It's a two-sided coin because they don't realise that before they walked into the room I was busy spinning around on my chair as fast as it could go. I'm a kid when I want to be, I guess. Lots of people ask me if being a female in the music industry is difficult. I think in some ways it is. Nicki Minaj spoke in this brilliant video that you should all watch, taken while she applied her eyeliner, about sexism in the industry. Nicki complained about the poor quality of a photo-shoot, and received this wave of aggression and insult.
"If I am assertive, I'm a bitch. If a man is assertive, he's a boss. No negative connotation behind bossed up!" Truth is, if Nicki doesn't complain about a bad photo-shoot, people working with her assume those low standards are acceptable, but if she does complain it's very hard for her not to be pegged as a diva, which I think is one of those music industry double standards that has hung around far too long.
I identified with her so strongly when I saw that video - I know what it's like to walk on set and demand something of quality, and feel people thinking, 'Oh, we've got a piece of work here.' That's just me trying to protect my image and my name. I sometimes think if I were a male musician, the reaction to such a basic request would be different.
I got all these dope dealers serving,
Cut the work up, they surgeons
I don't want y'all bitches 'round me,
Wack bitches make me curve em'
Import a rug that's Persian,
One wheel up & we swerving
Wetter than a lake, that's Ricki
Pop ***** like she Nicki,
She want me cus she see me in dat Aventador,
Pull up on the curb so crazy, I done bent the door!
Bad bitch wanna borrow it, I lent to her,
Make her bust that ***** open In Singapore
30 Million doe, Forbes List
Out in Philly in da condo, BOSS ****
Now they call me young Oprah, Harpo
In the pool rocking Polo, Marco
Millionaires, never do lears,
No they can't see me, they're never my peers
Fruits of my labour, come get me my pears
Cus' you're out of your element, I am your fear
So go get of my testicle, pardon my decimal, Bitch!
Check out my resume I'm upper echelon, Rich!
Dem bikes are out and we throwing them up like we sick,
My clothing lines out in them stores an I'm sipping a Myx, BITCH.
I got all these dope dealers serving,
Cut the work up, they surgeons
I don't want y'all bitches 'round me,
Wack bitches make me curve em'
Import a rug that's Persian,
One wheel up & we swerving
Wetter than a lake, that's Ricki
Pop ***** like she Nicki,
She want me cus she see me in dat Aventador,
Pull up on the curb so crazy, I done bent the door!
Bad bitch wanna borrow it, I lent to her,
Make her bust that ***** open In Singapore 30 Million doe, Forbes List
Out in Philly in da condo, BOSS ****
Now they call me young Oprah, Harpo
In the pool rocking Polo, Marco
Millionaires, never do lears,
No they can't see me, they're never my peers
Fruits of my labour, come get me my pears
Cus' you're out of your element, I am your fear
So go get of my testicle, pardon my decimal, Bitch!
Check out my resume I'm upper echelon, Rich!
Dem bikes are out and we throwing them up like we sick,
My clothing lines out in them stores an I'm sipping a Myx, BITCH.
Millionaires, never do lears,
No they can't see me, they're never my peers
Fruits of my labour, come get me my pears
Cus' you're out of your element, I am your fear
Im slayed!