Analyzing the True Persona Behind the Fake Ones - Essay Example

?Analyzing the True Persona Behind the Fake Ones Introduction Nikki Minaj was a Black American hip-hop artist born as Onika Tanya Maraj on December 8, 1984 in Trinidad and Tobago. Her family moved to Queens, New York when she was five years old. He had an abusive drug-addicted father and a battered mother (Bio True Story, 2013). She rose to fame with her talent in music, having been honed in the La Guardia High School for the Arts, the school that inspired the movie Fame. It is a school specializing on the production of great artists who have thrived in the field of entertainment. At age 12, she penned her first rap song and delved into acting in high school (Bio True Story 2013). Nicki was discovered by rapper Lil Wayne who launched her to stardom. Her debut album Pink Friday topped Billboard charts as she made a name for herself as a celebrity (Bio True Story, 2013). This essay shall analyze her personality formed by the events in her life and complicated by the pressures of being a well-known hip-hop artist with an edgy personality that commands attention wherever she goes. The analysis throughout the essay is guided by the Five Factor Model which looks into the dimensions of her conscientiousness, emotional stability, agreeableness, extraversion and openness, among other areas. Background and Family Life Nicki Minaj lived her first five years in an overpopulated home filled with cousins and friends and animals. It was her grandmother who took care of her, as her parents lived in Queens, New York. Nikki dreamt of living with her parents in the United States. When her mother would visit, she would go to her bedroom, dress up and pack up her things hoping she would take her with her when she went back to the US. They finally sent for her when she was five years old (O’Connor, 2010). Nicki grew up under troubled family circumstances. Her drug addicted father was notorious for the violence he inflicts on her mother, to the extent of setting the family’s home on fire in an attempt to kill her. Her hatred for her father and great love for her mother was expressed in “Autobiography” the song that she wrote that was most personal for her: “Daddy was a crack fiend. Two in the morning had us runnin' down the block like a track team. When he burned the house down and my mother was in it, how could i forqet it, the pain was infinite. She's my queen and I ain't even British. She's the only reason that I went to school and I finished. (yeah) She told me that I had talent, Got on her knees and prayed for me when i started being violent. She saw something in me that, til this day i don't know if i could be that. But i'ma die trying.” Nicki made it her mission to empower her mother to stand up for herself and rise above the abusive marriage. She thought she would make herself the model that her mother should emulate, so she vowed to be a success. To achieve this, she began developing various personas for herself to enable her to become someone “new”. She claimed that fantasy was her reality, and enjoyed her incarnated fantasy personas to the hilt (Bio True Story, n.d.). Nikki was verbal about her disappointment with her father. She shared: “I thought we would just be happy, but with a drug-addicted parent there is no such thing as being happy. When you have a father who is stealing your furniture and selling it so that he can buy crack, you suffer. You come home from school and your couch is gone. You’re like, ‘What happened?’”  For a while she kept a diary, but one time her dad found it and read it, so she stopped (O’Connor, 2010, p. 2) To witness all the violence and outbursts of her father was traumatic for Nicki. When he burnt their house down all of Nicki’s beloved things – her dolls, stuffed animals, pictures were burnt with it and she admitted that she could not remember much of the other traumatic childhood memories and thinks she psychologically blocked them from re-surfacing due to all the pain (O’Connor, 2010). The negative feelings she harboured against her father were expressed in the songs she wrote, specifically in her song “Autobiography” from her 2008 mixtape Sucka Free. She sang about how her father burnt the house down with her mother still inside it, and she raps: “They shoulda thrown the book at you, because I hate you so much that it burn when I look at you.” Nicki did not allow her negative life experiences to bear her down. She worked her way up to overcome all of her childhood trauma. As she grew, she became a handful for her mother who kept encouraging her to be somebody successful. She was a determined teenager who was raised in a bad neighbourhood that she had to learn to defend herself. Getting into La Guardia Arts was serendipitous for Nicki. She intended to audition for the singing program but on the day of her audition, her voice was hoarse and she was very disappointed. It was her mother that urged her to go back and audition for the Drama program. She