Nicki Minaj scored the cover of the November issue of Cosmopolitan! She forgoes her signature bright, colorful ensembles and wigs in favor of a fierce black leather strapless mini dress that has a bit of a futuristic vibe, courtesy of that belt, and a short, blunt black bob.

She may have toned down her brightness, but she still stands out and looks uh-mazing!  There's no such thing as basic black when you're talking about Nicki Minaj. Not even close.

While Minaj abandoned some of her signature pink confections, she also came clean on a lot of intimate topics. Some potent quotes from the accompanying feature gave Cosmo readers an insight into the real Nicki Minaj.

Before the 'Super Bass' singer hit it big, she thought about ending it all! We are so glad she didn't let those thoughts get the best of her. She recalled, "I kept having doors slammed in my face. I felt like nothing was working. I had moved out on my own, and here I was thinking I'd have to go home. It was just one dead end after another. At one point, I was, like, 'What would happen if I just didn't wake up?' That's how I felt. Like maybe I should just take my life?'"

She shared one of her first rhymes, which was chock full of flavor. It goes lil' something like this:
"Cookie is the name, chocolate chip is the flavor / Suck up my style like a cherry Lifesaver." Mmm hmm.

Minaj also pointed out a key difference between her fashion kindred spirit Lady Gaga. Both have a flair for the flashy and flamboyant, but whereas Gaga would not be caught dead in sweats, Minaj wears hers and with good reason. She looks to go from frumpy to fabulous because the transformation is cathartic for her. She said, "I think Gaga is freakin' dope for that. But I can't be bothered. Give me my sweats. I like transforming from completely raggedy to 'Ahhh, I'm ready.' That transformation gives me a high."

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