It had been four years since Nicki Minaj’s last studio album, The Pinkprint, was released. Many of the rapper’s fans questioned her prolonged absence. Those questions were answered Tuesday when Minaj provided some insight into her absence, sharing two clips from her upcoming documentary—”Queen”—on Instagram. After recalling the abuse she and her mother suffered at the hands of her father (literally), the rapper laments her own experience with an abusive partner.
“Maybe some people would describe me as abrasive or bitchy or whatever because I vowed from that age no man would ever abuse me, call me out my name or treat me like that,” an emotional Minaj expressed. “Then all of a sudden that was my life.”
Minaj does not disclose the identity of said partner, but many suspect the man to be Minaj’s ex-fiancée, rapper Meek Mill. The two were linked in the years between the release of The Pinkprint and the release of her newest album, “Queen.” Further elaborating on her lack of production, the rapper continues, “Who was I going to inspire when I had nothing in me to give? I let one human being make me so low that I didn’t even remember who I was. I was scared to get in the studio. I didn’t believe in myself.”
Luckily for Minaj and for her fans, the rapper moved to Miami where she “[caught] a vibe” that re-inspired her to get back into the studio, releasing Queen in August. Minaj is not alone in her struggles with domestic violence. More than 10 million men and women are domestically abused in a single year, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Nicki Minaj’s courage in coming forward with her experiences may bring some well-deserved attention to the ever-prevalent issue of abuse in America.