Nicki Minaj dozed off 4 times during her GQ interview: rude?

Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj has a new interview with GQ to promote her upcoming album, The Pinkprint. All of the photos are about Nicki’s rack, and they show everything but the nip. She posed with poodles that have been dip-dyed in pastel shades. Maybe the colored poodles are a bit of photoshop trickery? One can only hope, but Nicki isn’t afraid of any sort of controversy. She knows that dyeing a dog’s fur will grab some attention.

This interview is bizarre. Not a lot happens because Nicki keeps falling asleep. The journo says she snoozes not once but four times. Four! The interview took place during NYFW, so maybe Nicki was partying all night. The journo clarifies that Nicki probably “never fell into actual REM sleep,” but she repeatedly nodded off during their talk. For real. This seems so rude. Nicki keeps saying that she’s super stressed and suffered a mysterious medical emergency last year. Maybe she’s simply exhausted. Nicki chose to play dumb about her “Anaconda” song and video. She says the video is not about tushes. At all:

She was fired from her first jobs: “I like dealing with people, but I don’t really like a lot of bullsh-t, so maybe customer service wasn’t the best job for me.” She was fired from a waitressing job at a Red Lobster after she followed a couple who had taken her pen into the parking lot and then flipped them the bird. I asked her if it was a special pen. “No. It was the principle.”

Her new “natural” look: “I always thought that by the time I put out a third album, I would want to come back to natural hair and natural makeup. I thought, I will shock the world again and just be more toned down. I thought that would be more shocking than to keep on doing exactly what they had already seen.”

The meaning of “Anaconda”: “The female form?” No, she says, it’s just a song, there’s no hidden meaning. “She”–Nicki’s character in the video–“is just talking about two guys that she dated in the past and what they’re good at and what they bought her and what they said to her. It’s just cheeky, like a funny story.” But “Anaconda” samples a song that’s literally called “Baby Got Back.” Choreography points to it. Nicki shakes her head: “All it says is, ‘My anaconda don’t.'” Why are we talking about a**es? she seems to be saying. “I knew that I wanted a gym theme.” Shrug. “And that’s that.”

What the video is really about: “I don’t know what there is to really talk about. I’m being serious. I just see the video as being a normal video. I think the video is about what girls do. Girls love being with other girls, and when you go back to us being younger, we would have slumber parties and we’d be dancing with our friends.”

She rethinks the vid after a nap: “I’m chopping up the banana. Did you realize that? At first I’m being sexual with the banana, and then it’s like, ‘Ha-ha, no.'” I ask if she’s referring to how the Drake scene immediately follows the kitchen scene. “Yeah, that was important for us to show in the kitchen scene, because it’s always about the female taking back the power, and if you want to be flirty and funny that’s fine, but always keeping the power and the control in everything.”

[From GQ]

Nicki’s full of it. “Anaconda” is totally about booties. The whole video? Butts. The lyrics? Butts. She makes fun of “skinny bitches” without butts. Nicki’s fooling no one with this slumber party/gym theme nonsense.

I still can’t believe Nicki fell asleep so many times during this interview. Nicki isn’t the first person to do this though. Cara Delevingne slept through a Vogue discussion a few months ago. Peaches Geldof took a power nap next to Fearne Cotton in 2009. But Nicki takes the prize here.

Related: Singer Macy Gray resurfaced for an Oprah talk. Gray was big for a brief moment in time around 2000. Gray says she always wore sunglasses during interviews because she was on drugs. Journos thought she was simply being “intense” when she didn’t answer every question. The truth? She often fell asleep during interviews. That’s terrifying. I hope this isn’t what’s going on with Nicki.

Nicki Minaj

Photos courtesy of GQ, Fame/Flynet & WENN

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47 Responses to “Nicki Minaj dozed off 4 times during her GQ interview: rude?”

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  1. Nick says:

    Heroin/Opiate nod

    • Kiddo says:

      My first thought too, sadly.

    • Luca76 says:

      Yup that’s what I thought too

    • Lyssa says:

      Yup. All women mentioned that had fallen asleep during interviews had some sort of drug history. Cara was fired by H&M after dropping a small baggy of white powder outside her home. After a little research, heroin is normally sold as a white powder. The purer the heroin apparently the whiter the color.

