Nicki Minaj has revealed that she is still not a U.S. citizen, despite having paid millions in taxes over the years.
The Young Money rapper spoke about her nationality during a conversation with a fan on TikTok LIVE, and seemed to be irked by the fact that the U.S. government has yet to make her an honorary citizen, considering her huge financial contributions to the country.
“I’m not a citizen of America. Isn’t that crazy?” she said, before clarifying that she is still a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago, where she was born.
“I was born on a beautiful island called Trinidad and Tobago. But I’ve been in the States for many years. You would think that with the millions of dollars that I’ve paid in taxes to this country that I would have been given an honorary citizenship many, many, many thousands of years ago.”
Nicki Minaj previously opened up about her immigrant background and journey to the U.S. in a powerful message about immigrant rights in 2018.
Responding to migrant children being separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexican border under the Donald Trump administration, she wrote on Instagram: “I came to this country as an illegal immigrant at 5 years old. I can’t imagine the horror of being in a strange place and having my parents stripped away from me at the age of 5.
“This is so scary to me. Please stop this. Can you try to imagine the terror & panic these kids feel right now? Not knowing if their parents are dead or alive, if they’ll ever see them again… ”
The “Super Freaky Girl” star has long been proud of her Trinidadian roots and represented her native country last year when she appeared on fellow Trinidadians Machel Montano and Destra’s “Shake The Place (Remix).”
“Trinidad my country, the greatest carnival of all time,” Nicki said at the beginning of the track before rapping: “I’m reppin’ that red, that white, that black/ I’m reppin’ my real flag.”
Nicki later performed the song at the annual Trinidad and Tobago Carnival and wrote on Instagram: “wish my grandmother was alive to see this. Wish daddy was alive to see this.”