Nicki Minaj Does Adele Impression and Bows Down to Unforgettable Video of Singer Rapping “Monster” Verse

Nicki Minaj took over the Late Late Show with James Corden on Thursday, and she finally repaid the favor to Adele after the singer rapped her iconic “Monster” verse for a “Carpool Karaoke” segment in 2016.

The “Do We Have a Problem?” artist shared a desk with Corden, directly addressing the audience before sitting down for a more traditional couch interview. When the topic of Adele’s viral moment arrived, Nicki reflected, “First of all, It’s Adele. Second of all, it’s ‘Monster.’ You guys made such an amazing freaking tag team, by the way.”

After they showed a clip of the moment, Minaj continued, "I never got to tell you that—that made my day, my year. I probably got a thousand phone calls about that one thing.”

Since Adele delivered an impressive impersonation, Corden asked Nicki if she had an impression of the “Easy on Me” singer-songwriter.

“Alright, in order for me to channel Adele, I sort of have to think like a Black lady in London, right?" Nicki said, effortlessly slipping into Adele’s North London accent. “Because the thing is, normally, everybody knows my British accent is sort of like a posh white lady, a rich white lady, right? But with Adele, I sort of have to, like, transform, like she might have used to sell crack. Like maybe she used to be hustling, like nickels and dimes in the hood, and then she got her big break. That’s what I see when I see her, like she’s always…it’s so expressive, right?”

Before that, Nicki opened the episode by talking with the crew, including bandleader Reggie Watts. Less than two minutes in, Corden interrupted her hosting gig to playfully express his frustration. When it was clear there wasn’t space for both of them, the desk magically extended so they could both go through the news. They briefly spoke about Rudy Giuliani’s appearance on The Masked Singer, and the former American Idol judge said she “thinks” she’s been asked to be on the show before.

Watch Nicki Minaj on Corden above and in one more clip, below, where she discusses the changes motherhood has brought into her life.

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