  I said, No, no.
  Why are you doing that?
  Why are you doing that?
  What are you doing?
  He was like,  Nah, I like that, thats dope.
  I was like, No, no.
  It just should be like just a couple, just a couple.
  You know the monster voice.
  Rob Markman: Right, right, right.
  Nicki Minaj: And he was so obsessed with that little dumb monster voice.
  He wanted it to be in the whole thing and I remember being so mad at him but I couldnt
  say anything.
  I was just like...
  Rob Markman: But it turned out great.
  It turned out—
  Nicki Minaj: Great.
  Rob Markman: You know the fact it was that 2010 we talking about eight years later.
  Im a hip hop head.
  So Im a talk hip hope Im not gonna talk pop with yall.
  Sorry thats not what I do.
  I mean theres certain verse, I remember when I heard AZ on Nas Life a Bitch just like
  how stand out that... its certain moments in hip hop that makes you stop and be like,
  Hold up.
  This a moment.
  Nicki Minaj: Yeah.
  Rob Markman: And eight years later we still talking about it.
  Nicki Minaj: Word.
  Rob Markman: And the verse dont get old.
  Nicki Minaj: Has there been a female rap verse—
  Rob Markman: Stop, stop.
  Nicki Minaj: Since then?
  Rob Markman: Wait, wait, wait, wait.
  We deadened that tonight.
  Female rap verse.
  We talking about rap verse.
  Nicki Minaj: Rap.
  You right, you right, you right.
  My bad its not about female rap.
  But has new person on the scene being on a—
  Rob Markman: Yall biased.
  Think about it.
  Take a second to think about it.
  Nicki Minaj: Being on a song with icons...
  No listen to this.
  Since Monster has there been a new rapper on a record with icons that stood out like
  that?
  Rob Markman: Listen, thats a good question.
  I cant think of one.
  Im gonna get back to you.
  Nicki Minaj: Yeah I wanna think about it.
  Rob Markman: I wanna do the due diligence of doing it—
  Nicki Minaj: Yeah I think we should.
  Rob Markman: Because we having hip hop discussions.
  But I wanna go to something else.
  This gonna be fun.
  So as you start to develop your pen and your pen starts to develop we get to see Nicki
  Minaj the MC, you start giving us these lines that become your signature lines and we here
  it over and over and over again.
  Can we hit play?
  Hold on.
  Alright wait.
  Hold on.
  I wanna play a game with yall real quick.
  We gonna start.
  Im gonna just take three people from the audience so chill out.
  This is Genius so we look at lyrics very differently okay.
  So we went through all of Nicki Minajs lyrics and we counted up, if she had a son for every
  time she said all you bitches is my sons how many sons would she have?
  Alright.
  Look we gonna do this real quick.
  My man right there with the bandana in the back, what you think?
  Aww man you raising your hand.
  You lost.
  Right here, right here come on.
  Speaker 1: 250
  Rob Markman: 250.
  Okay one more.
  Speaker 2: 52
  Rob Markman: 52?
  One more, one more, one more, one , one more.
  You right there?
  Yeah yeah.
  Speaker 3: 84
  Rob Markman: 84?
  Okay.
  52, 250.
  Nicki how many do you think?
  Nicki Minaj: At least a hundred.
  75, 75, 75.
  Rob Markman: This feel like the price is right dont it?
  51.
  My man right here got it.
  51.
  Nick, I wanna know for you the first time you came up with all you bitches is my sons
  and then when you decided to make it a thing.
  Because the Barbs get it.
  Because theres some Nicki haters, who I dont understand it, I dont get.
  Listen, lighten.
  Why she say you bitches is my son so much?
  They dont get it.
  We get it.
  Nicki Minaj: Alright so, let me tell you what thats about.
  One day when I was living in Atlanta, I was in the middle of management.
  I was looking for managers and there were three people who I was talking to to manage
  me.
  Anyway, but what Ill say is this, one of them was Puff Daddy.
  You know Puffy managed me and ended up managing me for a very short period of time right?
  Rob Markman: I was at XXL.
  That was a confusing time.
  I didnt know who to hit to get a Nicki Minaj interview at that point.
  Nicki Minaj: But look, Puff, on the fucking phone said to me... because I was like, Im
  gonna meet with you and then Im gonna have a meeting with two... and I told him who
  Im gonna meet.
  He was like, and you know how he be stuttering when he get mad a little bit.
  Hes like,  Yo check this out, Yo check this out, check this out.
  Yo check this out.
  Man like all these niggas my sons man.
  All these niggas my sons man.
  Niggas cant tell me none.
  All these niggas my sons.
  I put the phone on mute and cried.
  I was on the fucking floor rolling.
  No this man did not just tell me all these niggas is his sons.
  And were talking about executives in the industry.
  So I was so tickled by that that trying to be funny I said it.
  Now what happened once I said is that it stuck but remember that Little Wayne...
  I dont know if yall no me, yall know that everything that Wayne did I wanted to do.
  So Wayne had a signature.
  F right?
  So Waynes signature is F stands for whatever right?
  Rob Markman: The F is for phenomenal.
  Nicki Minaj: Or F is for a bunch of shit or—
  Rob Markman: F is for finisher.
  We got a whole Genius video on Weezy F too.
  Shout out to Genius we be going deep but continue.
  Yup.
  Nicki Minaj: So, because Wayne had that, and I thought I was the female Weezy, I said,
  Oh my God.
  I need to have that be a trademark thing that I always do.
  Because, it was so funny for a girl to say all these ... whatever, is her sons.
  And, Im talking about bitches when Im calling yall my sons.
  So, it was so comical that everybody got a kick out of it.
  So I said, You know what?
  Just to push myself lyrically, I said, Im gonna just try to keep on making up new ones.
  And so, I hear a lot of girls saying stuff like that now.
  And I be like—
  Rob Markman: But thats dope, thats influence—
  Nicki Minaj: Absolutely.
  Rob Markman: Thats influence.
  Nicki Minaj: Absolutely.
  Im not mad at that.
