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Los Angeles - Nicki Minaj wanted to "kill" her father when she was growing up.
The rapper's dad Omar had problems with alcohol and drugs - once even burning their house down while Nicki was growing up in New York - which made her fear for her mother, Nina's, life.
She told TV show Nightline: "I wanted to kill him. I used to wish he was dead.
"We were afraid for my mother's life, because whenever he would have a real bad outburst he would threaten to kill her."
'Tone down the sexiness'
Nicki's mother and father - who moved the family, which also includes her brother Brandon and sister Maya, to New York from Trinidad when she was five - are still together, but his actions have had a lasting effect on his daughter's attitude to men.
She added: "You know, when you see your mother going through that you think, 'I'll never do that when I get older.' I always put my foot down with men. I let them know, 'I'm not going to submit to you."'
Nicki is famed for wearing neon make-up, bright colours and daring costumes, and also talked on the show about how she wants her image to be about more than just being sexy.
The 29-year-old star - who has confessed to having an obsession with Barbie dolls - explained: "When I was growing up, all the female rappers spoke about sex a lot.
"I thought that to have the success they got, I would have to represent the same thing.
"I thought you had to look sexy - but it's boring.
"I made a conscious decision to try to tone down the sexiness. I want people, especially young girls, to know that in life, nothing is going to be based on sex appeal alone. You've got to have something else to go with that."
The rapper's dad Omar had problems with alcohol and drugs - once even burning their house down while Nicki was growing up in New York - which made her fear for her mother, Nina's, life.
She told TV show Nightline: "I wanted to kill him. I used to wish he was dead.
"We were afraid for my mother's life, because whenever he would have a real bad outburst he would threaten to kill her."
'Tone down the sexiness'
Nicki's mother and father - who moved the family, which also includes her brother Brandon and sister Maya, to New York from Trinidad when she was five - are still together, but his actions have had a lasting effect on his daughter's attitude to men.
She added: "You know, when you see your mother going through that you think, 'I'll never do that when I get older.' I always put my foot down with men. I let them know, 'I'm not going to submit to you."'
Nicki is famed for wearing neon make-up, bright colours and daring costumes, and also talked on the show about how she wants her image to be about more than just being sexy.
The 29-year-old star - who has confessed to having an obsession with Barbie dolls - explained: "When I was growing up, all the female rappers spoke about sex a lot.
"I thought that to have the success they got, I would have to represent the same thing.
"I thought you had to look sexy - but it's boring.
"I made a conscious decision to try to tone down the sexiness. I want people, especially young girls, to know that in life, nothing is going to be based on sex appeal alone. You've got to have something else to go with that."