      We all know what happened to poor little Peaches and what she was on.

      I think Nicki is on a heroin/opiate. I hope she gets help if she is.

      • Betty says:

        You all don’t think it’s possible that she’s jet-lagged, overworked and lacks downtime? I’ve even fallen asleep during action films at the movie theater when I’ve been really tired, and I’ve never been on drugs. Let’s hope Nicki isn’t. I think Morgan Freeman dozed off during a live TV interview, and I highly doubt he’s a druggie.

      • Tiffany :) says:

        Morgan Freeman is 77 years old, though! Falling asleep in a movie is different because you aren’t talking with anyone, you are sitting in the dark not moving for a couple hours.

    • Devon says:

      My first thought too. Amy Winehouse did this a lot in her interviews and we all know what she was on…

    • Arya Martell says:

      @Nick I was about to say the same.

      @Betty What Nicki says in the interview is too bizzare for her to not be high. Plus, Morgan Freeman is an old man. People forget he’s damn near close to 80.

    • littlestar says:

      It that’s true, that’s incredibly sad. I just don’t understand these celebrities, throwing away their success on drugs. Just because you’ve made it big, does that mean you have to start doing hard-core drugs? Or were they always doing drugs to begin with? That’s what it seems like for some celebrities: they hit it big and the drugging/partying starts. I just don’t understand the appeal AT ALL.

      • HH says:

        As much as she annoys me, Nicki has always struck me as a tragic character. I don’t think she actually subscribes to the brand of female empowerment that she promotes (ie. Power in the form of hyper sexuality). For me, it seems like that excuse is just what helps her sleep at night.

    • Stephanie says:

      Falling asleep and nodding out look quite different.

  2. Abbott says:

    That’s funny, because I fell asleep 4 times during this interview.

  3. Frida_K says:

    At best, it’s unprofessional and insulting to the journalist; at worst, it’s drugs.

    Either way?

    Meh. She’s an adult and if she wants to behave this way in an interview, well. She can do what she wants. Not that she’s necessarily immune to consequences, especially if it is drugs–maybe one day she’ll OD. However, that’s on her. Me, I cannot get worked up about what Ms. Tough Pants Minaj does or does not do.

    Back to the studying for me…I’ve got exams coming up soon.

  4. SK says:

    You know what? I get the pen thing. It is unbelievable how shitty some customers are. I can remember working in a fine fining restaurant when I was a poor student, and we had to supply our own pens. The number of times customers stole my pens was just ridiculous. I literally saw people deliberately pocket them and then when I politely asked for my pen back they lied to my face. Insane.

    • Icarus says:

      Customer could have accidentally taken the pen. I know I’ve done that, given I was doing homework/studying (in college at the time), and accidentally took the waitress pen. I went back in, but couldn’t find her. So, gave it to the manager.

      Obviously, there are jerks who just steal pens to steal them as you said.

      • Fancyamazon says:

        Yeah, she went way over the top with the pens, which seems about right for her. People don’t steal pens on purpose. They are ubiquitous, and normally when a customer is using one, they also have one in their purse (it seems more
        Of a female thing, and I think that’s why), and so they just absently put it in their purse not conscious of the fact that the one in their hand wasn’t theirs. I’ve done it, and I have worked in grocery stores and flower shops. You have to get used to losing a LOT of pens.

  5. paola says:

    ‘Anaconda’ is such an ugly song. And the video is no way ‘normal’. All that booty shaking is beyond embarassing.
    about the first pic: poor dogs.

    • Honeybea says:

      Agree. but this parody is awesome http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbWbj8WX-Zo

      • Artemis says:

        No it’s not. Interesting how NM’s video is embarrassing yet a man making parodies mainly to slutshame women and ridicule them by using gross stereotypes is totally funny. His lyrics on top of that don’t flow well at all and they are lazy.

        I like Anaconda, it’s just fun. The video is OTT but I don’t expect anything less from mainstream music.

      • G. says:

        The parody is dumb and shows that women can’t have anything. Ugh.

