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Celebrity Sightings In New York City - February 12, 2020

Source: Gilbert Carrasquillo / Getty

When we think about Nicki Minaj’s rise to stardom, there were a lot of factors. There was her colorful persona, the cast of characters she presented on a track, and a lack of poppin’ Black female rappers in the industry as a whole. And then of course there was the lyricism.

But what folks might not have considered is that her skin color might have affected her success as well.

It wasn’t a conversation we’ve had but recently when Nicki Minaj sat down with Big Fendi—the man who placed her on The Come Up DVD where she was eventually seen by Lil Wayne—they discussed the possibility that colorism could have paved a path for her.

See what the two had to say on the topic below.

Fendi: I think Brown skinned rap chicks, no disrespect, I think since you came in the game it kind of made it hard for them.

Nicki: Really?

Fendi: Yea, I think brown-skinned chicks got to work a little harder. You set a bar. A lot of chicks at that time were like, ‘Nicki poppin right now. I got catch up to look like her somewhat.’

Nicki: Really?

Fendi: Yeah.

Nicki: Well, I will say dark-skinned and brown skinned women have to work extra harder in any field. Just like how I feel being a Black woman. If a White woman and me were going for a job on Wall Street, I feel like I wouldn’t get the job off the rip unless I was double and triple times smarter than her or better than her. So yes I do agree with that. Of course it’s me so I don’t feel like my complexion is the reason why I made it. But I also don’t—I try not to be blind or play dumb to what’s really happening in the world.

Fendi: I feel like you came in the game at a time in the world where complexion played a part in a lot of stuff. Even in the videos everyone was going for the lighter girls.

Nicki: Yes, but I feel like now it’s changing. I feel like now people are making it their business to be like “melanin” and that whole trend is very much happening right now, which I love.

Her comments about colorism begin at the 5:15 mark.

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