did and was surprised that she made it. She is quoted to have said, “You know when you’re doing something you were put here to do, and there’s a moment when it’s so easy. And you’re like, ‘Wait, not everyone can do this?” (in O’Connor, 2010, p. 2) On her junior year in high school, she has bloomed into a beautiful teenager who had no trouble getting all the attention she wanted. At the La Guardia High School for the Arts, she was loud and friendly and had a personality that can be intimidating. Boys flocked around her because she was pretty and funny while girls wanted to be her friend because she could be a difficult enemy (O’Connor, 2010). Nicki was firm in pursuing her ambitions. After graduating from high school, she wanted to make sure she had a job because it was her key to affording her own place and the dream car, a white BMW she wanted to have. Another goal was to make rap music. Career Nicki began her career as a back-up singer for New York rappers. She began writing her own original pieces until she was discovered by Dirty Money CEO Fendi while appreciating her MySpace page. Fendi loved her music and immediately signed her to his label. Lil Wayne worked with her on a series of mix tapes. Their first collaboration was Playtime is Over which was released in April 2007 (Bio True story, 2013). Nicki shined as a smooth female hip hop artist with an out-front style. She dedicated her first Best Hip-Hop Female award to Lil Wayne (Bio True story 2013). Because of her talent and style, in a span of just ten months, Nicki has been catapulted to stardom, being in association with the giants of rap music even before her first album was released. She became known as a provocative, creative and very interesting artist who is not all packaging but is actually quite talented especially in a genre dominated by male artists. Because of this she got the avid support of the three biggest names in rap music, namely Kanye West (who said he was blown away by her style); Jay-Z, who worked with her in “Shakin’ It 4 Daddy” and Lil Wayn, whom Nicki considers her “sensei” (O’Connor, 2010) Nicki was able to reach a national audience in 2012 when she performed at the Super Bowl alongside pop superstar Madonna during the halftime show. It was a feat that most artists dream of. Her album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, released a short time later was a certified hit, topping pop, R&B and rap charts (Bio True Story, 2013). The Controversy of Nicki Minaj Nicki seems to use controversy to fight off boredom. To her, it is something that comes naturally, but she can take it, unlike many other people. In one of her old jobs that she hated, as a waitress serving biscuits and shrimps, one of her long nails popped into a customer’s salad and while one her manager told her it was not good because it was unsanitary and unsafe for the customer to accidentally ingest her fingernail, Nicki thought otherwise – that it was not good because she broke her nail. Although that incident did not get her fired, the incident of her running after a customer into the parking lot and giving him the finger because she thought he stole her pen got her fired. (O’Connor, 2010). The world Nicki moves in is controversial in nature, and everyone who moves in it are expected to produce some kind of controversy themselves. For one thing, to succeed as a female rapper, she is expected to write about how good she is at sex, and Nicki has done the sexbomb thing like posing like Lil’ Kim for her second mixtape’s cover art or allowing rumors of her bisexuality to linger. In one study by Bretthauer et al. (2006), the female artists in the study communicated messages that they were objectified, like sexual appearance can be used to attract attention; staying in relationships despite hurtful treatment is acceptable; and continuing to be with a man despite feeling used, unappreciated and ignored is tolerable. These messages may be interpreted that the female artists communicate to their audience that they are not inherently valuable and not worthy of respect (Bretthauer, Zimmerman & Banning, 2006). Nicki was not actually for it realizing that in order to achieve the kind of success female rappers in her day had, she did not have to represent the same thing (O’Connor, 2010). She could make a difference by standing out and lifting the image of women with her songs. For example, the opening track of her album Pink Friday was a song entitled “I’m the Best” with lyrics that go: “I’m fightin’ for the girls that never thought they could win ‘cause before they could begin You told ‘em it was the end But I am here to reverse the cure they live in” Although Nicki’s intentions of uplifting women with positive words in her songs, the image she projects actually encourages the negative notions of objectified women that she is fighting against. Kubrin (2006) analyzed the “street code” of African American communities from which most rap music is based on. Male artists in rap music gain and maintain status and self-respect by engaging in dangerous behaviors but also with their female conquests and sexual exploits. They boast of maintaining independence from conjugal ties and deriding conventional family life (Anderson, 1999). Promiscuity is hailed as a virtue in the street code and sex is an essential symbol of local social status. Women become sex objects, their bodies and minds are the object of a sexual game to be won for male personal aggrandizement. The winner gets the status and sex is prized as a testament not of love but of control over another human being (Anderson, 1999). The study of Bretthauer et al. (2006) conducted a qualitative analysis of lyrics of popular songs to determine the prevailing themes. They found out that in general, the theme of men and power expressed that males have “ownership” ideology of women. Even if most of the artists in the songs were men, the few women artists adhered to “appropriate” and accepted gender roles by fulfilling the males’ demands and by functioning as an object possessed by the male. Society’s patriarchal nature has traversed media in contributing to women’s adherence to gender role prescriptions. Nicki’s sexy image can be a distraction to her intention of empowering women from being objectified as possessions of men. Had she adopted a different pro-female persona that was not associated with a shallow, hypersexualized Barbie doll, then her goal of female empowerment could be more attainable. The image she projects is already controversial enough, what with all the trouble getting to look like the persona she chose for the night. Caramanica (2010) concurs that Nicki’s Barbie persona raises consciousness and if her audience can only look past the exterior message and alluring physicality, they can better appreciate Nicki’s song messages, which can be deep in a sense. However, most audiences fixate on the external view and may not be willing to look into the concealed messages that she wants to impart. Caramanica believes that instead of breaking away from the negative image of hip-hop, Nicki has been boxed into the stereotype that degrades and objectifies women. She uses the power of her sexuality to grab male attention, as if getting such attention is equivalent to having power over them. Her intelligence and wit is not maximized this way because her body takes precedence in terms of audience impact. On top of her many personas, Nicki became even more controversial as a judge for the show American Idol where she and co-judge Mariah Carey openly argue and fight. Once, Nicki even walked out on her and was accused of Mariah Carey of threats of physical harm, urging the latter to hire more security (Bio True story, 2013). Analyzing the Lifestyle of Nicki Minaj Nicki used to like going out when she was not as popular as she is now. She was content just dressing up simply in a pair of jeans, ride her dream car, a white BMW and just party. Now that she’s a hot celebrity, she rubs elbows with industry people and deals with the paparazzi. She cannot just move around without anyone assuming her intentions or thoughts, like if she buys popcorn for someone she is in the movies with, she is already rumoured to be in a relationship with that person. She is now at the point where people are interested in each detail of her life and want to be part of it and Nicki is not comfortable with it. She does love her fans especially the girls who idolize her but she also hates much of showbusiness, like the loss of privacy, the unfounded gossip that goes around, wearing uncomfortable clothes and shoes for image purposes, being in crowded places, and having detractors (O’Connor, 2010). The money keeps pouring in but to Nicki, it is not as important as being appreciated as an artist with the songs she writes and sings and the personas she takes much effort to create. Although she may project images that are worldly, she is not materialistic as she hates shopping or even going to the spa for pampering. She admits she really enjoys playing dress up and performing onstage. Nicki’s Personalities Nicki is known for her zany personas, attracting the attention of her fans with her wild and eccentric appearances. She’s adopted several personalities over her lifetime in an effort to find the person she really wants to be. She was heard saying “I like playing dress up...When I do my voices and faces, I don’t think about anything. My mind stops.” (O’Connor, 2010, p. 5). One theory is that developing various personas meant forming alter egos while she was growing up to cope with the constant bickering of her parents. To get away from it all, she would imagine herself as a new person. She says, “'Cookie' was my first identity—that stayed with me for a while. I went on to Harajuku Barbie, then Nicki Minaj. Fantasy was my reality.” (Songs.com) Schreiber (2012) describes her several personalities as follows: Roman Zolanski – This is Nicki’s male alter-ego. He is gay, paranoid and violent. He appears in "Roman