Relax, guys: Nicki Minaj is still waiting on THAT ring

Over the last year, Nicki Minaj has left Instagram, her faithful Barbz and (undoubtedly) Drake in shambles, teasing diamonds the size of a ’99 Chevy on THAT finger.

But, in the April issue of NYLON, the critically acclaimed rapper, producer and actress maintains she and her rapper boyfriend, Meek Mill, are (still) not engaged.

"He said that my third ring would be my engagement ring. But sometimes he calls me his fiancée, and I’m always trying to stop him, like, ‘Nope! I ain’t got that third ring yet!'" the cover star joked, adding, "We’re just taking it one step at a time. And, you know, if that happens, if I get married, then I’ll have a child, and that’ll be fun, because I can’t wait to hold my baby."

While Minaj shares the two are still learning each other, she says Meek emboldens her to be her unapologetic self:

"When he and I were 
just friends, he would always say, ‘You remind me of my mother, and I like that because you’re like a dude. You’re tough like a guy and you talk like a dude.’ So I always got the sense that me being tough and bossy was a turn-on for him. And it’s important for me to keep my voice. Being in a relationship shouldn’t mean that you lose your voice. Being in a relationship should mean that you’ve met a secure-enough man to allow you, in a sense, to remain a queen." 

And, as the self-proclaimed queen of rap, Minaj shed light on her plans to augment her empire. Currently, she's returning to her thespian roots  with Barbershop: The Next Cut ("I wanted there to be a little bit of depth to (my character)"); flexing her directorial chops with a forthcoming TV show based on her childhood; and reaffirming her standing in the hip-hop industry by working on a follow-up to 2014’s The Pinkprint.

Addressing the gap between projects, Minaj admits: "I needed time to hear myself think again because where I left off with The Pinkprint was a little bit emotionally unstable… Now, I want my happiness to be reflected in the new stuff."

Minaj’s signature bars will also be reflected in her ABC Family series, which stars newcomer Ariana Neal as an adolescent version of the multifarious artist. "I’ve never seen a little girl rapping on scripted TV," Minaj said of the original project, adding that she’s coaching Neal in the game so "that older people are gonna respect her as a little rapstress."

For more on Minaj, check out Nylon’s complete feature (available online now and on newsstands March 29).