Nicki Minaj opens up about past addiction to Percocet

Nicki Minaj has opened up about a dark time in her life, when she used to be addicted to Percocet.

Speaking to Vogue for a cover feature, the rapper recalled being addicted to the prescription drug. While the rapper did not disclose when she was addicted to Percocet, she revealed that she was initially prescribed the drug to help with menstrual cramps and pain.

However, she found herself taking Percocet even when she wasn’t in pain and soon realised that she was addicted to it. “No one told me that this was a narcotic and this was addictive. Luckily I was able to ground myself. But — once an addict, always an addict. I feel like if you’ve ever experienced addiction to anything, which I have, you always have to think twice and three times about the choices that you make,” Minaj told Vogue.

Minaj then explained that she thinks the chances of getting addicted to substances are higher when you’re constantly being watched – a downside of fame. She related this other famous musicians who’ve faced problems with addiction, like Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston.

Nicki Minaj continued: “Look at some of our biggest celebrities. They eventually either get laughed out of wanting to go outside anymore, like Michael Jackson, or criticized, like Whitney Houston, or they fight silent battles, like Prince. These are some of the greatest of all time. And one day they decided, ‘You know what? I’d rather self-medicate and be in my own world.’ ”

Elsewhere in the interview, Minaj spoke of her father’s former addiction to cocaine, saying she did not understand that his substance abuse wasn’t a choice: “I think about watching my father go back and forth, and I just wish that at the time I understood that he wasn’t doing it because he wanted to.”

“I thought that he was making a conscious effort to be addicted to a drug that would have him steal his children’s video games and sell them for money. Think about that — who would make a conscious effort to do that? Now I realize, those people weren’t making those choices because they wanted to hurt their family. Addiction took over their bodies and their lives. They were victims too.”

Nicki Minaj is due to release her next album, ‘Pink Friday 2’, on December 8 to coincide with her birthday. The record was initially due for release on November 17, but was pushed back to avoid a clash with her friend and mentor Lil Wayne’s new album with 2 Chainz.

For help, advice or more information regarding addiction in the UK, visit the FRANK website. In the US, visit SAMHSA.