Do you believe that all rappers play some sort of character for the public? How comfortable are you with the “Nicki Minaj” character you have created?

I do believe that everyone plays a character. I think that if you don’t play a character you will kill yourself. I think playing a role allows you to distance yourself from that once you get home at night. Sometimes that ‘s the only way you can find some sanity. If I see something written about Nicki Minaj that I know is not true I can laugh about it because I know that is not me, it’s Nicki Minaj. I think characters play a big part in the school of rap. I’ve been getting calls from a bunch of really big artists to be featured or do a video and they are so excited because I think they have a vision of what Nicki Minaj’s character would do and what role Nicki Minaj’s character will play. It’s fun. I think characters bring back excitement to hip hop. I don’t know if it would be the same without it. I think people listen to music for an escape. I love that I play a character. I think that it taps into a lot of people. It entertains them. At the end of the day, this is entertainment and people should be entertained.

- January 2010