  Rob Markman: We know where it came from.
  Nicki Minaj: Yeah.
  Im not mad at all.
  But, it started off as a joke.
  Puffy said it to me, he was dead ass serious.
  It tickled me so much, I just had to keep it as a part of my repertoire.
  Rob Markman: Thats dope.
  I didnt know that came from Puffy, thats super dope.
  Thats a dope story.
  This is the shit we trying to get to.
  Hey listen, theres been a lot of Nicki Minaj interviews this week.
  I wanted to make this one different.
  This is genius.
  I just wanted to go in a different direction.
  Nicki Minaj: Did yall get their food?
  I didnt forget.
  Rob Markman: Real quick, because were definitely going to get into Queen lyrics, theres a
  lot on Queen.
  I did, over the weekend, I was having a hard time just picking lyrics to ask you about,
  because there was so many.
  So, I did ask The Barbs, I reached out to The Barbs on Twitter and said, Im working
  with Nicki.
  What are some of your favorite lines?
  This one was ill, I remember this one.
  I want to know if you remember this one.
  Im just going to read it out.
  Now ever club promoter, wanna bid like auctions,
  Nicki Minaj: Sell ticks like Boston.
  I remember exactly where I was when I made that up.
  Rob Markman: Lets go, this is what we want, lets go.
  Nicki Minaj: I was driving my BMW, I was coming down the ... I think its the West Side Highway.
  Im not good with streets, or whatever, highways, whatever.
  But I was driving in a car by myself, and I was waitressing at that time.
  And so, that lyric is very old, because I was still a waitress.
  Rob Markman: 2008.
  Sucka free, right?
  Nicki Minaj: And I put that ... Oh, is that where its on?
  Okay.
  Did I ever re-use that lyric, because I feel like I did?
  On Envy?
  Rob Markman: Yep.
  Nicki Minaj: I knew I would re-use that shit, because its so fucking hard to me.
  But, I remember when I had that in my head going to the studio, because at that time
  I was still in a group.
  I remember being mad hype to go to the studio and show off to the boys in my group, that
  I had that lyric.
  Because, I thought that was a dope lyric.
  Sell ticks like Boston.
  And by the way, to this day, people are always confused that I spit sports metaphors.
  So, this is what I want to say—
  Rob Markman: Talk about it.
  Nicki Minaj: ... yeah.
  Now, now, Im gonna give you an example, right?
  On its a lyric that says, My—
  No, thats not the lyric.
  No, but thats a dope one.
  No, but thats a dope one.
  But, I wasnt talking about that babe.
  But no, no, no, no.
  Swish Swish, Wichita, Wichita, remember?
  Rob Markman: Yeah.
  Yeah.
  Nicki Minaj: Tell that bitch Im in the league, she still play for Wichita.
  So, nobody would think that I wrote ... First of all, niggas dont even, its probably niggas
  that have no clue what Im talking with that.
  Rob Markman: Right.
  Nicki Minaj: So, I literally looked up, I looked on Google, and I said, Let me find
  a college basketball team, or, something that doesnt have a ... They dont play in
  the big leagues.
  You dont—
  Rob Markman: Super mainstream—
  Nicki Minaj: Yeah—
  Rob Markman: ... its not obvious.
  Nicki Minaj: Right.
  So, I looked up and I found Wichita, and I just had to make it rhyme, right?
  So, someone was asking me the other day, What would make you say that?
  Youre a girl, how do you get so in depth with sports stuff?
  I said, Google.
  Its your best fucking friend.
  Anybody that wants to rap, and this is true shit, if you want to rap to expand your vocabulary.
  I think that its very important to expand your vocabulary.
  I think its very important to be colorful in your lyrics.
  I think its very important to say shit that no ones ever said before.
  We all say stuff that people have said before, right?
  But, Google is my best friend.
  Rob Markman: Right.
  Nicki Minaj: So, I always ... for instance, Im gonna give an example.
  You know ODell and ... no, no, and the white guy, Brad Wing?
  Rob Markman: Yeah.
  Nicki Minaj: He ... first, I didnt even know him.
  I had no clue who that man was.
  Never heard of him, never met him—
  Rob Markman: I thought you watched sports.
  I listened to the album, Im like, Nicki be up watching ESPN like a mother fucker.
  Nicki Minaj: Let me tell you what I did.
  I was writing this song for Calvin Harris, its called Skirt.
  So, why is it I go on Google?
  I went on Google, and I literally googled Top Punters.
  You know why?
  Because, I wanted to rhyme something ... This is so crazy.
  Rob Markman: Right.
  Nicki Minaj: The lyric about punting, right?
  But, it just happened that the line before that was Yao Ming.
  And when I saw Brad Wing, I was like, Yao Ming, Brad Wing, this is too good to be fucking
  true.
  So, I put Brad Wing in the line.
  Listen, this is crazy.
  I was not following that man on Instagram or nothing.
  I was following ODell, but I didnt know that was ODells best fucking friend.
  Its just how the universe works.
  Rob Markman: Right, thats dope.
  Nicki Minaj: I did not seek out to put Brad Wings name in the lyric.
  I googled Top Punting People, blah, blah, blah.
  And, I seen his name, I think his name was number seven, or something.
  It wasnt the top one, but it just rhymes perfectly with Yao Ming.
  Rob Markman: That so ill.
  Nicki Minaj: Thats how I get a lot of my sports metaphors.
  When was on house arrest, they used to walk by school all day, every
  single day.
  They were better in basketball, blah, blah, blah.
  So Im there, Im absorbing the information, you know.
  Im not gonna just sit there and just be like ... People think women are dumb.
  Rob Markman: Oh, come on.
  Nicki Minaj: I went to an interview with L.U.G. right.
  He said, You know how I knew you write your lyrics?
  Because of Barbie Dreams.
  I said, Huh?
  You believed that I write my lyrics all these years later because of Barbie Dreams?
  I said, Why?
  He said, Because it shows that youre aware of whats going on.
  Its almost like men think that being is a woman is a handicap.
