In a recent interview with Billboard, Nicki Minaj admitted being "maybe too involved" with the forthcoming show Nicki, based on the rapper's pre-fame life. "I found one girl who I’m obsessed with who might play me," Minaj said at the time, "and someone who could rival her. So I’ve been coaching them both. I do a beat, let them rap. I do little dances with them. It has been magical… I narrate this show, like Chris Rock narrates Everybody Hates Chris. It was little differences that made that show stand out. I want to have those nuances. My first day, I said to the casting director: 'This will not be a clichéd black show.'"
Today the star took to Instagram to share the final cast list. Ariana Neal, who also acted in the acclaimed film Fruitvale Station, will play a young Minaj. Selita Ebanks, will star as Minaj's mother on the show, and previously appeared in Kanye West's "Runaway" movie. Whoopi Goldberg has also signed on to portray the rapper's next-door neighbor, and Minaj promised that she will make appearances as well.
In a second post, Minaj said that she "literally cried" while watching Neal's audition tape.
Check out the full cast announcement above and read our Nicki Minaj cover story.
