Eve Reveals How Nicki Minaj Earned Her “Respect” By Starring In “Barbershop”

Eve says that she expected to resent Nicki Minaj after she was cast alongside her in the film, Barbershop: The Next Cut, in 2016. Reflecting on the experience in her new memoir, Who’s That Girl, Eve explained that she ended up gaining “respect” for the Pink Friday 2 rapper.

“I’ve lived through what happens when women project their own insecurities onto other women,” Eve said, as caught by The Neighborhood Talk. “It happened at the start of my career and continued in waves as my fame grew. I wasn’t going to be that woman to someone else, but in order to do that, I had to physically and mentally prepare myself … Nicki and I were actually fine on set. We got along well and shot our 1scenes together with no problems. It was nothing like what I had expected, but again, I am thankful that I prepared myself for it.”

She continued: “I’d see her writing songs on her bus in between takes, hurrying off set to go hit some show dates over the weekend and then come right back on set for these twelve-to-sixteen-hour shoots, all while trying to hold together her personal life and her relationship. It was at that moment that I didn’t envy her, and I kind of wanted to give her a hug. I thought I was going to resent her, and really all I felt was compassion. I remembered being that person, the girl who felt like she had to do it all. The girl who was pressured to do it all, because it was all eyes on her. Instead of feeling insecure around Nicki, I started to sympathize with her”

It’s not the first time Eve has made headlines for her memoir. She also caused controversy for JAY-Z after recalling him warning her about the difficulty of selling albums as a female rapper. Eve later clarified that her story was being misconstrued and didn’t have an issue with what JAY said. Be on the lookout for further updates on Eve and Nicki Minaj on HotNewHipHop.