  No, its not a handicap, were very intelligent, were paying attention.
  The same way yall pay attention, we pay attention.
  Rob Markman: But, let me tell you real quick, add to the point.
  This is the conversations I want to have with you, because theres certain ones of us that
  look at rap differently.
  And when you said Wichita, I dont know if I ever ... Rap just celebrated its 45 year
  birthday for Hip Hop, right.
  And think about this, I could be wrong, but in 45 years I dont think I ever heard a rapper
  use the word Wichita in the rhyme.
  Unlikely right?
  It kind of reminds me of Notorious B.I.G.
  Poppa been smooth since days of Underroos.
  I never heard nobody use Underroos in a fucking rap.
  Because, its about finding the different words and connections and building on it.
  This is the type of shit I want to salute you for, because I dont know that you get
  enough credit.
  People, yall give her the credit, we know.
  But again, when Im talking about in the span of Hip Hop, where you fit in and the work
  you put in.
  I believe in giving people the flowers while they still smell them, so these are your flowers.
  One more and then we gonna get into Queen.
  This shit is ill.
  This shit, yo, I had to rewind this back like five times, because I was like, I know Im
  missing something.
  And then, I had to look it up on Genius, I aint even gonna lie.
  Thats not even the plug.
  I really went to Genius, Yo, what?
  So, can we just play this one?
  This is from Changed It.
  Yo, Nick, I done started some shit!
  Listen, talk about ... Because this is a whole different technique, like—
  Nicki Minaj: Hey wait, hold on, hold on!
  Hold on!
  Because, I see people doing this all the time.
  They so fucking dumb.
  When they hear me saying words that sound alike, they have no idea that I just used
  it in three different ways, because theyre that fucking dumb.
  Because, people simplify their lyrics now, so much that if theyre not hearing something
  thats an A, B, C thing, they think, Oh, next.
  What are you talking?
  Youre saying the same word.
  So absolutely, No, you cant bone it, nigga, aint no Lisa here.
  She gon dread dissin Nicki like Lisa hair.
  I buy, lil nigga, aint no leaser here.
  Rob Markman: Thats hard.
  Nicki Minaj: No, lets go back!
  Lets go back!
  No, you cant bone it, nigga, aint no Lisa here.
  But wait.
  Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on.
  Because its so intricate.
  Now, when you spell Lisa Bonets last name, right.
  It really ... Spell Lisa Bonets last name.
  Rob Markman: B-O-N-E-T.
  Yeah.
  I think theres an accent there somewhere.
  It might be an accent, theres no accent?
  I failed English.
  Nicki Minaj: Yo, this is like some shit that really have to be an intelligent human.
  You know what I mean?
  You cant be stupid.
  So, shout out to all the stupid bitches that think ... you know.
  You have to have some sort of brain power to be a great rapper.
  All of our favorite rappers are intelligent.
  JME, Wayne, you can hear it.
  You can hear that they are intelligent people, by the way they rap.
  Rob Markman: Alright.
  Lets get into Queen real quick, man.
  New project, Queen.
  I just want to know, at this point, we went through your career when you were young.
  The things that you were learning about yourself, how you were building.
  Queen, you are a veteran in Hip Hop.
  But, did you approach this album any differently with your writing?
  Was there anything that you pushed yourself to do, that you previously hadnt on other
  projects?
  How did you approach this when you started penning this project?
  Nicki Minaj: One of the things that I wanted to do was definitely give them some hints
  of Roman, because I dont think I did that on The Pinkprint.
  So, just having the fast flow and the wild stuff.
  I did that at the end of Barbie Dreams.
  I did that on LLC, a little bit.
  And at the end of Majesty.
  No, no, the end of Barbie Dreams.
  I didnt do Roman on Majesty.
  Rob Markman: That last verse on Barbie Dreams is crazy.
  Nicki Minaj: Yeah, thank you, thank you.
  Rob Markman: It was crazy.
  Nicki Minaj: I love that one.
  Thank you.
  But one of the things I wanted to do, because I felt like I didnt give my fans that on
  The Pinkprint, and I felt like they wanted that.
  Was, those kind of Roman moments, like rapping fast.
  I didnt realize how much people liked me rapping fast, until I dropped the last album.
  And they was like, I want ... Wheres the fast stuff?
  So, that was one of the things that I promised myself with this album, that I would have
  a couple, at least, that they cant learn right away.
  Because, my fans get a kick out of learning the lyrics and singing back.
  Rob Markman: Okay.
  One of my favorites, because Im just a rap fan, Im sorry, LLC.
  Nicki Minaj: Everybody like ... Yo, every.
  A lot of men that I spoke to ... because, even I spoke to Sway, he said LLC.
  Everybody likes that one lyrically.
  Rob Markman: Its hard.
  Can we just hear?
  Because, its an on-going theme on this album that I want to talk ... We touched on it before,
  but I want to ... because, its on-going on this album.
  Just play this part of LLC real quick.
  Now, now, thats hard.
  Now listen.
  Nicki Minaj: Thank you.
  Rob Markman: We talked about in the beginning of your career, really defending your pen.
  Defending yourself from never letting a man write for you.
  I feel like you established yourself.
  I feel like you know that you established yourself as a force.
  Why ... and even the flex interview, watching it, I had a love/hate relationship.
  The love was the tea that was spilled, sure.
  But, the hate was seeing you having to defend yourself, and defend your pen.
  And, it happens a lot on this album.
  Why do you feel like you still have to say this?
  Even on Ganja Dreams, Im like, a lot of these ... Ganja Burns, Im sorry.
  Nicki Minaj: Let him rock.
  Rob Markman: I mixed up Ganja dreams.
  Unlike a lot of these hoes whether wack or lit.
  At least I can say I wrote every rap I spit.
  Why is it—
  Nicki Minaj: No, to me, its not about what
  bitches do yall.
  This the thing, this is the thing.
  Since Im saying these things now, its almost like I havent been saying it.
  Ive always been saying these things.