Holiday" and "Stupid Hoe" after debuting alongside Eminem's Slim Shady in Pink Friday's "Roman's Revenge." Martha Zolanski –This is Roman’s very proper British mother who also appears on “Roman Holiday” together with Roman. She keeps reminding her son to take his medication and relax so he functions better. Both mother and son first came out on Pink Friday in “Roman’s Revenge” before Nicki’s debut video “Moment 4 Life”. Martha appeared as Nicki’s fairy godmother. Loiree Zolanski – another member of the strange family Nicki has “adopted” to play, this lisping little girl persona sings uninhibitedly songs with dirty lyrics. Barbie (also: Harajuku Barbie) – possibly the main persona that Nicki lives out and emulates, this Barbie fantasy is sweet, thoughtful, very girly, with a perky, high-pitched voice belting out in “Super Bass” as well as being on the album cover of Pink Friday. She also appeared on Young Money’s “Bed Rock” and some dance tracks such as “Masquerade” and “Va Va Voom”, among others. Trinadadian Dancehall Nicki- Giving honor to her Trinidadian roots, Nicki created the persona of a native dancer who speaks with an Afro-Caribbean accent. This persona appears in “Beautiful Sinner” and “Gun Shot” (with Jamaican dancehall artist Beenie Man) and also “Starships”, which is a techno-heavy dance song. Gangsta Moll- In many ways, this persona is the one closest to the real Nicki representing a Queens girl who is a sassy and brassy rapper with the dirty mouth and swag. She comes out in “Big Sean’s Ass”, “Stupid Hoe”, “Come on a Cone” and “Beez in Your Trap” (Schreiber, 2012). Nicki’s use of various persona is a normal occurrence in day-to-day communication. Jung (1953) defined persona as a “mask, designed on the one hand to make a definite impression upon others and on the other to conceal the true nature of the individual” (p. 190). Thus, the value of using such personas is functional for Nicki to cover her real emotions or nature lest people will judge her due to her painful past or present vulnerabilities. Psychological Analysis of Nicki Minaj and her Music Nicki’s dream to be a popular rap and hiphop artist may have began from the time she was a high school student at La Guardia High School for the Arts. This is due to her heightened exposure to various kinds of music genres and performances. Lloyd (2002) has come up with the Adolescent Identity, Media, and Sociocognitive Schema (AIMSS). He contends that the impact of media may be magnified during adolescence, especially if the adolescent is kept exposed to media images and these are discussed and socially reinforced. Such influences affect cognitive and behavioral processes which eventually contribute to the adolescent’s social competence. Media, specifically internet, television and music videos may serve as opportunities for the adolescent to identify cues for social behavior among his peer group as well as cognitively rehearse his how he would deal with certain social interactions (Lloyd, 2002). Devices of mass media offer opportunities for learning a whole spectrum of socio-cultural behaviors and practicing these mentally without risking peer rejection. Lloyd (2002) posits that cognitive processes undergone while integrating external media images from music videos and the like while in the identity formation stage eventually provides adolescents with an additional resource for equipping them with social competence with peers. Integrating the theory of Lloyd’s Adolescent Identity, Media, and Sociocognitive Schema (AIMSS) to an adolescent watching a music video, the analysis is thus: Watching the music video is likely to affect the adolescent’s social competence in the formation of his identity. While watching, he undergoes cognitive processes of identity exploration being exposed to the video. The video serves as a spring board for him to try out different possible “selves” while simultaneously thinking how his significant others would interpret the video and ascribe various meanings of the video through their eyes. An adolescent’s perception of significant others encompass his or her standing with peers, certain tensions in a school context, family dynamics and membership in a group (Lloyd, 2002). To illustrate the process of the development of sociocognitive schemas, a typical adolescent’s experience is analyzed. He, who may be in the “conformist stage” of ego development (Loevinger, 1990) watches a music video. He interacts with the video images like with that of any important “significant other”, seeing things in terms of social acceptance and belonging and cognitively associating behaviors with the group. Initially, he interacts with the medium cognitively and eventually, he determines the attitudes and behaviors observed in the video that are most valued within peer group culture he is most familiar with (Lloyd, 2002) . For Nicki, having a strong, straightforward and intimidating personality gained her the respect she craved in high school. This more than doubled when she