Nicki Minaj is rocking what seems like her millionth cover, but this time it's for Cosmopolitan, a glossy that rarely lends it's front page to darker beauties. Salute that Barb! In her cover story, Miss Minaj hushes her cartoon characters to reveal intimate details about her traumatic upbringing, challenging come-up, the difference between her and Gaga's ensembles and what kind of nose she loves on a man. But we'll just let her tell it...
ON PRE-CAREER SUICIDAL THOUGHTS:
"I kept having doors slammed in my face. I felt like nothing was working. I had moved out on my own, and here I was thinking I'd have to go home. It was just one dead end after another. At one point, I was, like, 'What would happen if I just didn't wake up?' That's how I felt. Like maybe I should just take my life?'
ON ONE OF HER FIRST RHYMES:
"Cookie is the name, chocolate chip is the flavor/Suck up my style like a cherry Lifesaver."
ON THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HER & GAGA'S SPECTACLES:
"I think Gaga is freakin' dope for that. But I can't be bothered. Give me my sweats. I like transforming from completely raggedy to Ahhh, I'm ready. That transformation gives me a high."
ON JUST HOW ABUSIVE HER PARENTS' RELATIONSHIP WAS:
"He would beg, cry, stalk us... One time, he pulled my mother out of a car and dragged her for two blocks. After that, I had a phobia about unlocked doors. Anywhere my mother and I were, I made sure the door was locked, because that was my only way to protect her."
ON DEALING WITH POWER-HUNGRY INDUSTRY DUDES:
"When you come into the business as a woman, you have to pay a lot of mind games because the men tend to be very aggressive. It's like chess—you have to protect your goods. Had I just started screwing the guys, it would've been over because they never would've taken me seriously."
ON HER PERFECT FACE ON A MAN:
"I do like a dope nose profile, one that's straight on the side. And I like full lips. I've never kissed someone who didn't have full lips."
