Nicki Minaj says women should never be "apologetic" about wanting equal pay.
Nicki Minaj
The 'Anaconda' hitmaker is always willing to better herself with her "showmanship" as long as she is "compensated" for it.
She said: "One thing I learned along the way in business is the necessity for you to be unapologetic about asking for how much money you deserve.
"At a very early stage in my rap career, I was making six figures for shows ... If I heard there was another rapper making that, I thought, 'You know what? I get out there and demand or command a crowd. I get out there and make my fans happy. I get out there and give a real show. I want that, too.' And I pushed myself to be better with my showmanship, but I also decided, you know what? I want to be compensated well."
The 33-year-old rapper offered her advice to women starting out in business, telling them to never "be ashamed to ask for the top dollar in your field".
She told TIME magazine: "I would tell women starting out in business, if you know you're great at what you do, don't ever be ashamed to ask for the top dollar in your field.
"If I'm great at what I do, I can't be denied. Some things may be overlooked but no one can deny my brand, and that's the words of wisdom I would give to other young women."
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