With a sleek black bob, subtle eye-makeup (mink lashes notwithstanding), signature candy pink lipstick and radiant skin, Nicki Minaj is looking prettier than ever for her new Cosmopolitan magazine cover.

Nicki (born Onika Maraj) becomes only the fourth African-American cover star for the magazine in the past 11 years (incredible, we know) following behind Halle Berry, Beyoncé and Rihanna. In this November issue she’s talking about her innermost struggles on the way to fame and success.

“It was one dead end after another,” she tells the magazine. “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. I would pray to God to make me famous, so I could buy my mother a huge house.”

She also touches on her personal vision for the future. “I’ll have hundreds of millions of dollars. I will have put out five albums and will have an Oscar and Grammys. And I will be getting married and, a couple of years after that, I will have a bun in the oven.”

Bookmark to: