Rapper Ming Li has given an in-depth interview with parts that focus on her relationship with her older sister, Nicki Minaj.
Around the 5:45 minute mark of We in Miami podcast episode above, 18-year-old Ming opened up about how hard it was to be recognized as Minaj's sister. "In elementary, middle school, high school, the moment people knew who I was, it was either like they would ask me about my sister or ask me like just weird things that's gonna make me feel uncomfortable," said Ming.
Ming also said that her interest in pursuing music would cause her peers to make comparisons and that she was "bullied a lot for it." She also said that assumptions were made about Minaj not taking care of her.
"At the time, I felt not only attacked, I felt vulnerable. I felt like I was by myself," she continued.
As for her relationship with the Pink Friday MC, Li acknowledges they were "never close" and that she never knew her "as Nicki Minaj" despite her initial 2007-09 mixtape run happening when Ming Li was a toddler.
"I've never called her Nicki, by her name, at all. Calling her Nicki always felt weird, I've always called her Onika too, on top of all that. ... But we was never close, but we had a good bond," Ming said around the 44-minute mark. "She was always like busy, she be busy and stuff like that, I be doing my shit, too. But at the end of the day, I know that I still got love for her, she still got love for me, and I'mma still be proud of her."
Sharing that Minaj "came a long way," Ming said that while she'll "never be at the same level" as Nicki, she strives to "impress her" and reach "her type of greatness."
