In celebration of Thanksgiving, Nicki Minaj passed out turkeys in her hometown of Queens, New York, earlier this week. The rapper was in town to promote her new album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded The Re-Up.
Minaj stopped by her former elementary school, P.S. 45, to visit children from the neighborhood, even watching a few perform. She then passed out turkeys to their families.
The school visit and turkey handout were several of many New York-area stops for Minaj. The rapper also dropped by 106 & Park and Good Morning America to discuss her latest album and last Sunday’s American Music Awards, where she both performed and took home trophies for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album and Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist.
“I had such a good time,” said Minaj in her interview with Good Morning America, noting with a chuckle that performing with Justin Bieber was an “interesting” experience.
She also noted that the AMAs provided a more relaxed evening than other award events, such as the VMAs or Grammys. “It just feels like a family atmosphere,” said Minaj.
This has been a big week for Minaj, who also dropped a video for “Freedom” to accompany the release of The Re-Up.
The video, initially in somber black and white, provides a platform for Minaj to address critics, “They’ll never thank me for opening doors/ They ain’t even thank Jesus when he died on the cross.”
As the video progresses, Minaj dons regal apparel—elaborate gowns, large crowns and dizzying jewelry—as if she is heralding herself the queen when no one else will, beginning a narrative of personal freedom and selfhood.
Towards the end of “Freedom” the black and white gives way to color, which Minaj seems to link with inhibition and expression. By the video”s close, as Minaj sings “I feel free, I feel freedom,” the screen is full of jewel and earth tones covering the ground and sky.
