As she launches her first studio album in four years, Lizzo has opened up about her feelings for Nicki Minaj. According to Complex, Lizzo has been thinking about the “Super Bass” singer and reflecting on what it must have been like for her navigating the changing face of rap over the years.
During an interview on “Drink Champs,” Lizzo recalled a past awards ceremony where the category for female rappers had only three nominees. Recalling this event caused Lizzo to reflect on how that experience must have felt for Minaj. Saying that Minaj “kind of had to laugh at that,” she noted that the rapper seemed nonplussed by the relatively small group of nominees in her category.
After all, Minaj won the Best Female Hip-Hop Artist at the BET Awards for seven consecutive years, from 2010 until 2016. After this point, a younger generation of female hip-hop artists and rappers entered the industry. This influx, pondered Lizzo during the interview, must have been difficult for Nicki Minaj to navigate.
“I can’t imagine how that must feel to run it for that long and then to now have an influx of all of these extremely talented young women who are rapping and extremely popular and successful and winning Grammys and getting number ones.”
No Beef Between Lizzo & Nicki Minaj
Lizzo’s comments made it clear that she respects Minaj’s contributions to hip-hop. The “Special” singer also clarified that she doesn’t feel like there is tension between the two of them.
“She’s never done anything personally to me where I feel like I have an issue with her. A lot of people say things about me on the internet.”
While there may be no personal feud from her perspective, Lizzo still disagrees with some of Minaj’s public comments. She doesn’t appreciate “the way that she talks about me, and the way she talks about my friends.” But Lizzo maintained, “I don’t have beef on my end with Nicki Minaj.”
“I can still say that she’s a great rapper and she has great records.”
In fact, despite much media attention on their purported feud and many years with both artists living in the spotlight, Lizzo says she doesn’t know the “Super Bass” singer well at all. Saying, “I truly don’t know her,” Lizzo said that the pair don’t have a personal relationship.
Lizzo’s interview remarks come on the back of recent social media comments by Minaj about Lizzo’s weight loss, musical career, and legal issues.
Learning to Protect Her Peace
According to USA Today, Lizzo has said that one of the biggest challenges in her life recently has been learning how to protect her peace while staying authentic.
Lizzo has a reputation for sharing her life and her thoughts openly with fans online. But the singer says she has become far more intentional about what she puts out into the world. She’s working on setting boundaries and communicating on her own terms. Admitting she’s “an oversharer by nature,” Lizzo has taken to writing things down and then choosing to not post them.
“I’ve learned the internet doesn’t need every thought in my head.”
When asked if the shift is due to a fear of criticism, Lizzo stressed that she doesn’t really care about negative feedback. Instead, the “Truth Hurts” singer is more motivated by a sense of responsibility to the “people depending on me.” Saying she has “too much to lose,” Lizzo admitted that she now understands the importance of protecting herself online.
New Ideas on Body Positivity
The “2 Be Loved” singer took time to reflect on her evolving views on body positivity, according to USA Today. According to Lizzo, the philosophy goes far deeper than physical appearance.
She said the original meaning of body positivity was the idea that “we deserve to exist.” This applies particularly in relation to communities that had been “erased from media and culture.” But she felt that, over time, her message had been misunderstood and misconstrued by others.
Lizzo rejects the idea that “body-positive just means fat.” Instead, she says “what I’ve always been about is making space for everybody, not just one kind of body.” This includes not only the “plus-size community” but also the “disabled community,” “Indigenous and queer,” and the “trans community.”
“We have been erased in culture, in media, in society. And we’re just saying that we deserve to exist and be happy about it.”
Lizzo’s released her new album – her first studio release in four years – on June 5.
Watch Lizzo’s full “Drink Champs” interview below.
