Nicki Minaj Says It Takes 'Guts,' 'Heart' to Compete on 'American Idol' (Video)

Moments after Nicki Minaj took the American Idol stage on Thursday -- and sassed judge Jennifer Lopez from yards away -- the rapper and pop star stopped to talk to THR special correspondent and Idol season 9 alum Didi Benami about television competition shows.

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Asked if she was starting out today, would she try out for Idol, X Factor or The Voice, the "Super Bass" singer said matter-of-factly, "No, I wouldn't. It's very very difficult to be picked apart. I have to give it to the people that do these shows -- it takes a lot of heart, it takes guts, that rejection thing is heavy."

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And since she was catapulted to fame on her own (with a big assist from Lil Wayne), how will she quantify success of her second studio album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, which is scheduled for release on April 3?

Says Minaj: "I'm blessed to put out an album that is not one-dimensional. I'm not boxed in, the world has given me the opportunity to express myself in lots of different genres of music. ...  I'm truly showing myself, as oppose to feeling I have to do this because someone says I have to do this. That's how I measure success."

Watch more of her interview with The Hollywood Reporter in the video above.

Twitter: @Idol_Worship