Nicki frequently references religion in her aesthetics and performances, but does the singer actually follow the Christian faith?
Nicki Minaj is thought to be Christian. She has spoken about the importance of the religion in her life, despite occasionally clashing with devout Christians over her controversial performances.
Church Saved Nicki’s Family
Nicki came forward to tell fans that her father was an abusive addict, but also explained that Christianity saved him and her family. Her Father went to rehab and started going to church, which helped him recover.
Nicki explained that her father is no longer abusive nor on drugs. He and Nicki’s mother are happy together and go to church every week.
Nicki also said that her two heroes are God and her Mom. She does not speak about her personal beliefs very often, but this statement clarifies that she is a believer.
Nicki’s Christian Pastor
Nicki’s Christianity involves close ties with her pastor. Nicki has known her pastor, Lydia Woodson-Sloley, for many years and the two share a special relationship.
Nicki credited her pastor with helping her find an Indian village to donate to in 2017. Nicki worked with pastor Lydia to give computers, books, seeing machinery, and two water pumps to the village.
Nicki made sure her pastor was present for a very special day: Nicki’s wedding! Nicki flew Lydia from her home in Brooklyn, New York across the country to Los Angeles, California to officiate the wedding.
Nicki Minaj loves Gospel
Fans may be surprised to learn that the rapper and pop singer really loves Christian gospel music. Nicki said that she actually listens to gospel, as well as old dancehall music, more than any other genre in her free time.
It turns out that Nicki’s love of gospel may be a family affair. Both of her parents were gospel singers.
Nicki’s mother pursued her own gospel singing career after her daughter found success in the music industry. Carol Maraj made her music debut with the gospel and hip-hop fusion song “God’s Been Good” in 2014.
The song features an electronic beat, bringing gospel into the modern era. Carol sings positive lyrics about the great influence of God on her life.
A few years later, Nicki followed in her mother’s footsteps and worked on a gospel song herself. Nicki teamed up with gospel superstar Tasha Cobbs Leonard to create the song “I’m Getting Ready.”
Nicki rapped a verse on Tasha’s song and received mixed reviews. Some of Tasha’s fans said they did not like Nicki and were not interested in Tasha collaborating with her. Meanwhile, others were excited for the crossover and expressed their happiness that Nicki is also a Tasha fan.
Nicki Minaj Was Criticized for Disrespecting Christianity
Although Nicki herself said she worships God and comes from a Christian family, she has received harsh backlash from devout Christians and their spiritual leaders. Nicki got into trouble with Christians because of her portrayal of the religion in her art.
Nicki sparked contentious debate with her performance at the 2012 Grammy Awards. First, she surprised spectators by entering with an unexpected date: she was accompanied on the red carpet by an older man dressed up like the Pope.
Nicki really turned heads with her use of Christian symbols in her performance. The entire stage was made to look like a Catholic church. Her backup dancers were dressed as clergy members and performed lewd moves to the song.
Nicki’s performance ended with her exorcism. The singer continued to rap as she levitated above the stage until the end of the song.
Prominent church figures condemned Nicki’s performance. Bill Donohue of the Catholic League said it was an “insult” to his religion, and she probably would not have been allowed to parody Islam or Judiasm like this.
Nicki defended her artistic choices by explaining that Grammy producers chose her song, Roman Holiday, for her performance. She then wanted to do justice to the unique song in her artistic portrayal of it.
Nicki is definitely a Christian and has said so in the past. She does not worry about others’ interpretations of her art, and is unafraid to express herself through religious imagery.