Nicki Minaj for Elle May 2011


Nicki Minaj graces an alternate cover of Elle’s May issue. Here is what the 26-year-old rapper had to share with the mag:

On her career aspirations growing up: “I always wanted to play with the boys. I didn’t want to be a pawn in their game or have a sidekick role. I wanted to be more of a lead character—a superhero.”

On her sense of style: “I tend to like booties…[pause]”—she takes a beat to clarify: no sexual meaning implied—“and really flashy shoes: totally studded out, in five colors with an insane platform.”

On her song “My Chick Bad” with Ludacris: “[I] chose to do punch lines and be comical, to show how bad I am lyrically, as opposed to how sexy I think I am.”