Typically when an artist hits their third studio album, they're hitting their stride and finding their own path—look no further than Drake's Nothing Was The Same, his most complete work to date. Nicki Minaj is finally back to work on her third record, and she's planning to make a similar leap.

"I always had my plan to [go back to rap]," Nicki said on The Breakfast Club. "I never intended to continue to do pop, I just experimented, and I was gonna get back on my third album. The features are just the appetizer for the album... I will say it's very different from everything I've done. I'm not feeling like, 'I did this,' I'm feeling like this is next level."

Nicki then kept defending herself, saying that she never stopped rapping but kept putting out features. "Why y'all been acting like I've stopped rapping?" she said. "Did I stop and have babies or something? 'Cause I've been rapping for the last five years consecutively... I've been givin' it to you guys. But when people hear stuff on features they almost act like... I'm not gonna do those features and then have the album be completely against that. We're gonna be fan. I'm gonna rap anyway 'cause I'm just great at it—I'm a great lyricist and MC."

Previously: Nicki Minaj Clarifies “King Of New York” Claim
Nicki Minaj’s Thoughts On Drake Not Putting YMCMB On His Album
Nicki Minaj On Kendrick Lamar’s “Control” Verse: “I’m The Queen Of New York, I’m The King Of New York”

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