While G Herbo has been receiving many flowers following the release of his new album 25, he’s also been dishing plenty out as well. In a new interview with Elliot Wilson and Tidal, Herbo talked about his first splash in rap, and how pivotal Nicki Minaj was to his subsequent success.
“Definitely shout out to Nicki for that,” Herbo said of his 2014 “Chi-Raq” collaboration with Minaj. “That was like my first big break, you know what I’m saying? And that just go to tell you how long I’ve been just trying to get on that path of stardom.”
Herb went on to explain how that track was a huge confidence booster for him because it proved he could rap toe-to-toe with Minaj, someone he views as an incredible artist.
“Nicki a female MC but she still like, the hardest ever,” he said. “And she harder than a lot of male MCs. For me to be able to get on a track with her and hold my own, it just gave me confidence to keep going.”
Herbo said something similar on Complex Brackets, explaining how pivotal “Chi-Raq” was for his career after Nicki contacted him.
“Nicki reached out to me when I was a kid, and it was at a point in my career at a time when I didn’t have confidence to become a real star,” he said. “I was just in the streets, rapping and thuggin’, I was on my block every day. She called me and flew me out to Chicago and showed me it was really possible.”
Nicki saw the respect Herb paid her and responded with a heart on Twitter:
Herb emphasized how Nicki also put him in rooms with huge acts like Drake and Lil Wayne, and it reaffirmed to him that he was meant to be a rapper.
Watch the full episode of Complex Brackets down below.
