Nicki Minaj's career has been like a "Cinderella story".
Nicki Minaj
The 'Superbass' hitmaker has described her journey in the music industry over the last decade as a fairytale.
She said: "If I had to describe [the past ten years], I would say 'blessed'. Blessed and highly favoured, because the things that have happened to me have been once in a lifetime.
"I feel like it's been a Cinderella story. Getting plucked out of Southside, Jamaica, Queens by the prince, Lil Wayne, and whisked away on a freaking magic pumpkin. I'm still in the magic pumpkin! I have to say it's been magical. It's been tough. It's been emotional. I've had to deal with it all, negative and positive.
"But I know there are so many girls who would kill to have what I've experienced, so I have to take the good with the bad and be grateful. No matter what's gone on the past ten years, I'm still here. I'm still here!"
And the 34-year-old rapper is glad she has been able to stay true to herself by working hard to make it in the industry.
She added to the Autumn/Winter issue of Dazed magazine: "I knew my worth from very early on. Some may call it attitude, some might call it genius. Some might call a female rapper getting a million dollars for one show genius! Some may call being the only female rapper - still, right now - able to have worldwide arena tours f***ing brilliant!
"Look, I came into this industry saying I would never sleep with a man to get what I wanted and I would always write my own raps, because I've always been smart enough to do that. I've done it. I've kept true to my main promises to myself ... Even to this day, people are uncomfortable when women voice their opinions. Everybody wants you to just smile to the camera and be quiet and take what you get. I'm not that girl."
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