NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 12: Nicki Minaj attends the Marc Jacobs Fall 2020 runway show during New York Fashion Week on February 12, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Marc Jacobs)
<p>Losing a parent is never easy, and <strong>Nicki Minaj</strong> would know all about that. In a new interview with Apple Music&#8217;s <strong>Ebro Darden</strong>, released on Thursday, January 4, the rapper touched on how the death of her father, <strong>Robert Maraj</strong>, influenced the direction she wanted to take with her new album, &#8216;Pink Friday 2.&#8217;</p>
<p>A hit-and-run car accident tragically killed Robert in Long Island, New York, in February 2021. Paramedics rushed him to a nearby hospital, where he eventually succumbed to his injuries. Robert was 64, per <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/14/arts/nicki-minaj-father-dead-robert-maraj.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times</a>.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Nicki Minaj Talks About Her Father&#8217;s Passing</h3>
<p>During her sitdown with Ebro, the &#8216;Hard White&#8217; artist recalled her last conversation with her dad, just days before his death.</p>
<p>Minaj explained that her father had plans to fly out to Los Angeles to help out with her son, Papa Bear. The coronavirus pandemic&#8217;s flight restrictions had prevented Robert from seeing his grandson earlier.</p>
<p>But when flying became safe again, Robert desired to reunite with his daughter and meet her bundle of joy for the first time.</p>
<p>While holding her son, Minaj recounted her phone ringing &#8211; it was her dad.</p>
<p><strong>&#8220;I normally would not have picked up because I don&#8217;t like to be on the phone with the baby there. I would&#8217;ve called him back. Something said, ‘Pick up the phone,'&#8221;</strong> she explained.</p>
<p>When she picked up his call, Robert asked if he could take a flight to see her and the baby, to which Minaj responded with a resounding yes.</p>
<p>She welcomed Papa Bear just a few months prior, and he was already proving himself to be quite the handful.</p>
<p>So, naturally, Minaj didn&#8217;t hesitate at the thought of her parent coming out to offer her some assistance with her son, which was sure to relieve some stress for the new mom.</p>
<p>She was also quick to agree with the idea of her &#8220;amazing&#8221; dad coming out to Los Angeles, given that his energy had been infectious to the point where he &#8220;livens up the whole house.&#8221;</p>
<p>The father-daughter duo hadn&#8217;t always maintained good terms. Minaj had previously detailed how her father&#8217;s addiction problems had impacted the family. However, she pointed out that their relationship had improved significantly before his death.</p>
<p><strong>&#8220;Yes, we were going to get help,'&#8221;</strong> she remembered thinking.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Nicki&#8217;s Dad Never Got To Meet Papa Bear</h3>
<p>That same night, however, Minaj received some devastating news. Robert had been involved in a severe car accident.</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;It was my mother telling me that my father was in an accident and, that she didn&#8217;t know what was going to happen and she would call me back. And then, everything started spinning,&#8221; she said.</p></blockquote>
<p>Understandably, the news of Robert&#8217;s accident left Minaj shell-shocked since she had just spoken to her dad and planned for his arrival in the upcoming days.</p>
<p>It was equally heartbreaking to hear about Robert&#8217;s accident since he had been the happiest she&#8217;d heard him in a while. Minaj would later learn that her father had passed away.</p>
<p>She had already started working on her album when she made the decision to compose a song titled &#8216;Are You Gone Already.&#8217;</p>
