It may seem as though Nicki Minaj is all glamor, with a Barbie-inspired theme to her image. Her accented delivery and unique personality has made her one of the most talked about Rap stars of 2010, despite having never released a solo album. With a recent Fader cover-story, fans are still just getting to know the voice behind the accent, and the face behind the eyeshadow and lipstick. It has been this way since she started gaining notoriety as part of Lil Wayne’s Young Money crew. But, recently Minaj opened up to Details magazine about life before the stardom, of the violent scenes her father once caused and of her bi-sexuality, speaking on homophobia in Hip Hop.   

“I think the world is getting more gay-friendly, so Hip Hop is too. But it’s harder to imagine an openly gay male rapper being embraced. People view gay men as having no street credibility. But I think we’ll see one in my lifetime,” she told the magazine, admitting that she is openly bi-sexual.

She later went on to speak about her father’s abusive nature, detailing one story where she was relieved that her mother escaped from their home, after her dad set it on fire.

“He drank a lot and did drugs, and he would get violent when he did. When he set fire to the house, he was attempting to kill my mother. She got out before it burned all the way down. I’ve always had this female-empowerment thing in the back of my mind—because I wanted my mother to be stronger, and she couldn’t be. I thought, ‘If I’m successful, I can change her life.'”

For more of the interview, including her new “role model” status, read the full interview at Details.