Nicki Minaj is revealing the personal battles she fought in private, including that she “experienced addiction” to percocet.
Source: Norman Jean Roy / Vogue
The Rap icon recently opened up about her private life behind the Barbie persona for the December Vogue cover story. The in-depth interview covered navigating public opinion, marriage, and motherhood. Nicki also shared shocking revelations about how the common issue of menstrual cramps led to “addiction.”
When Nicki sought relief for pain years ago, she trusted the doctor’s recommendation. She didn’t think a prescription for monthly pain would put her at risk for getting hooked. Eventually, she turned to the pills with or without the pain. “Once an addict, always an addict,” she said.
“No one told me that this was a narcotic and this was addictive, Luckily I was able to ground myself. But — once an addict, always an addict. I feel like if you’ve ever experienced addiction to anything, which I have, you always have to think twice and three times about the choices that you make,” she told Vogue.
Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice’s “Barbie World” is nominated for Best Song Written For Visual Media at the 2024 #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/8ATNOMDbRm
— The Female Rap Room (@girlsinrap) November 10, 2023
Although it’s a rare act of bravery and vulnerability to admit she had a problem, Nicki isn’t alone in this. She reflected on other stars who “self-medicated” while fighting “silent battles.”
“Look at some of our biggest celebrities. They eventually either get laughed out of wanting to go outside anymore, like Michael Jackson, or criticized, like Whitney Houston, or they fight silent battles, like Prince,” she said.
“These are some of the greatest of all time. And one day they decided, ‘You know what? I’d rather self-medicate and be in my own world.’”
See what Nicki Minaj said about her Percocet habit giving her closure about her father’s addiction to crack cocaine after the flip.