The famous rapper has a mixed ethnic background and has traveled the world. Many fans wonder, can the global celebrity speak the Spanish language?
Nicki Minaj can speak some Spanish. She may not be fluent, but she can speak a few phrases in Spanish.
Nicki Minaj’s Spanish skills are evidenced by videos of her speaking the language. She flaunts her skills, although she is still learning, and incorporates Spanish into her rapping.
Nicki Shows off her Spanish
Nicki is not afraid to slip some Spanish into her conversations or performances. She has been recorded speaking Spanish multiple times, and fans put together compilations of her Spanish such as this video:
Nicki playfully speaks Spanish with interviewers and fans. She shows that she can recite the Spanish alphabet and knows key phrases like “¿qué pasó?” (“what’s up?”) and “entonces…” (“well…”).
Although Nicki flawlessly delivers many Spanish phrases, she does not speak the language fluently. Around 2:30 in the video above she asks the interviewer how to say “I live here” in Spanish.
Nicki’s Spanish Raps
In addition to speaking some Spanish, Nicki also incorporates the language into her music. Nicki has teamed up with other stars to produce bilingual hits in the past.
In 2014 Nicki Minaj joined forces with Latin-pop and R&B phenomenon Romeo Santos. Nicki performed a guest verse on Romeo’s song “Animales.”
Nicki’s verse on “Animales” was rapped in a mix between Spanish and English. Nicki infused Spanish phrases into her lyrics about confidence and sex.
Nicki also crossed into the Latin music scene in 2017. She joined Travis Scott for a star-studded remix of the Latin trap song “Krippy Kush.”
“Krippy Kush” became a mega-hit. The song was originally by rappers Farruko and Bad Bunny and music producer Rvssian. After Nicki and Travis Scott joined the track it went sixteen times multi-platinum and sold 960,000 units.
Nicki’s verse on “Krippy Kush” is mostly English, but contains a few Spanish words and phrases. Nicki raps about her confidence, money, drugs, and sex while incorporating clever Spanish rhymes.
Nicki Wrote a Surprise Spanish Rap
Nicki accepted a feature verse on Karol G‘s song “Tusa.” Nicki surprised both Karol and her fans by rapping her verse with more Spanish than she ever wrote in the past.
Karol sent Nicki the song and the rapper’s lines were complete that evening. Karol said Nicki “surprised her by writing four full lines in Spanish.”
Nicki makes a bold entrance in the song with her Spanish lines. She raps “Pero hice todo este llanto por nada. Ahora soy una chica mala.”
Nicki’s lines translate to mean “But I did all of this crying for nothing. Now I am a bad chick.” The lines’ rhythm and rhyme uniquely work in Spanish, and the musicality is lost in the English translation.
Writing these lines in Spanish shows that Nicki has some mastery over the language. She must have a fairly proficient Spanish vocabulary in order to craft lines that are both rhythmic and feature the rhyme of “mala” with “nada.”
Nicki in Mexico
In addition to speaking Spanish, Nicki also takes glamorous vacations in Spanish speaking countries. In 2014 she shared beach pictures from a relaxing vacation to Mexico.
Nicki also used her voice to advocate for Mexican immigrants. In 2018 she took to Instagram to address the issue of Mexican immigration to the United States and expressed her contempt for immigration camps.
Nicki made a personal plea for the U.S. government to “please stop this.” She explained that she immigrated to America when she was five years old.
Nicki empathized with the hardship of the young Mexican immigrants in border camps. She said she could not imagine having her parents taken away from her and recognized the “terror and panic” these children must feel.
Nicki Minaj’s Spanish Following
Nicki boasts a huge Spanish-speaking fanbase. In addition to visiting Spanish-speaking countries and practicing the language, Nicki has received recognition and praise from major Spanish networks.
Nicki has received two Telehit Awards from the Mexican music channel Telehit. She won in 2013 for her song “Beauty and a Beat” and in 2014 for her “Golden Butt.”
Nicki was also nominated for Heat Latin Music Awards and Your World Awards presented by Telemundo. Although she did not win these awards, she surely will receive more Spanish awards and nominations as she continues her music career.
Nicki Minaj speaks some Spanish and uses it to connect with her fans around the world. She may not be a fluent Spanish speaker, but she knows enough of the language to communicate and write catchy rap verses.
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