  And because Im the bad guy, its now fun to say, Oh, shes only now posting her steps
  on Instagram.
  Bitch, I been the one posting my steps for the last fucking 10 years!
  But everything I do now its, Shes doing it now for the first time.
  No, suck my dick for the first time.
  Lets start there, lets start there.
  Listen you guys, this is the truth, this is the truth.
  Yall know Ive been saying that since my mixed tape days.
  And so, after Queen, after this album, I wont explain myself anymore.
  However, when you have people out there lying on you.
  And, lying on the only thing that I care about, my legacy, my integrity.
  Can you imagine, something that you love to do, and then someone just takes it all away
  from you and say, You didnt do that.
  Authenticity.
  Can you imagine?
  Hold on, can you imagine?
  Im gonna kick ... Who is it?
  Im will kick you right on out.
  No, Im going to make you sit right up here with the teacher.
  No!
  Yall are like bad kids.
  Yall always been like ... Okay, no, seriously.
  Rob, can you imagine, right?
  Would you consider yourself and journalist and an MC?
  I think you are, but also a journalist.
  Rob Markman: Oh, you heard that?
  Nicki Minaj: Yes, yes.
  Thats why you pay attention in a different way.
  Rob Markman: Right.
  Nicki Minaj: But youre a journalist too, right?
  Rob Markman: Absolutely.
  Nicki Minaj: What if one day, after you had put 10 years into your journalism career,
  someone started going around and telling people you never wrote those amazing articles?
  How would you feel?
  Rob Markman: Its all you got.
  All I have is the work that I put in.
  The money, even the money that we make from it, that gets spent, the money goes.
  Nicki Minaj: Thank you.
  So, people have the audacity to be angry at me for defending my fucking craft.
  Are you fucking stupid?
  Rob Markman: Well, listen, listen.
  I came up in an era where it was very important in Hip Hop for you to have written your own
  rhymes.
  I feel like, and this is just me, I fight it all the time, but I feel like Im fighting
  a losing battle.
  I feel like the climate has changed.
  Nicki Minaj: Its not a losing battle.
  The climate has changed.
  Rob Markman: Should I give up?
  Should we give up and just accept?
  Nicki Minaj: No, no, no.
  And, if you want to accept it, go over there and accept it.
  And if you dont want to write your raps, thats fine.
  But, dont expect to be treated like people who do write their raps.
  Im just saying.
  Dont expect, dont be walking around here like you dat nigga, or you dat bitch, if you
  dont write raps.
  Rappers write their raps!
  Period!
  So, its fine, its fine, its fine, its fine.
  My thing is, just stay up, keep quiet.
  Keep quiet.
  You know how they used to say, when grown folks is talking, stay out my ... baby, baby.
  When writers is ... just shut the ... just relax.
  You dont do this.
  Rob Markman: Theres a certain conversation that goes on, I know at least for males in
  the barber shop.
  You know, if you in school and at the lunch table.
  Theres certain MC conversations that we have.
  It doesnt mean ... Diddy has famously said, It dont matter if I write rhymes.
  I write checks.
  And No Way Out is a classic.
  We can still enjoy the music, but its a different conversation.
  Am I reading you right?
  No?
  Nicki Minaj: The different is that Puff Daddy never attempts to compare himself with Biggie
  and JayZ.
  Thats the difference.
  And the difference is, if you were to tell Puffy, You aint, da da da, he aint gonna
  argue you down.
  He gonna let you know you damn right, and he gonna dance his happy ass around, and you
  know.
  When you are getting angry that people are pointing this out, when you have come into
  our world, then you need to get checked.
  You have come into our fucking world.
  If you are going to fucking med school, and you go into a fucking hospital, but you aint
  never studied your fucking med books and shit.
  And, passed the med tests and shit.
  You dont think the doctors is going to be like, Hold on BooBoo.
  What we doing, surgery?
  You gotta sit this one out.
  And you better not come in here with no mother fucking attitude.
  Be happy that you mother fucking here!
  Be happy that we letting you wear the white coat!
  Rob Markman: Yo, hold on, hold on, hold on.
  Because it gets deeper.
  Nicki Minaj: And Im saying this goes for ev ... I know everybody ... I know yall wanna
  be messy.
  This is not about women, its about every ... its a lot of people running around here
  doing that.
  Theres a lot of people doing that.
  This is not just about women.
  Rob Markman: Listen, theres another line on LLC.
  This is an important record.
  Tryna make a new Nicki, where the factory?
  Theyll never toe to toe on a track with me.
  Therell never be another one after me.
  Cause the skill level still just a half of me.
  Whats this Nicki factory that you speak?
  Whats this factory that you speak of?
  Nicki Minaj: Well, no, you guys listen.
  Its no secret ... ooh, who calling me?
  Rob Markman: Yeah, its late.
  What is that?
  This booty call hours right?
  Nicki Minaj: Hello, hello, hello, hello, hello?
  Yall made me miss my call.
  Rob Markman: She said, Im gonna wait up for you.
  Nicki Minaj: No, that wasnt New Boy, be quiet.
  Yall so messy.
  And yall be telling my little business in the street.
  I be telling yall new cold stuff about New Boy and stuff.
  And yall be telling everybody about New Boy.
  I been wanting everybody know about New Boy.
  I did not tell anybody about New Boy.
  I told yall I was liking some tweets about New Boy, amongst us, and yall had to—
  Rob Markman: So you gonna skip over my factory question.
  Nicki Minaj: I aint think you was gonna repeat that.
  But listen, you guys, heres the thing.
  Its not secret, listen, this is the thing.
  And, I know everything I say has this extra impact now, right.
  Its not secret that when ... Im from the hood.
  Rob Markman: We know.
  Nicki Minaj: In every hood, and every human being here knows this.
  You grow up in a neighborhood with a small laundromat.
  Now, the laundromat in the neighborhood is convenient, you know the people, its fine.
  You wash your clothes, youre in and out, its homely, its whatever.
  In every hood, at one point in time, there will come a big laundromat thats really nice
  and pretty, and has a lot of flat screen TVs.
