Nicki Minaj Speaks On Overcoming Percocet Addiction, Motherhood, & The ‘False’ Perception That She’s A Mean Person

Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj Speaks On Overcoming Percocet Addiction, Motherhood, & The ‘False’ Perception That She’s A Mean Person

Rap star Nicki Minaj is giving fans a glimpse into her thoughts and life.

During a recent cover interview with Vogue, the Grammy-nominated musician got candid while speaking about topics such as drug addiction, being a first-time mom, and feeling that she’s often wrongly portrayed in the media.

On the subject of substance abuse, Nicki Minaj, born Onika Tanya Miraj, 40, revealed that despite having an intentional aversion to narcotics, she started to struggle with a Percocet addiction at one point. The entertainer shared that she feared becoming her father, whose own addiction battle went from marijuana to crack during the drug epidemic of the Regan era.

Nicki Minaj & father

However, after being medically subscribed Percocet pills to alleviate intense menstrual cramps, the Trinidadian said she was unaware the drug was addictive and would take them even when she didn’t need to. Thankfully, she was able to kick the habit before it became a real problem. She continued:

“No one told me that this was a narcotic and this was addictive. Luckily I was able to ground myself. But—once an addict, always an addict. I feel like if you’ve ever experienced addiction to anything, which I have, you always have to think twice and three times about the choices that you make.” 

Minaj went on to state that growing up helped heal her perspective about her dad Robert Maraj, – who was murdered in a hit-and-run accident in 2021 – now understanding that he was more of a victim rather than a personal who intentionally brought harm to the family.

Becoming a parent herself also greatly shifted her outlook on life. The chart-topping rapper touched on the turbulence her pregnancy caused in her marriage to husband Kenneth Petty — whom she wed back in 2019 — and the anxieties of being a mother. She stated:

“I’m not going to lie, things got testy between us…Because of our history, I think we knew we’d get past it. But there’s no such thing as confidence in parenthood.”

Nicki Minaj

Adding:

“I kind of wish that someone had told me—although I’m sure I wouldn’t have been able to understand it—that there’s a level of anxiety, and you think it’s going to go away, but in fact it gets scarier. So often you think: I don’t know how to do this!”

According to Minaj, her 3-year-old son — who she only refers to as Papa Bear — and other loved ones help remind her of what’s important when her career and celebrity life becomes hectic.

One thing in particular about being famous that the musician admitted gets under her skin is being painted as a “mean” person. It’s no secret that Minaj has often been labeled a bully during public beefs with some of her fellow artists such as Cardi B and Latto.

However, Minaj said she believes “mean” describes a person’s essence and core of their being. To her, she considers her perceived maliciousness as fleeting more than anything, explaining:

“When I hear the word mean, I think about the core of who the person is…I always tell people that the difference between being mean and being a b*tch is that b*tch passes.”

Nicki Minaj

Adding:

“B*tch comes and goes. Mean is who you are. I could be the biggest b*tch, at the height of my b*tch-ness, but if the person I may be cussing out at that time needs something from me, I’m going to give it to them. I have to be able to look in the mirror and be okay with myself.”

Through it all Minaj has (seemingly) managed to remain her unapologetic authentic self throughout a stellar decades-long career. Fans can look forward to new music from the rapper next month with the release of her fifth studio album. Elsewhere in the interview, her long-time engineer reportedly hailed the forthcoming project as a “greatest hits album, but all the songs are new.”

[VIA]

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