Nicki Minaj Talks "Anaconda," Branding and Her Current Look in GQ's November Issue

Read highlights from the November feature.

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Image via Complex Original
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Nicki Minaj is featured in GQ's November issue as writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner interviews her over a snack of Versace-branded M&Ms while she tries (unsuccessfully) to stay awake. When her eyes are open, the two discuss "Anaconda," branding, and her more subdued look these days. The writer is determined to understand the message behind "Anaconda" and its music video, but Nicki doesn't think (or won't admit) there's anything to unravel. 

On the song:


"She's just talking about two guys that she dated in the past and what they're good at and what they bought for her and what they said to her. It's just cheeky, like a funny story."

On the video: 


"I knew that I wanted a gym theme. And that's that. ... 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. ... 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." 

On the cover art:


"I just said I'll put it out, never thought in a billion years that people would be putting [other] people's heads on it. It's the craziest shit. What hasn't it been? They've made everything." 

On branding, which there wasn't a message about in the "Anaconda" video: 


My management team has a division that has a guy that his main focus is to go out there and find new brands for me to do business with or to find brands that I would like to be in our videos and contribute to our budget. 

On her current 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." 

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[via GQ]

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