  And now, that small laundromat has to worry, Oh my God.
  Are all my customers going to leave?
  Right?
  Heres my thing.
  When Im saying the factory stuff, Im a business woman, and this is my business.
  I know yall get a kick out of this shit.
  I know that this is like some fun.
  You guys have your own lives, yall get to just laugh at us all day, watch us arguing
  online.
  Looking at the hot fucking dumb ass mess.
  But this is my real life.
  It is no secret that if there is a woman, a man, an alien, an anything, a burger, a
  laundromat thats doing well, people want to replicate, duplicate, recreate.
  Thats common sense, right yall?
  So, thats not a diss.
  I want yall to learn the difference between shade.
  Because people are always saying the word shade.
  I want you to understand that this is not a diss, thats a fact.
  That, people have seen me being successful in the industry for a very long time.
  And, they want a Nicki of their own.
  Is that not true?
  Okay, so Im saying that, there were factories to create Nicki two years ago, four years
  ago, five years ago, why wouldnt they?
  If there is a young thing, they wanted to create a new Lil Wayne.
  You dont think that they wanted to create another Eminem?
  You understand?
  Eminem is saying, Will the real Slim Shady please stand up?
  And all this stuff.
  So, thats not a diss.
  That is ... If theres a laundromat on the block, and everybody goes there, someday somebodys
  going to come in and say, Wait a minute, if I make a shine, real big laundromat with
  flat screens, I can take their customers.
  If Burger King sets up shop, and theres only chicken spots in the neighborhood, one day
  McDonalds is going into the neighborhood and say, Hmm, theres a desire for burgers
  here.
  And I dont want Burger King getting all the burger money, when I make burgers too.
  Rob Markman: Youre making everybody hungry.
  Nicki Minaj: What?
  So, thats not shade, that is obvious that for years and years theyve wanted their ... every
  label wants their own Nicki.
  A female that is profitable.
  So, is there something wrong with me saying that Rob?
  Rob Markman: I dont think so.
  But, I want to challenge you, I want to play Devils advocate for a second.
  Nicki Minaj: Sure.
  Rob Markman: Well go back to this lyric, were going to play it in a second from Im
  The Best.
  You often talk about blazing trails for women, and kicking down doors so they dont have
  to, so its easier for the next one.
  So, wheres the balance ... And, were going to play this lyric, because I want you to
  go back to this.
  Wheres the balance of defending your brand and what you built, you business, as you say,
  and the other lane of opening a door that other women are supposed to follow the blueprint
  that you set?
  Thats a good thing.
  Nicki Minaj: Right.
  Rob Markman: Lets just play this quick verse from Im The Best, these quick lines.
  It made me think of this.
  I want to pose that question—
  Nicki Minaj: I think that was a very smart thing that you just did.
  Rob Markman: Thank you.
  Look, you know.
  But, there was the criticism that Nicki Minaj is too protective of her brand—
  Nicki Minaj: Excuse me!
  When Floyd Mayweather gets in the ring, does he try to knock you the fuck out?!
  Or, does he try to wipe your ass and kiss you and play footsies?!
  Like, what the fuck is this now?!
  You niggas dont want rappers to rap, you niggas dont want rappers to be aggressive.
  Are you fucking for real?!
  When Serena gets on the fucking court, is she playing to fucking win?!
  Come one!
  Of course I know Im going to open doors, Ive opened several doors.
  Every single person ... you know what, let me just.
  Listen, what Im saying is, I think that was a very smart thing you just said, right.
  And I have gone out of my way to be open arms, loving, and accepting.
  And, Ive been completely ... People have been so fucking ungrateful.
  Its disgusting, its fucking disgusting.
  To this day, I treat Foxy like shes the fucking queen of Egypt.
  Rob Markman: Right.
  Broken Silence is a classic.
  Nicki Minaj: So, my thing is this.
  When you open the door for somebody and then they come in and be like, Alright bitch,
  bye bitch.
  You gonna be like, Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
  My thing is this, you dont have to be nasty.
  You dont have to do that.
  You can acknowledge that youre inspired.
  Its okay, we know, we know.
  So, no, in no way shape or form PART 2 OF 3 ENDS 
  Nicki Minaj: So no in no way shape or form do I not think its a good thing to open doors
  because doors were opened for me and when I was on the come up dvds, if you play my
  interviews, I didnt only name Foxy.
  In all my interviews, I named several females over and over and over and over and fucking
  over.
  But they dont tell you that story about me.
  They only have one narrative.
  Someone got at me, a veteran got at me and I hit them with Romans Revenge and then I
  kept on going.
  Because what am I suppose to fucking do?
  Hold on.
  Hold on.
  Hold on.
  What was I suppose to do?
  Not feed my fucking family?
  You never gonna make me not feed my motherfucking family.
  Ever.
  So I did what I had to fucking do.
  Prior to that I was bigging them up over and over and over and over and over.
  Do I have to pull up the fucking interviews?
  Do I have to pull up the interviews?
  Do I have to pull up the allhiphop.com questionnaire when they asked me my top five and four women
  were listed on my top five.
  Remember there was one line with Lauryn ... there was one line that said Kim, Foxy, and Remy.
  Nobody remembers that.
  Rob Markman: Right.
  Its facts.
  Its facts.
  Nicki Minaj: I named Jay, Wayne, Jadakiss, Lauryn ... and on one line Kim, Foxy, Remy.
  Go on youtube and see how many times I said bitches names.
  But yall training new bitches to come in and disrespect me.
  I didnt have none of that.
  I didnt have help.
  I didnt have none of that help.
  Let me tell you something.
  Let me tell you something.
  Everybody that was around Wayne, you was just around Wayne.
  I was on twitter building my fan base, getting a rapport with my fans, booking shows myself
  okay.
  I didnt have all of that shit.
  I couldnt pay a bunch of people to say they liked me and do all this shit.
  My talents, my talents.
  Rob Markman: And thats what we here to celebrate tonight.
