Nicki Minaj has acknowledged considering leaving her music career “numerous times”.
The rapper from Trinidad has reflected on the challenges of fame since she gained popularity in the mid-2000s.
“I’ve heard every possible criticism about me. I’ve thought about quitting so many times,” Nicki told Vogue Italia in a new interview. “I’m glad I didn’t. I hope my story can be an inspiration, and push kids, adults, anyone, not to give up.”
Elsewhere in the interview, the Starships rapper, who has a four-year-old son with her husband Kenneth Petty, explained that she delayed having children in order to focus on her career and support her family.
“As a woman, I put off becoming a mother,” she said. “A lot of women in the industry, especially older than me, never had children.”
The 42-year-old added, “Some don’t regret it, but others do. I put it off.”
Nicki Minaj admitted that she often had to miss holidays such as Christmas and Thanksgiving because she had to work to provide for her family, adding, “I think the price was not having a ‘normal’ life.”
“Things are different now, because I can give my son things I never had, but there are things I want to make sure he has, and I still need to figure out how to give them to him,” she continued. “When we go out, for example, I have to worry that someone will take his picture.”
Though Nicki Minaj has not revealed her son’s name, she has been married to rapper and entrepreneur Kenneth since 2019. Their son was born in September 2020.
