Nicki Minaj Reveals Addiction Struggles: ‘Think Twice About the Choices You Make’

Nicki Minaj has "experienced addiction" in the past.

The 40-year-old rap star was prescribed the opioid Percocet some years ago to help alleviate menstrual cramps but explained that even though she was able to "ground" herself eventually, she did end up addicted and urged others to "think twice" about the choices they make.

She told Vogue: "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."

The Grammy Award-winning star grew up with a father who struggled with addiction and went on to add that while she considers herself to be "just like" her dad, who died in 2021 in a hit-and-run crash aged 64, she now realizes that those who suffer from addiction are "victims" just like their families.

She said: "I feel like I will always consider myself to be just like my father. Now I realize, those people weren’t making those choices because they wanted to hurt their family. Addiction took over their bodies and their lives. They were victims too."

Meanwhile, the "Barbie World" hit-maker also explained that some of her fellow musicians such as Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson may have enjoyed incredible success but endured a number of personal struggles but ultimately decided to take off to their "own world" because of the pressures of celebrity.

She said: "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. 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.'"