Nicki Minaj has revealed she’s been using her downtime to get into The Crown, sharing her unique commentary on the royal drama in an open letter with her fans.
Since the birth of her son last year, Nicki has been taking time out from the spotlight, but shared an update with her Barbz on Friday morning, on what also marked the long-awaited re-release of her 2009 mixtape Beam Me Up Scotty.
The chart-topping rapper kicked off her letter with the fact that she’s been “obsessing over The Crown on Netflix” since it was recommended to her by Black-ish creator Kenya Barris.
“I’ve been hooked ever since,” she said. “It’s safe to say I’ve watched every single episode of every single season at least five times each. Lol. Yikes. I know.”
Nicki continued: “I can’t get enough of Claire Foy’s perfect face. I want to eat it. It just does the right thing in every single scene. Lmao.
“I also can’t believe how much I enjoy Gillian Anderson’s portrayal of Margaret Thatcher. Seeing as tho I’m such a Meryl StreepINISTA.
“I love Helena [Bonham Carter] as Princess Margaret and Josh [O’Connor] as Prince Charles, although let’s face it; he’s a tad hunkier than the real Prince ever was— and yes, I just used the word ‘hunkier’.”
Turning her attention to Olivia Colman, Nicki wrote that she’s “a great actress”, but preferred her performance as Carol Thatcher in The Iron Lady.
“Go figure,” Nicki remarked, adding: “BRAVO to the entire cast, writers and directors.”
“While we’re on the subject of acting,” Nicki wrote. “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom was one of the best pieces of work I’ve had the pleasure of viewing in a really long time. GENIUS!!!! With a capital everything!!!!
“Just when I thought there was no way I could love Viola Davis any more... I MEAN!!!!! OMG. I LIVE!!!! Every single monologue. Every single one. She brought those words to life in such a way that I truly felt as if she could’ve been speaking about the music industry right now!
“The writing in the original play was just brilliant but she was able to even add a billion times more to it and I didn’t think that was even possible [because playwright] August Wilson is the TRUTH!!!
“Chadwick, of course, was just exceptionally layered and riveting. His acting knows no bounds. I can’t believe he was taken from us so soon. The man was on his way to becoming a full-fledged ICON!!! I also really loved the actor playing Cutler. Colman Domingo.”
Speaking about her life since becoming a mum, Nicki added: “Each day creates a new and fascinating, magical memory that I hide far away into a little cute compartment of my heart; vowing never to forget any of it. Like. He’s just a cute liddo marshmallow.
“I can’t take it. His favorite movie is Madagascar (Escape 2 Africa)... won’t stop watching it. LOL. He’s so smart, funny, sweet, competitive... it’s kind of crazy how they have a full personality so early on. Yesterday I made him say mama. Even got it on video. Just... wow.”
Nicki’s father Robert Maraj was killed in a hit-and-run incident earlier this year, which the Starships star said she “can’t really bring myself to discuss”, but noted it has been “the most devastating loss of my life”.
“I find myself wanting to call him all the time,” Nicki said. “More so now that he’s gone. Life is funny that way.
“May his soul rest in paradise. He was very loved and will be very missed.”
Nicki ended her letter with a shout-out to DMX, stating his death “hit me like a ton of bricks.”
“Losing him felt like losing someone I grew up with. I adored him. Blessings to his family,” she added.
Last summer, Nicki surprised fans when she announced she and husband Kenneth Petty were expecting their first child, in an elaborate pregnancy photo-shoot posted on her Instagram page.
The couple welcomed a son in September 2020.