Nicki Minaj has shared the reasons behind her embrace of MAGA politics, citing frustrations with former President Barack Obama and her friendship with rapper Jay-Z as a catalyst for her increasingly right-wing views.
The Trinidadian rapper, 43, who publicly declared herself Donald Trump's “number one fan” in January, has said she has been leaning more conservative for a while.
In a wide-ranging interview with Time Magazine, Minaj shared the root of her political conversion. He explained that during Obama's tenure, there seemed to be an unspoken expectation that black artists would automatically support the Democratic Party.
Adding to the “Starships” artist's disapproval of Obama was his friendship with Jay-Z, with whom Minaj has a long-standing rivalry over accusations that he tried to sabotage her career through his entertainment company Roc Nation's monopoly on power in the industry.
“Jay-Z ended up costing Obama a lot whether he knew it or not,” Minaj said, stating, “A lot of rappers don't like Jay-Z and were afraid to say it.”
the independent has contacted representatives for Obama and Jay-Z for comment.
Minaj also referenced a speech Obama gave in 2024 during Kamala Harris' election campaign, in which he suggested that some Black male voters were uncomfortable with the idea of putting a woman in power.
“I saw so many videos of black men saying they didn't like how they felt about the speech Obama gave,” the Grammy-winning artist said. “They felt like they weren't being heard.”
Elsewhere in the interview, he revealed that he had felt pro-Trump for some time, but “didn't dare act that way publicly” for fear of alienating fans. “It's ingrained in the brains of everyone in the music business that we're supposed to be a Democratic family,” he said. “I just knew they wouldn't like me to support Trump.”
However, since expressing her full support for Trump's agenda, Minaj said she has “never felt happier.”
“I've never felt better,” he added. “When you can be yourself, you are happier.”
Minaj's open support for the president in recent months has surprised many of her fans. He previously addressed the reason for his support of Trump in an episode of The Katie Miller Podcast in February.
“When I saw how he was treated over and over again, I just couldn't stand it,” she said.. “I felt like… a lot of that harassment, and the smear campaigns and all the lies, I felt like that had been done to me for so many years.
“And I was watching it happen to someone else in real time, and I didn't think he deserved it,” Minaj argued.
