When you hear the name Nicki Minaj you think a sassy attitude, full of piss, vinegar, and the color pink. Her rap career has painted her in such a carefully constructed light, and it's proceeded to send her star rising even further. Like many musical artists before her, Minaj has naturally taken an interest in acting, as she's had roles in Ice Age: Continental Drift as well as 2014's The Other Woman. Though judging by this video recently released, it looks like one aspiration clearly came before the other.
Thanks to YouTube user Nicki Royale, the video above from Nicki Minaj's high school days at the LaGuardia High School Of Music And Performing Arts has surfaced. It's a short clip, but it's enough to show off the fact that the budding actress just hasn't had the role she deserves to show off her surprising level of acting ability. After all, she's only been in a children's film and a fluffy comedy, and neither were really her show.
A much better look at her comedic timing is the clip included below from an SNL appearance she did in 2011, with fellow thespian Jesse Eisenberg.
While she's obviously reading from cue cards, Minaj manages to keep the dialogue flowing without stumbling over any of the words. Even in the high school acting class video you can see an intensity in Nicki Minaj's performance with her co-star, especially when she gets physical with the prop phone. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but she gave a convincing enough performance to fool her drama coach. Not many musicians can successfully make the jump from music to acting, but it looks like Minaj could be a knock out given the right role.
Much like her contemporary and fellow former American Idol judge, Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj could turn in a surprisingly nuanced performance if she was given a script that was as hard hitting as that of the Lee Daniels' directed Precious. After all, Carey's image was similar to Minaj's before she turned in the performance seen in the clip below.
Fingers crossed Nicki Minaj can find her Lee Daniels, so she can shock the world yet again with her star talents.
