This week, the rap icon Nicki Minaj took to her massive platform to send a pointed message about greed, entitlement, and the unglamorous nature of achievement.
The Queen of Rap took to Instagram Story to open up to her whopping 229 million followers about some frustrations she’s been feeling with people in her circle who want to profit from her hustle without putting in any of that same work.
“Most people don’t seek to make a profit. They want the money that you’ve had to work for,” she wrote straight from the heart in a #NickiMail post that was like an arrow made of syllables. No names were mentioned, but the implied message was clear: Nicki’s tolerance for everything but the bagel was wearing thin.
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The 42-year-old MC then posted a longer, revealing message directed at her dedicated fanbase, the Barbz. In it, she unpacked the complicated emotional landscape that accompanies hiring friends and why it generally backfires.
“If you get financially ‘rich,’ or you’re ALREADY rich, wealthy, successful, etc., you’re ever going to have to hire total strangers for the most part,” she continued. It’s not that her inner circle is bereft of skill or ambition; money and friendship don’t always play well together.
Minaj casts a grimly relatable portrait of what occurs out of the spotlight: people close to you barely keep their heads above water bills, threats of eviction, mouths to feed as they hope Nicki can throw them a lifeline. And even when she does, things don’t always go well.
“But for most of them, once they’re hired … that 11-letter word is likely gonna bite them in the a*s within the first month,” she warned. She didn’t say so directly, but the word in question is entitlement.
The post was a sincerity check that success isn’t all glitz and glam. It’s fraught with expectations, emotional land mines, and difficult choices. Loyalty is everything for Nicki, but even she has to draw the line when loyalty resembles liability.
It’s obvious she’s not just venting for venting’s sake. She’s drawing the line and perhaps giving some advice to others who find themselves on the same tightrope between success and social pressure.
True to form, Nicki said what needed to be heard loud and unencumbered, with an ounce of tough love. And whether you’re in her inner circle or just watching from the sidelines, Respect the grind; don’t expect the shine.
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