Nicki Minaj

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Burnout happens, and we all need a break—including Nicki Minaj. The 38-year-old rap artist recently said that her hiatus from the music industry benefitted her mental health. After the release of her 2018 album Queen, Minaj hasn’t released many new projects besides a few singles and features. Her recent album, Beam Me Up Scotty, was released last Friday with a total of 23 songs including a feature from Drake and Lil Wayne.

While celebrating the release of her new project, Minaj hosted a Twitter Q&A on May 15th with fans. When asked about the status of her mental health over the hiatus, she responded by saying it was “soooo needed” for her.

A lot has happened for the musician over the past year. She lost her father, Robert Maraj, in February when he died after being struck in a hit-and-run incident. On her website, she opened up about it, calling it the “most devastating loss.”

“He hated rap music when he was in my tummy. He’d kick rlly hard. But her was bopping a lil bit to #SeeingGreen b4 I released it,” she tweeted.

Minaj has seemingly found herself in a good place for now, both mentally and in her career. We’re happy for her that she’s able to enjoy motherhood and celebrate her album release all at once!