Ever been a fan of someone not because of their talent but simply because who of the kind of person they are and the stand they take on issues that affect us all on a global level?
Nicki Minaj has kind of been that person for me. While I like one or two of her songs, what I really have always loved about her is how passionate she’s been about empowering young women, especially through education.
The rapper has not only offered to pay for some of her fans tuition fees in the past, but has also sent money to a village in India to help establish a computer centre and reading programme for young people who want to further their education.
Like a said. A queen who is all about empowering young adults.
This time around she’s aiming to empower some of her younger fans through her forthcoming album, Queen.
Nicki has never been shy about expressing her own sexuality through her own music videos, and in an interview with ELLE magazine she says that she’ll never apologise for being sexy and that she’ll “never stop being an exhibitionist.”
But that said, with her latest album she wanted to ensure that she brought the message to her fans that it’s also okay to practise abstinence from sex.
Worried that she, along with other social networking sites, may have contributed to a culture where women are easily persuaded into selling sex.
She’s quick to add that she’s all about women who feel empowered by their sexuality, but that there’s a difference between embracing her sex appeal and selling sex without, as she pointed out, many women realising their worth.
For her it’s not about slut shaming at all – although she candidly admits in the same interview that she’s not sure how to express this sentiment without being offensive – but being sad that she may have contributed to women perceiving that their self-worth is tied to sex.
Watch the video above for more about her latest album.