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Nicki Minaj says she just wants to be remembered.

For this 26-year old hip hop star, though, the only memory she has of her childhood is one in which she worried about the actions of her drug-addicted father.

“All of my young and teenage early years, we lived in fear that my mother would be killed by my father,” Minaj told The Sun this week. “It was ridiculous. It made me act out to guys and be evil to them when I was growing up.”

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Saying the experience made her “tough,” Nicki describes her father as “violent, physically and verbally.” Things only improved when her brother grew up and stood up to their dad.

“I will cry about something, but I never let anything stop me,” Minaj says of how her childhood has shaped her. “I can’t be like my mom. I know I can cut ties and still make it. She didn’t cut ties when I felt like she should have.”

While critics take issue with Minaj’s attitude, she only cares about those on Twitter who have thanked her for telling her story and giving them hope that they can also overcome obstacles. She says:

“That makes me feel good. If these girls walk around thinking they are the baddest thing on the planet, I am happy. That’s my manifesto. That’s my mission statement.”