Nicki Minaj: ‘American Idol was scary’

Nicki Minaj has confessed she was terrified she wouldn’t live up to fans’ expectations during her stint as a judge on “American Idol.”

The “Superbass” hit maker joined the singing competition last year but only kept her spot at the panel for one season before deciding to depart from the show in May.

She’s now back in the studio focusing on music, but she admits she felt like she was at “the bottom of the totem pole” during her time on the panel alongside fierce rival Mariah Carey, and fellow judges Keith Urban and Randy Jackson.

Speaking to Queen Latifah on her talk show on Tuesday, Minaj said, “‘Idol’ was scary. And just as a black woman and a part of hip hop, I felt like I was at the bottom of the totem pole, in terms of proving yourself and showing that you’re intelligent and you can carry on a conversation and speak about many different topics.

“So I felt like I was kind of representing for so many different kind of people. Rap, black women and women in general. I didn’t want it to come across as a caricature of Nicki Minaj. I wanted it to be the human being, who nobody ever really speaks to. And that’s what I found. People would come up to me and be like, ‘You’re a real person!’”