Times were tough before Nicki Minaj made it big in the music biz. The “Anaconda” rapper opened up about her less-than-glamorous lifestyle in the upcoming MTV documentary My Time Again, even revealing that she once stole in order to put food on the table.
“When I was a waitress we had to steal bread and eat that,” Minaj, 32, is seen telling a friend in a clip from the show. She adds later: “Every human needs to push themselves to the point of breaking sometimes. If you never break, then you’ll never know how much pressure you can take.”
Minaj has come a long way since those days, ultimately becoming a household name in November 2010 with the help of her debut album Pink Friday. She’s since been nominated for six Grammys, and has won several American Music, Billboard, and BET awards. She dropped her third album, The PinkPrint, last month, and is currently gearing up for a world tour.
“No one could prepare for this business,” she says in the clip. “Until you are in it, you really can’t wrap your head around it.”
Watch the video above now! Plus, see which other female powerhouse makes a cameo, and how Minaj reacted when one of her backup dancers was bitten by a snake while rehearsing for the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards.