started donning various personas that pleased her audience. Nicki’s music as her way of self-expression is very attractive to the youth. Lloyd (2002) suggests the probability of features depicted within music video entertainment such as fashion, language, decision making, risk-taking behaviors, character attitudes and relationships, may greatly influence the adolescent and his peer relationships. Adolescents have been known to prefer various kinds of loud music. However, heavy metal and rap music have been controversial in terms of the effect they have on children and the youth’s moral formation and have been targets in an ongoing moral crusade to protect children from musical turpitude (Epstein, 1994). Some have called it deviant music and claims it is the outcome of collective efforts to control public definitions and establish moral boundaries (Sanders, 1990). It is believed that music has the power to arouse strong emotions which may shape collective values and behaviors (Frith, 1981). This is why it has hyped in efforts to organize pro-social behaviors as well as criticized in efforts to regulate untoward activities (Bayles, 1994). Researchers have suggested that hip hop and rap music, rooted in Black culture can be tools through which Black youth may negotiate their identities to develop an authentic Black identity (Clay, 2003). They see the music as reflective of their lives and to assert that music relates to empowerment, cultural connection and positive identity development (Sullivan, 2003; Berry, 1994). Critics of hip hop and rap, however, have argued that Black youth may be very susceptible to the influences of hip hop role models who promise money, power and status to men who show disrespect for women (Squires, Kohn-Wood, Chavous & Carter, 2006). Mahiri and Conner’s (2003) ethnographic study of African American middle school students manifested resistance in the negative images emanating from rap and hiphop. Nicki manifested a desire to break away from this mould, creating music that was meant to empower instead of step on a person’s dignity. In her song “Dear Old Nicki” (Pink Friday, 2010), she showed awareness of how she was changing and her desire to hold on to something good within her that she knows she can count on: “And tell me that you coming back that you just to a break Maybe I blamed you for everything that was my mistake In hindsight I loved your rawness and I loved your edge Cuz it was you who talked me down from jumpin off the ledge Your earings bamboo, your long nails too Your BMW everytime you came through You was the braveheart You stole Wayne’s heart You never switched it up You played the same part But I needed to grow And I needed to know What there were somethings inside of me that I need to show So I just deaded you Left you in all black But dear old Nicki Please call back” It was evident from the lyrics that Nicki longed for the wholesomeness of her old self as she began her journey as a successful rap artist who developed new personas to get her through her fame. To her, such goodness was something everyone could emulate. The use of rap and hiphop images related to social and gender roles as a point of reference from which participants could verbally evaluate, compare and contrast their own beliefs and attitudes. Adolescents in the study of Squires, Kohn-Wood, Chavous & Carter (2006) believed that certain women can be “nasty” and may “choose” to be abused, and that abusive men may be products of their environment. Still, they showed dissatisfaction with the representations of Black men and women in hip hop. Their criticisms revolved around women’s individual behavior and style and how outsiders might stereotype Black men as thugs for emulating hiphop fashion. Such perceptions of gender roles based on hiphop seemed to extend to the participants’ evaluations of women’s and men’s responsibility and choices with regards to real world sexual aggression and violence (Squires, Kohn-Wood, Chavous & Carter, 2006). In Nicki’s “Autobiography” song, though, she presents the situation of the ill consequences of irresponsible sex and the remorse one can feel due to the death of the unborn child perhaps due to abortion or not being careful with the pregnancy: “Please baby forgive me.