  Nicki Minaj: So my thing is I know everybody
  loves to paint me as the bad guy now.
  I get it.
  And therefore you guys my own culture has allowed people to come in and think they do
  not have to respect the queen.
  Could you imagine someone coming in and treating Jay or Wayne like that?
  They would never.
  They would never.
  The culture wouldnt stand for that.
  But yall think by doing all this shit behind the scenes and gathering together that yall
  was gonna get rid of me and somebody fucking lied.
  Because yall not.
  Yall sent somebody before and then every time yall try it everyone that tries it learns
  the hard way.
  Im chosen.
  Im the chosen one Im not going nowhere until the fuck I want to go somewhere.
  So the best bet for yall to do is to hope and pray that I want to push some babies out
  my pussy because before I do that I will be right fucking here winning.
  And this is not in any way shade, anger, nothing this is just facts and whenever everyone else
  in this fucking world in this industry is allowed to speak.
  Theyre allowed to express themselves.
  Theyre allowed to be as dumb as they want to be.
  Theyre allowed to be you know whatever.
  Like I see so many men going on Instagram all the time having rants.
  People laugh it off even women laugh it off.
  Women laugh off these men having rants all the time.
  But women when they see another woman defending their self defending their legacy its a problem.
  They hate their own.
  Theyre crabs in a bucket.
  We kill our own.
  Its just about giving respect.
  Thats it.
  Rob Markman: And thats what were trying to level the playing field.
  The playing field level or should be leveled in all reality.
  Its not but I feel like on them tracks when you turn those raps on youre gonna go at
  whoever and have the best performance on the track that you could possibly no matter man
  or woman and this is what were talking about.
  You had mentioned something making you out to be the bad guy.
  I want to go to Chun Li.
  I wonder if this is a google situation.
  I grew up a big street fighter fan like and you have a lot of street fighter you know
  when you and Willow in Fireball built a guest house just to put the coupe in cause Im a
  fireball, Hadouken.
  You mentioned Chun Li before in my fantasy Im like yo Nicki she get down in Street Fighter.
  I want to play Nicki in Street Fighter man.
  Nicki Minaj: I havent played for a long time.
  But of course I think we all use to play ... but I dont know about yall but we all played
  yeah.
  Rob Markman: I definitely want—
  Nicki Minaj: Play me?
  Rob Markman: Yeah.
  yeah.
  That should probably be good go viral.
  Nicki Minaj: All right.
  Well do it.
  I think thats cool.
  Rob Markman: Not tonight this at a later date.
  But you do know one of the things people guided you and understand was but it was a bit of
  Chun Li here theres a bit of Scar Face here.
  Im the bad guy.
  I just want to clarify Nicki Minaj knows that Chun Li wasnt a bad guy?
  Right Nicki Minaj knows this.
  Nicki Minaj: Right I know hes saying that because a lot of people online were saying
  that.
  They were like, Oh this dumb bitch think Chun Li, the fuck no Im saying that yeah
  thats the point.
  The point is that even when youre fighting for a good cause people can flip it.
  You can be the greatest person but ... exactly thats what I think of myself.
  I think I am the good guy being portrayed as the bad guy.
  Rob Markman: Chun Li.
  There you guy.
  Okay, this record is crazy.
  And were gonna play this.
  Well wind it down we definitely like getting towards the ninth ending and yall been an
  amazing crowd for real.
  Nicki Minaj: Absolutely, I love yall so much.
  Rob Markman: This again Im telling you Nick, Im a hip hop head, this kind of heart my
  heart when I seen you drop this song off of Queen and I seen a lot of outlets reporting
  that it was a diss track staring name and names and a lot of it happens is we live in
  the era of quick bait so its easy to make it a diss but it pained me because people
  didnt see the legacy of where this track came from.
  Can we hear this track that Im talking about?
  I think yall know the track Im talking about .
  Hold up.
  hold up.
  Nicki Minaj: Come here.
  Come here.
  Come here.
  You come here.
  Rob Markman: I think we might of made a mistake.
  Wrong version but yall knew it.
  That was a test.
  Nicki Minaj: Not you but you two both of you thats okay but I was talking to this lady
  but you can come here to.
  Whats your name?
  Speaker 4: Its Nicole Im from Queens and I fucking love you.
  Nicki Minaj: Oh my God.
  How do you ... you seem so young ... how do you know the plays older version.
  Speaker 4: I listen to all of your music like come on like you are my idol you are my idol
  I love you.
  Nicki Minaj: Thank you.
  Speaker 4: Im from Queen Im in Rosedale my friend lives on your old block in Baisley.
  Like I love you.
  Nicki Minaj: She was really like spitting every lyric.
  Rob Markman: Absolutely.
  Harell shout out Harell.
  Speaker 4: When I first heard this I thought it was the song I was like...
  Rob Markman: Listen.
  Nicki Minaj: Yes
  Rob Markman: Lets play the 2018 Queen version
  just—
  Nicki Minaj: Hold up whats your name?
  Speaker 5: Jaquel.
  Nicki Minaj: Jaquel, where are you from?
  Speaker 5: Queens.
  Nicki Minaj: I think yall be liking me because Im from Queens or something.
  Because I be having a lot of fans in Queens I be like how is this possible.
  All right yall I just wanted to say I love you guys and thank you for your passion.
  All of you guys is so lovely and passionate but thank you.
  Rob Markman: Lets go Barbie Dreams.
  Lets go.
  We got the new one?
  Nicki Minaj: No you guys should go back in your seats.
  Rob Markman: Naw, Okay .
  Thats a hard bar.
  Thats a hard bar.
  Nicki Minaj: And I guarantee you half of these kids in here dont even know—
  Rob Markman: Thanks YaYo, 50.
  Nicki Minaj: I bet yall didnt even know what that bar meant.
  Rob Markman: Nick?
  Nicki Minaj: Yes.
  Rob Markman: Where were you when you decided to do Barbie Dreams and where you thinking
  ... did you know like you know you touched this in 07?
  Nicki Minaj: Yes.
