Nicki Minaj doesn’t just top charts, she’s landed a spot on this year’s TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People.
In her interview with TIME, the Pinkprint artist weighs in on the wage gap, encouraging women to not back down from demanding equal pay.
“One thing I learned along the way in business is the necessity for you to be unapologetic about asking for how much money you deserve,” she recalls. “At a very early stage in my rap career, I was making six figures for shows…If I heard there was another rapper making that, I thought, ‘you know what? I get out there and demand or command a crowd. I get out there and make my fans happy. I get out there and give a real show. I want that, too.’ And I pushed myself to be better with my showmanship, but I also decided, you know what? I want to be compensated well.”
Taraji P. Henson, Nicki Minaj, Kendrick Lamar Named to ‘Time 100’ List
We could all take a note from Minaj’s self-written raps; her advice to women is to do the same.
“I would tell women starting out in business, if you know you’re great at what you do, don’t ever be ashamed to ask for the top dollar in your field,” she says. “If I’m great at what I do, I can’t be denied. Some things may be overlooked but no one can deny my brand, and that’s the words of wisdom I would give to other young women.”
Always wanting to be in charge, for Minaj, doesn’t mean not being able to collaborate. Minaj shares why she believes her collaborations with Beyoncé have a particular influence.
“Whenever I do something with her, I can feel the impact online and in the venue, wherever we are,” she says. “It just feels like young women are being empowered and inspired because I think it says a lot when you see two young women at the top of their field, whether they’re black or white, it just means a lot when you see them owning who they are and owning the business.”
See her TIME interview here.