(forgive me) Mommy was young, mommy was too busy tryng to have fun. But now i pat myself on the back, for sending you back, cause God knows i was better than that. To conceive you then leave you, the concept alone seems evil i'm trapped in my conscious. I adhere to the nonsense listening to people who told me i wasn't ready for you. But how the fuck would they know what I was ready to do? And of course it wasn't your fault, I could feel you in the air, I hear you saying "Mommy don't cry can't you see I’m right here?" I gotta let you know what you mean to me. When I'm asleep, I could see you in my dreams with me. Wish I could touch your little face and hold ya little hand if it's part of God's plan maybe we can meet again. The lyrics still show that even “nasty” female artists have heart and are capable of caring for another human being. Nicki was unafraid to show this in her songs. Her vulnerability may be exposed but the personas she puts on may ironically cancel out the sincerity of her words. Strengths and Weaknesses of Nicki Minaj From the foregoing discussion, Nicki’s painful childhood experiences strengthened her as she built a shield around herself to protect her from further harm. She developed a courage and strength that children in sheltered homes may find difficult to achieve. Nicki needed to fend for herself. It became part of her nature to also defend people whom she thinks are being abused, much like her mother who was helpless under the violent attacks of her father. If a friend of hers was having a problem with another girl, Nicki will step in to intervene and try to mediate them, but if the other party provokes her, she is not one to back out, but instead, fight back with all her might for her friend (O’Connor, 2010). In her interviews about her past, she shows much of the anger left over from her childhood, which has made her strong to face whatever challenges that come her way. Even if Nicki’s past was painful for her, she longs for the simple life she had and how she was when being a celebrity has not yet complicated her life. Conclusions If the Five Factor Model is to be used as the framework to analyze the personality of Nicki Minaj, it will look closely into the dimensions of her Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, Agreeableness, Extraversion and Openness (Costa & McCrae, 1992; Digman, 1990). From the foregoing discussion, Nicki’s Conscientiousness was evident in the protection of her mother by empowering her to be stronger in standing up to an abusive husband. She worked hard to get where she is at, and was deadly serious in pursuing her ambitions. She did so, and at a very young age at that! Her emotional stability may be criticized by some as questionable, because she has the tendency to lash out on anyone that displeases her, but it can be attributable to the development of a volatile personality due to her exposure to her father’s temper at an early age. Being an artist with mood swings can also be one explanation for some of her supposed emotional instability. The environment and pressure she moves with can cause her to be cranky at times and it is unfortunate that some people catch her at a bad time. Her agreeableness is usually manifested with her adoring fans whom she treats very well especially the young girls who look up to her. These are the people she wants to empower to be strong women who must trust that they can go far and be successful. Nicki’s extraversion is manifested in her confidence in dealing with others. Being able to work with the big names in the industry takes much self-esteem and strong personality. Finally, her openness to new things is seen in her creativity and boldness to experiment on her own image. Nicki’s painful past as a child of a violent, drug-addicted father may have caused some emotional damage in her that she tries to heal with her music. She badly needs an outlet to express herself or else she might just implode. She has learned to sublimate her frustrations into creative diversions that actually bring her success even if she often finds herself in a dilemma of doing what she thinks is right or what is required of her to pursue her dreams. Nicki Minaj is blessed with intelligence and talent, not to mention, exceptional beauty. Young as she is, she has already achieved much. Adored, idolized, emulated, desired… it does not seem to be enough for her as long as she does not feel the love she lost from her own father. Until she accepts that she is worthy of love and move on from her past hurts, she will always be seeking true happiness beyond the success she achieves. Once she finds it, she might not need to hide from the personas she carefully crafts to hide her true self. Finally, she emerges as herself… as the original Onika Tanya Maraj. References Anderson, E. 1999.Code of the Street: Decency, Violence, and the Moral Life of the Inner City.New York: W. W. Norton and Company. Bayles, M. 1994. Hole In Our Soul: The Loss of Beauty and Meaning in American Popular Music. New York : Free Press. BioTrueStory (2013) Nicki Minaj. Retrieved on May 15, 2013 from http://www.biography.com/people/nicki-minaj-579574? Bretthauer, B., Zimmerman, T.S., Banning, J.H. 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(2012) A guide to the many personalities of Nicki Minaj. Retrieved on May 12, 2013 from http://www.papermag.com/2012/04/a_guide_to_the_many_personalities_of_nicki _minaj.php Songs.com (n.d.) Nicki Minaj. Retrieved on May 17 2013 from http://www.artistfacts.com/detail.php?id=2097 Squires, C.R., Kohn-Wood, L.P. Chavous, T. Carter, P.L. (2006) Evaluating Agency and Responsibility in Gendered Violence: African American Youth Talk About Violence and Hip Hop Sex Roles (2006) 55:725–737 Read More