      • Tulip says:

        I see what Artemis and G are saying. But I like that at the very least the video is calling Nicki on her plastic surgery to her butt. I like how during the exercise part she’s singing how her talent was wasted on dressing and acting provocatively.( Isn’t the usual line nowadays that women should be in the STEM careers and they’re still poorly represented?)

        I agree that calling her a wh*re is stupid, because women should be able to dress and eff whoever they want- there’s such a double standard. But, come on, the video is damn funny to some of us and for its failings had some good points.

        Honeybea, thanks for the link.

  6. Jen says:

    Sounds like she was on drugs or something? Or medication? Her answer about the Anaconda song/video are word salad.

  7. Splinter says:

    Poor poodles.
    I can’t blame her, once you feel too sleepy you just can’t keep your eyes open. Would cancelling the interview be less rude?

  8. Talie says:

    She doesn’t seem druggy to me. Macy, on the other hand, she wasn’t fooling anyone!

  9. Ag says:

    unprofessional. that’s all i’ve got.

  10. mernymerlyn says:

    I’ve only seen pieces of the video in gif’s because I can’t stand her music.
    All I saw was ass. Ass in a pink thong her slapping asses. Her jiggling her ass looking into the camera and her slapping asses.
    She is full of it.
    Please Missy bring it with that album you eluded to.
    Bring back the Queen’s and enough with these Bad Bitches.

    • mimif says:

      I’ve been on a Missy bender for a couple weeks now and ma jaw dropped when I heard she might have a new album coming out. Please, for the love of all things hip hop, please let this be true.

      *side eyes Minaj’s nod*

      • kri says:

        Me too, mimif! We need Missy-stat.

      • mimif says:

        Dude you don’t even know. I’ve been having drunk Missy choreography dance parties every.faking.night for weeks. I’m exhausted but come on baby, pass that dutch. Hootie hooooo!

      • Tiffany :) says:

        mimif, how do I get invited to that? Sounds like a blast! 😀

  11. snowflake says:

    nicki is so rude. if you have the opportunity to have an interview with gq, be professional.

  12. Artemis says:

    Oh Onika, why? How can you boss people around expecting perfection and demanding respect when you’re dozing off during an interview? That’s a big no-no! Walk the walk if you want to make that 500 mil in a few years. Be consistent with your image. If you screw up the EASY part of your career (sitting down and promoting yourself) then how the hell will you sustain the rougher aspects? Get yourself together.

    As for who’s the worst, I’d wager that Cara who’s done this more than Nicki and turned up late was WAY worse than any of the girls mentioned. Both Cara and Peaches SLEPT while Nicky only dozed off. All unprofessional but in terms of most unprofessional: Cara > Peaches > Nicky.

  13. G. says:

    Honestly, I could never be a celebrity. If I knew I was going to be asked the same freaking questions every time, I’d fall asleep too.
    I’m a fan of Nicki, but maybe she should have just stuck to a pictorial.

  14. Cupcake says:

    I’ll just echo what others have said, it’s gotta be drugs. Sad.

  15. Danielleisgodess says:

    I don’t get the pen thing. Nicki always comes across as trashy to me. Like all the life experiences she’s had and the success she’s been given haven’t changed her spoiled and bitchy attitude. I just can’t with her.

  16. Dancinnancy says:

    I’m willing to believe drugs. Or partying too hard. I’m also willing to believe overworked and exhausted. I’m sitting here trolling celebrity blogs to give my brain a break. I’d rest my eyes too If I could.

  17. Emily C. says:

    I don’t like Nicki Minaj overall, but I like her more for messing with GQ.

  18. Josefa says:

    While it’s ridiculous that she says Anaconda is not related in the slightest to booties, I appreciate that she takes it as it is: A gym song which serves the purpose of getting you pumped up and nothing else. I have no problems with dumb music, but dumb music being passed as meaningful? Hell no.

  19. jwoolman says:

    Sleep deprivation can do that to you. When short on sleep, I can actually fall asleep in a swivel chair at the computer while proofreading (sometimes while typing…). My solution was to stand up while proofreading! It works, especially if I walk in place a little to keep the circulation going. Thank goodness my phone has an Otterbox Defender case, considering how many times I’ve dropped it when I fall asleep at my desk while reading the web on the phone.