  Rob Markman: And a lot of people didnt know it but when did you decide you know what its
  time Im going back in on this?
  Nicki Minaj: Its been on my mind for a while and then I was dating someone right and I
  said I asked him what he thought and I dont think he would of been to found of it.
  So being that we happen to break up I was able to slide that in there and I been putting
  the bars together.
  But one day, this is a true story but one day I was coming to the ... oh I see black
  people moving that means food.
  Whenever black people start when you start losing their attention ... but thats okay
  yall I understand you guys are hungry you guys get food.
  Ill be here talking dont worry.
  But look so one day I just pulled up to the studio before I had my own little studio.
  But I pulled up to the studio and Rob Im not kidding I dont know but I was in a really
  good mood and I just started free styling some stuff like the oozy line.
  And I was just making myself laugh.
  And my assistant was in the front seat of the car and she was looking at me like what
  is she doing and i was just ... but you guys be quite a little bit.
  Rob Markman: Yeah orderly be orderly.
  Nicki Minaj: Because rob is gonna like this.
  That means we got to.
  Rob Markman: Because were about to get to the good part we dont want to miss this.
  Nicki Minaj: Yeah so now the thug line the oozy line and the—
  Rob Markman: Hes stealing your gestures.
  Nicki Minaj: And it was a couple of lines that came to me oh and the designer—
  Rob Markman: Nick
  Nicki Minaj: Really I did not got to the studio
  that day I was not going to that studio to do Barbie Dream.
  I promise you.
  I kept on having little lines like I was doing a voice note in my phone and all of a sudden
  that day when I pull up to the studio it was a nice day and something just in my head had
  a joke about one of the guys and I had the Fetty Wap line and I started crying and so
  I said you know what fuck that it just inspired me I was like no this shit is starting to
  be funny.
  So I said let me record it and then when I recorded it I did one verse first and when
  my managers came in so G came to the studio—
  Rob Markman: Shout out G.
  Nicki Minaj: Shout out to G Roberson.
  Now you know G and I are like inseparable like so Gene came with him as well and I didnt
  tell them that I did it because I had already told them naw I changed my mind Im not gonna
  do it but I laid it and I told them to come by the studio and I video taped their reaction
  to hearing it and it is priceless.
  Im put that on the documentary.
  So that you can see when they heard that I was really about to ... because they knew
  ... we knew it was gonna be game changing I kept on saying you know this is gonna change
  the culture because Im the only one that could do because its so much history behind
  it and its just is dope that I did it in 07 you know my first mix tape.
  And it feels like everything has came full circle with Queen and everything feels good
  about it the making of Queen and the way it came out and everything so I wanted to get
  people something that would make them excited like how they were when they first started
  hearing me.
  Rob Markman: And thats dope that AB did the listen to the old one and the new one.
  If you compare the rappers that you talk about it really brings you back to a time when like
  it was a lot of Dipset talk in the first one but being from New York of course and now
  the new version is just so dope.
  Its dope to listen to compared to where you were in 07 and where you are now with it.
  Nicki Minaj: True story, I have not listened to the old version but because you said that
  I want to go and listen to it.
  Rob Markman: One question I want to know, two things, it wasnt a diss track it hurt
  me when you had to tweet and explain that again Im a hip hop head so Im a spread some
  knowledge.
  Hip hop has a deep history of these type of tracks if you go back to Ice Cube Jacking
  for Beats when hes talking about stealing beats from Public Enemy.
  Those were his friends it was just a joke.
  Biggie wit Just Playing.
  50 Cent with How to Rock.
  This is hip hop history.
  There is a lineage of these type of tracks and this is just another chapter in it.
  But what I want to know is and as a guy you guys have a close relationship Drake worth
  100 milly always buying me shit but I dont know if the pussy wet or Ill be crying and
  shit.
  Did he call you?
  He had to have called you and be like, God damn Nick?
  Nicki Minaj: No.
  I did an interview thats gonna be out in a few hours on TRL they asked me the same
  thing.
  No.
  Rob Markman: Shout to my man Sway.
  See Sway is my big bro.
  Hes my mentor so he asked the same questions.
  Nicki Minaj: Hes so dope.
  Yeah you guys think alike.
  But Drake hasnt called me.
  Rob Markman: He might be loading one up though.
  All right you want to have fun you want to play—
  Nicki Minaj: He bout to have back-to-back?
  Rob Markman: Yall gonna leave Drake alone.
  Nicki Minaj: No I thought that was a dope thing.
  I thought it was a compliment.
  Its funny.
  He has a record called In My Feelings and so I thought he would like it.
  I thought it would be funny to him.
  Rob Markman: Nicki do you love me?
  Listen, and it was also dope to me that you mentioned Meek are you guys cool enough now
  that you can joke about the relationship like were you worried about how people might take
  that because what you and Meek had at a point was real.
  Is it cool enough now that you we can joke about we cool?
  Nicki Minaj: Well did you see anything happen from me saying it?
  What?
  Rob Markman: You know what I did see.
  I wish I had the picture.
  There was a meme of a picture of Meek somewhere was like Yo Gotti in the picture like 21 but
  a bunch a people looking at him like yo you did what?
  It had nothing to do with he lyric but—
  Nicki Minaj: It was like you still be in her dms?
  Rob Markman: Yeah.
  Yall be doing too much.
  Nicki Minaj: I saw that.
  I saw that.
  That was funny.
  Rob Markman: That was dope.
  Nicki man we can stay here all night because its just lyrics for days but I want to start
  kind of winding down I just want to toss it back to you and give you the floor for some
  final thoughts just anything you want the people to know.
  If theres a verse or anything that we didnt touch on that I missed that you absolutely
  love?
  I asked you
  to think about your favorite verse and that time you said thats a hard ass question.
  Nicki Minaj: Well but on this album I really love Ganja Burn because to me that is so personal
  but still hard and its very telling of where I was in life for the last couple of years
  and so I love that one.
  Come See About Me whenever I play Come See About Me I have to play that shit like 100
  times.