<p>The Queen of Rap dedicated this sentimental track to her father, with the intent that it would serve as the opening track on &#8216;Pink Friday 2.&#8217;</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;I call my son Papa Bear. So I&#8217;m telling my father, &#8216;You never got to meet Papa.&#8217; And then, I begin to explain the time from my mother first calling me, telling me he was in an accident, to her calling me, telling me that he didn&#8217;t make it.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<p>Check out additional moments from Nicki&#8217;s sitdown with Ebro below.</p>
<p><amp-instagram data-shortcode="C1suWwrvYkp" layout="responsive" width="600" height="600" data-captioned></amp-instagram></p>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><strong>RELATED: <a href="https://dev.theshaderoom.com/nicki-minaj-rihanna-pink-friday-2-deluxe-feature-reactions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Issa Repeat Treat!? Nicki Minaj Suggests Rihanna Will Be Featured On ‘Pink Friday 2’ Deluxe</a></strong></h5>
 <div class="wpra-reactions-wrap wpra-plugin-container" style="justify-content: center;;"> <div class="wpra-reactions-container" data-ver="1.3.10" data-post_id="155413" data-show_count="true" data-enable_share="onclick" data-behavior="regular" data-animation="true" data-share_url="https://dev.theshaderoom.com/nicki-minaj-robert-maraj-death-pink-friday-2-family-apple-music/" data-secure="460cd1126b"> <div class="wpra-call-to-action" style="color: #000000;font-size: 25px;font-weight: 600;">What Do You Think Roomies?</div> <div class="wpra-reactions wpra-static-emojis size-medium" style="border-color: #ffffff;border-width: 0px;border-radius: 50px;border-style: solid;background: #ffffff;">					<div class="emoji-8 wpra-reaction wpra-pad-fix" data-count="" data-emoji_id="8"> <div class="wpra-plus-one">+1</div>	 <div style="background-color: #ff0015" class="wpra-arrow-badge arrow-bottom-left hide-count"> <span style="border-top-color: #ff0015" class="tail"></span> <span style="color: #ffffff" class="count-num">0</span> </div>	</div><div class="emoji-10 wpra-reaction wpra-pad-fix" data-count="" data-emoji_id="10"> <div class="wpra-plus-one">+1</div>	 <div style="background-color: #ff0015" class="wpra-arrow-badge arrow-bottom-left hide-count"> <span style="border-top-color: #ff0015" class="tail"></span> <span style="color: #ffffff" class="count-num">0</span> </div>	</div><div class="emoji-4 wpra-reaction" data-count="" data-emoji_id="4"> <div class="wpra-plus-one">+1</div>	 <div style="background-color: #ff0015" class="wpra-arrow-badge arrow-bottom-left hide-count"> <span style="border-top-color: #ff0015" class="tail"></span> <span style="color: #ffffff" class="count-num">0</span> </div>	</div><div class="emoji-5 wpra-reaction" data-count="" data-emoji_id="5"> <div class="wpra-plus-one">+1</div>	 <div style="background-color: #ff0015" class="wpra-arrow-badge arrow-bottom-left hide-count"> <span style="border-top-color: #ff0015" class="tail"></span> <span style="color: #ffffff" class="count-num">0</span> </div>	</div><div class="emoji-2 wpra-reaction" data-count="" data-emoji_id="2"> <div class="wpra-plus-one">+1</div>	 <div style="background-color: #ff0015" class="wpra-arrow-badge arrow-bottom-left hide-count"> <span style="border-top-color: #ff0015" class="tail"></span> <span style="color: #ffffff" class="count-num">0</span> </div>	</div><div class="emoji-7 wpra-reaction" data-count="" data-emoji_id="7"> <div class="wpra-plus-one">+1</div>	 <div style="background-color: #ff0015" class="wpra-arrow-badge arrow-bottom-left hide-count"> <span style="border-top-color: #ff0015" class="tail"></span> <span style="color: #ffffff" class="count-num">0</span> </div>	</div><div class="emoji-12 wpra-reaction" data-count="" data-emoji_id="12"> <div class="wpra-plus-one">+1</div>	 <div style="background-color: #ff0015" class="wpra-arrow-badge arrow-bottom-left hide-count"> <span style="border-top-color: #ff0015" class="tail"></span> <span style="color: #ffffff" class="count-num">0</span> </div>	</div> </div> <div class="wpra-share-wrap wpra-share-buttons-bordered" style="">				 </div> <!-- end of share buttons -->			 </div> <!-- end of reactions container --> </div> <!-- end of reactions wrap -->		
