Nicki Minaj Tones Down the Sexiness

Nicki Minaj may ooze sex appeal, but the hip-hop honey is making a conscious effort to take it down a notch.

“I made a conscious decision to try to tone down the sexiness,” she tells Interview magazine. “I want people—especially young girls—to know that in life, nothing is going to be based on sex appeal. You’ve got to have something else to go with that.”

While she strives to be a role model, she also embraces her individuality. “I don’t mind being called a weirdo,” shares the “Your Love” rapper. “There are a lot of people in hip-hop who are probably never going to get what I do. But, by just being myself, I end up touching a lot more people who might never have paid much attention to a female rapper.”

She’s worked with Usher, Ludacris, Robin Thicke, and Lil Wayne, but she’s still in awe of her collaboration with a pop diva. “Not only did we do a song together, but I was in a video with Mariah Carey! I still haven’t gotten over that!”