  Its so dope.
  Its so pretty.
  The rap one Nip Tuck.
  Now that is something very serious and very true and every line on it is very real.
  Very very real.
  And I feel like that is the verse of the woman in 2018.
  I feel like every woman needs to get up on that and listen to that verse because weve
  all felt like that and I ended by saying because a true bad bitch aint weak or bitter and
  I think thats so important that women ... its not about being stupid or accepting things
  or taking people back or whatever but never being bitter never being bitter always allowing
  yourself to be able to love again.
  I find that thats very important in your growth as a human being so never being weak
  or bitter I felt like that even though thats not like a metaphor or some ill line I think
  its very freaking important for people to understand as youre going through life and
  youre transitioning through relationships.
  Rob Markman: Now thats dope man.
  Nicki again like I said I believe in giving people the flowers while they can still smell
  them.
  Youve done a lot of interviews throughout your career and I wanted to give you an interview
  like this.
  Where we talked about the pin because thats why were all here like for real for real.
  Hip hop gave us so much.
  People have jobs because of hip hop careers that life has meaning and purpose and I didnt
  want to lose sight of that the drama and whatever will always be there but I wanted to have
  this moment with you and celebrate you in this moment.
  So thank you for that.
  Nicki Minaj: I really appreciate you so much and weve been speaking about this for a long
  time off and on and you kept saying are we gonna do it?
  I know you thought I wasnt probably gonna do it any more but—
  Rob Markman: Shit I thought it wasnt gonna happen today.
  I aint gonna lie.
  Nicki Minaj: Im a woman of my word.
  Im a woman of my word but I do want to thank people.
  I want to thank you and people like you I dont take this for granted like because theres
  so many people especially with me personally and I dont want to have a pity party I dont
  want anybody feeling sorry for me.
  But I just will say that in the era of hate train its great to have people like you who
  still understand or can try to understand why Ive been a little bit like come one guys
  are you serious you know so I really appreciate you for being authentic to our culture.
  We need people like this.
  People who arent ... and let me say something I love like I can talk to someone like you
  or Sway and its not about dissing someone else.
  Its about just speaking the truth you know and speaking just in a fair way about facts.
  Not your opinion or assuming were trying to throw shade.
  Just speaking like this in a fair way, factually, and giving it up.
  I think every single artist in the industry right now did something about them to be celebrated.
  Every one.
  So were different.
  We have our strengths but to me with Takashi I mentioned him in another interview.
  You can say whatever you want to say about him right but I saw something in him that
  made me really like him.
  He was very genuine and of course hes from New York.
  Ive done songs with other new New York rappers.
  Theres no reason why I cant do a song with him.
  Hes a new New York rapper and I remember being a new New York rapper.
  And so its like paying it forward.
  So thats what I did with him so shout out to him.
  Hes charismatic, hes dope, hes not perfect, hes also not like the most lyrical person,
  hes not Eminem or something but theres stuff thats dope about him too.
  Im just saying every artist they should be celebrated.
  You just cant keep on like tearing people down.
  I dont know what people get out of that you know.
  The other thing is that you dont have to compare you dont have to compare people.
  I dont know if people understand this we all can have our own shine and have our own
  moment and do our thing and make money and have fans and go on the road and blah blah
  blah.
  You are a journalist.
  Youre talking to me today and someone is talking to someone else tomorrow it is what
  it is.
  Yall both doing what yall love.
  You know what I mean?
  But Im not gonna keep on saying well you know what youre better than Sway or Sway
  is better than you or you know what youll never be Sway its like for what?
  It doesnt do anything for anyone just let niggas rock.
  At the same time you cant be mad at an artist for being over protective of their craft and
  of their industry.
  I take pride in what I do.
  I take pride in writing.
  Thats like a basketball player Im pretty sure Steph Curry takes pride in being able
  to throw his three shots—
  Rob Markman: Its called a three pointer Nicki.
  Nicki Minaj: A Three pointer shut up right.
  Rob Markman: Google it.
  Nicki Minaj: Shut up.
  Im pretty sure that Steph Curry takes pride in that right and he should be celebrated
  for that.
  Thats his thing.
  Hes not Michael Jordan.
  Im sure he could work his way to that but hes not Michael Jordan.
  But doesnt mean that hes not dope, hes not great, hes not in the process of becoming
  great, blah blah blah.
  You know.
  Swish swish.
  Look Im mentioning him Im mentioning him in my songs.
  So hes making a mark.
  I remember when I was just coming in people didnt want me to shine.
  They didnt understand what I was doing.
  They didnt understand the voices.
  They didnt understand how I was dressing.
  They didnt understand what the hell.
  You know.
  And now its like to the point where its like you know.
  So you make your mark eventually but you just understand that everybody not gonna like you.
  I wish I wouldnt have taking things so personal in the beginning when people were judging
  me because I understand now thats like that some people they dont know how to speak on
  anyone without comparing.
  They dont know how to speak on people without ripping one apart or so Im just like okay
  thats your thing.
  But thats you.
  Thats not me.
  I shouldnt have to examine myself and thats why I said this will be the last album that
  I feel the need to do it.
  This will be the last promo run that I feel the need to have to do that.
  Ive said what I needed to say at this point.
  Now its about enjoying the music.
  Can I just say shout to my fans 85 fucking countries number one.
  Like after being ripped apart and teared down and then you put out an album and it goes
  number one in 85 counties breaking a new record.
  And I mean thats something to be proud of and Im very proud of it.
  I thank God.
  I thank my fans.
  You guys stood by me.
  You guys waited for such a long time for this album.
  So I want to thank you.
  Youre such a small number in this room but you represent to me millions of people around
  the world who are fucking loyal and dope.
  So I wish you guys the best in your careers and your futures as well.
  Push yourself as well.
  Okay.
  Rob Markman: And with that.
  Nicki Minaj.
  Lyrical Queen.
  Give it up.
  Love you Nick.
  Nicki Minaj: Thank you.
  I love you guys so much.
  Thank you.