Nicki Minaj Shares Beyonce's Motivational Strategy for 'Flawless' Remix

[Transcendence]

Nicki Minaj has offered some background about her surprise guest verse on Beyoncé's new "Flawless" remix. In a radio interview with New York radio station Hot 97 (via Complex), Minaj says she jumped at the chance to work with the singer: "[Manager] Gee [Roberson] called me when I was on my way to Vegas, and he said, 'Beyoncé wants you to remix 'Flawless,'" she says. "And after I got proper medical help and started breathing again, I was like, 'What?'"

 

Minaj says Beyoncé was hands-on with the collaboration. After sending Minaj a version of the track, she showed up at a New York studio to help hype up the rapper as she recorded her intense verse, telling her, "I want you to be you—I don't want you to hold back." Minaj says they went "back and forth about mixes and single art" and adds that Beyoncé was "such a sweetheart." When asked why it took so long for a collaboration to happen, Minaj says that "the stars just aligned in the right way."

The remix, which dropped on Beyoncé's website on Saturday, features a horn sample from Outkast's "Spottieottiedopaliscious" and finds Minaj spitting, "Winning is my motherfucking protocol/ Because I score before I ever throw the ball." Beyoncé even addresses the infamous elevator incident involving her husband Jay Z and sister Solange, singing, "Of course sometimes shit goes down when there's a billion dollars on an elevator."

Elsewhere in her Hot 97 interview, Minaj expressed her desire to work with Bronx rapper Remy Ma, who was recently released from prison after serving a six-year sentence for assault. "I was a fan of hers before she went to jail, and nothing has changed," Minaj says.

Meanwhile, Remy Ma expressed her admiration for Minaj in a recent interview with New York radio station Power 105. "Nicki has always been a supporter and vice versa," she said. "I like what she does. She’s done wonderful things for females, but I just wish there was more of them. I don't know what they're doing; they're letting these guys take over."

On Sunday, Minaj released her Sir-Mix-a-Lot sampling new song, "Anaconda."