Nicki Minaj's 8 jaw-dropping Apple Music 1 Q&A reveals

Young Money’s Nicki Minaj has a lot to talk about these days with her must-hear ‘Do We Have A Problem’ single getting immediate rotation love. The hip-hop star links with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe to dish on the new collaboration plus a bunch of other topics.

From talking about not rushing out new music to going back in her hard raps bag of tricks, Onika Maraj doesn’t hold back - at all. To help you get through this epic interview, we’ve put together 8 jaw-dropping reveals from the conversation. Make sure to keep scrolling to check out the interview.

1. Nicki Minaj Tells Apple Music About Collaborating With Lil Baby on “Do We Have A Problem?” and “Bussin”...

He and I had recorded the "Bussin" record and I didn't feel like he LOVED it and we both didn't feel like it really matched with him. And so weeks went by and I stumbled upon this, 'Do We Have A Problem?" beat and just with the beat alone, I felt like, yo, this is more of a little Baby vibe. So P happened to be in LA. He was just about to leave. I said, "P, oh my goodness." He was about to leave in the morning. I said, "Please come to my house and listen to this record." I didn't even tell him what it was for. I just said, "I just need you to come here and hear this." He came by. I said, "Now, listen, I know I wanted Baby to be on the first record." I said, "But I'm leaning toward this." I said, "I want to give Baby the first offer, just respectfully to say, hey, I told you guys you would be on the first single, but I might change it to this record. Do we have a problem? Now, if you want to be on this song, of course, I would be more than happy to have you, but I wouldn't ask you to do that." You know what I'm saying? I wouldn't impose, but I wanted to just give you the opportunity that I told you and that you have a choice to decide.” And P was like, "Oh my God, I know Baby going to like this more because it was more melodic." Baby is known for his melodies. So he goes, "I think Baby going to like this more." P liked it more. And then sure enough, when Baby heard it, he did like it more. And then, and then we couldn't decide so we said, you know what, let's put both of the records out.

2. Nicki Minaj Tells Apple Music About The Rare Circumstance of Collaborating With Lil Baby on Two Songs…

I normally don't do those things with anybody outside of the Young Money fam right? I mean, it's not a lot of rappers that I have a lot of different records with. So yeah, with Lil Baby, it was surprising for me too. I didn't think they would even want to put out both songs. It was like, I'm thinking he was just going to be like, I like this one, so let's scrap the other one. But they was like, let's go with both.

3. Nicki Minaj Tells Apple Music Why She Takes Her Time Releasing Music…

I never like to over saturate or overdo myself in the culture and the industry, period. I just believe in, let people miss you. You know what I'm saying?

4. Nicki Minaj Tells Apple Music About Restoring Order and Bringing It Back To Rap With Her New Music…

I felt like, yo, the people not only want you, but they need you. I feel. When you are a leader in anything you do, when things are going helter-skelter, you got to come back and put some order. And that's what I felt I was doing with this, just bringing it back to rap, records, gutter shit, just where people can play it and they can sing along to it with their dude. And you know what I'm saying? You just get that natural essence of rap again.

What I love in Bussin, me and Baby just doing back and forth and it's like, we were joking. Even when he was here, we was like, oh, I can't. I was telling him, I said, "I know when this come on in the club, all of the baddest bitches and they with their dude, the dude going wanna say what Baby saying and a girl wanna say what I'm saying, because it make both of them feel like they that person. You know what I'm saying, that confidence that comes across. And so I knew it was time because we're missing that right now.

5. Nicki Minaj Tells Apple Music How Becoming a Parent Led To Focus More on Music And Letting Go of What Doesn’t Matter

What I was putting a lot of emphasis on a lot of the time, I think, in the couple years leading up to this was stuff that didn't matter in the big scheme of things. And I think that this got me back to focusing on just making rap music and enjoying the process of that. You know what I'm saying? Instead of worrying about all this other bullshit, instead of worrying about social media, instead of worrying about who got to say what, instead of worrying about, did I offend this person, that person? None of that now.

That's all I feel right now is just interacting with my fans. When I first came in, I just used to have fun with my fans. Make music, have fun doing that. Even with, Do We Have A Problem, I remember, the melody came into me to put a little singing melody at the end or whatever. And then something was like, no, don't do that. what if people say, why did she put singing on this? And then I said, "Man, fuck all that." I'm just going to do me. If you like it, you like it. If you don't, that's fine too. You know what I'm saying?I'm not going to force nobody. I'm not going to try to convince nobody to like me. That's not what I'm supposed to do. I'm just supposed to create my music and give it to the people who want it. And that's all I'm doing from now.

6. Nicki Minaj Says An Album Is Around The Corner and That She Has “A Lot of Surprises” Lined Up For Fans…

Nicki Minaj: So the album is coming very soon, obviously. That's why I started putting out music. Like I said before, from now on, every Friday, it will be called Pink Friday. I do have a lot of surprises lined up for the fans leading up to the album, but we want to definitely get the album out there quickly. I will say that. I would like to give them a taste of a little bit more music before the album comes out, but we think that it's time.

Zane Lowe: The two Lil Baby songs will be on the record?

Nicki Minaj: Well, I would say that I would only put one song with Little Baby on it because that's expensive real estate, that album. So we'll see. I think that as time goes by, I'll see what the fans really resonate with and we'll decide then.

7. Nicki Minaj Tells Apple Music About Features on the Album, That She’s Not Thirsty To Throw Names on an Album, and That The Project is “Core Nicki Minaj”...

I tend to like to invite people at the very, very end so that I see what record really needs someone else. I don't want to just put features on just for the sake of throwing a bunch of rappers on my album. I'm not doing that. I want to wait until the last maybe two weeks and then I'll say, all right, this sounds like it needs a verse from XYZ.

As of right now, there is a solo song that I cannot wait for my freaking fans to hear. I actually was contemplating dropping it with, Do We Have A Problem originally, but we'll see. There is a guy I think that would blend really well on this particular song or it might just remain solo. I'm not thirsty to just throw names on the album. I think what's most important is that the fans are going to feel like, oh my goodness, yes, this is real. This is core Nick Minaj and it's about to be turn up time because obviously, the goal is to get out there and see my fans again. You know what I'm saying? I hate that COVID has happened to this world, but the goal is always to get some music out so you can go and visit your fans.

8. Nicki Minaj Tells Apple Music About Missing Interacting With Her Fans in the Real World and Why Social Media Is No Substitute...

Yeah, of course it's a big priority because that's where I started off. I started off doing clubs with two, 300 people to see my fans. And I always, I don't know, got a rush of that energy, being able to see them and literally touch their hands. And so because of that, I always, no matter what stage I am in my career, I always think, okay, it's time to get up out there and see my fans and take pictures of my fans and get their voice and their energy. There's nothing like that because you'll be on social media, you can stay on social media all day and it's not the real world. It's just not. People say a bunch of stuff to go viral and to get attention, but that's just not the real world. When I go out there, I'm touring, and I've been from country to country, to country. It's just love, you know what I'm saying? And it's excitement and most people, right now especially, they just want to have fun. They just want to enjoy life. People are leaving us so soon, so people just want to enjoy life right now.