And everyone thought Mariah Carey was going to be the diva. Last night, Nicki Minaj was late to the first American Idol live show of the season.
When the broadcast began, Nicki was nowhere to be found, prompting host Ryan Seacrest to vaguely murmur about “some congestion on the 405.” Seacrest promised viewers “she should be here momentarily.”
When the rapper did arrive 13 minutes later, she was noticeably dressed down in a black hoodie sans her usual layers of makeup–indicating she was so late, she did not even stop for hair and makeup.
What was Nicki really up to?
If her Elle Magazine interview is any clue, the rapper, 30, was preparing for “world domination.” Nicki is the magazine’s current covergirl. The feature takes an interesting (yet appropriate) approach to journalism, as Nicki interviews herself, becoming both writer and subject.
In the interview, Nicki claims her ultimate goal in the business is “world domination— in terms of providing for my family.” The rapper talks about hard it was to immigrate from Trinidad and Tobago to NYC when she was 5.
“I went through a lot of bullying early on. Girls made my life a living hell,” she shares with herself in the interview. “We had come to America from a different country. My brother and I had accents. It was very tough. So I’ve always put up this wall — it was a self-defense mechanism growing up — because I was almost expecting people to attack me. And I still have it. It’s sad.”
The Elle photo shoot was also a new experience for Minaj, as she went for an uncharacteristically natural look.
“When I saw myself with barely any makeup at, it was such a… like, I’m so, so attached to my pink lipstick, it’s hard… To go in front of the camera, without pink lips or big ol’ crazy lashes – you know, nothing – I felt naked. It was scary! So this photo shoot was a real accomplishment in my eyes.”
Perhaps now that she is done being photographed, interviewing herself, and preparing for world domination, she will be on time for tonight’s episode of American Idol.
