Last week Nicki Minaj announced that she would be retiring from rap via Twitter. This came as a surprise to everyone. No one expected that her settling down would mean her leaving behind her art. And, many in the industry expect that this retirement from rap will be a lot like Jay
Kevin: I’d like to start out by saying that I am no Nicki Minaj expert. I think her verse on “Monster” is one of the best rap verses by anyone ever. and I think she has one of the best flows in the game. Some of the time, her lyrics are kind of meaningless and that’s not the rap that I get into as much. She’s definitely in the top for female MCs though, with Lauryn Hill being number one for me.
Emily: Ditto. She’s no Eminem, but she really brought something to the rap/hip-hop world especially in terms of female representation in the genre. Not gonna lie, I was pretty shocked when she announced her retirement.
Kevin: Were you shocked because she has another album coming out? Or is there some other reason?
Emily: A little bit of both. She announced that she was working on her fifth album. Then out of the
Kevin: In regards to the first reason. I’m not sure that she won’t release the album. In hip hop, retirement is generally announced before a final album is released.
Emily: Yeah, it seems like that would have to be the case. I don’t see her leaving fans hanging for that last album.
Kevin: Honestly though, if she didn’t release an album, I would believe the retirement more. In the past couple years, both Logic and Childish Gambino have announced their retirement with Childish Gambino announcing retirement of the moniker “Childish Gambino”. And, since then, both have released a wealth of music.
Emily: I would think she would do something like that then, falling in suit with other rap and hip-hop artists. Especially since there’s no word on her being pregnant or anything yet. This could be just like a forewarning (maybe that’s not the right word haha).
Kevin: Totally, and I think all of the fake retirements in the industry also explain why so many are responding to this announcement with skepticism.
Emily: Agreed. So then the question is, why say you’re retiring to start a family? Honestly, Nicki Minaj might have been the last artist I expected to use that as her reasoning behind retiring from music.
Kevin: That’s a really good point. She’s come to symbolize female independence and equality of women within a specific genre that tends to be dominated by men. And, I think that’s one of the interesting parts of feminism and fight for equality is this idea that being an independent woman means having the choice between starting a family, having a career, or doing both. She’s also a sex symbol, which makes the family thing feel weird.
Emily: Totally. On the one hand, she’s still claiming that female independence by choosing what to do with her own body (have a family). But there’s still that heavy sex symbol side to her that I think most people categorize her with, despite her accomplishments and breaking the glass ce
Kevin: Yeah, and she hasn’t exactly shied away from being a sex symbol. So, there is definitely this feeling of disconnectedness with the statement. I think that’s a great point that being a sex symbol has disguised some of her accomplishments though. I think that’s one thing that Lauryn Hill did so well, she avoided being seen just as a sex symbol and that helped people put more weight on her contributions. And now, Nicki Minaj has to reconcile these two radically different lives.
Emily: It does seem like two completely different worlds, which makes it easy for that skepticism to creep in. But I have a huge level of respect for her for trying to take that on. I’m a Nicki Minaj fan, have been for years now, but I never saw her coming out of that sexy persona she gave herself. To take a leap like this is pretty gutsy. Call it rebranding or what have you, she really impressed me. I hope she pushes feminism forward so that women don’t feel defined by their career or a mask they’ve worn. But that they have the power to choose to be whatever they want. A mom, or a rapper, or both.
Kevin: I totally agree. It feels refreshing to have someone announce that they are going to retire from a successful career in order to focus on family more. I think it’s rad and I hope she has an awesome family life.
Emily: I hope so, too. She really has had an amazing career, and I have no doubt that her mystery fifth album is going to be just as great. But then she has this other great chapter ahead of her, something that we don’t always highlight in pop culture. So I’m really glad she’s shedding some light on it and that it’s her choice to do so.
Check out Nicki Minaj’s latest music below. And, be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Enjoy!
Check out our other articles on Hip Hop while you’re here.