Nicki Minaj is known for her outrageous looks. Wild fashions, multicolored wigs and a propensity for nudity, have all been mainstays of the female MC, but with a new album coming out, she’s decided to take things in a different direction. In an interview and accompanying photo shoot in GQ, Minaj describes how she plans to “shock the world” yet again.

“I always thought that by the time I put out a third album, I would want to come back to natural hair and natural makeup,” said Minaj. “I thought, I will shock the world again and just be more toned down. I thought that would be more shocking than to keep on doing exactly what they had already seen.”

Her next album, The Pinkprint, is a follow-up to her two previous hit records, Pink Friday and Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, and it has her toning down her image despite what some would call a racy video for the single Anaconda. But even with all of her provocative dancing and a minimal amount of clothing, the 31-year-old rapper doesn’t see what the big deal is about.

“I think the video is about what girls do,” explained Minaj. “Girls love being with other girls, and when you go back to us being younger, we would have slumber parties and we’d be dancing with our friends.”

She goes on to describe how the video isn’t about being risque, but instead it promotes female empowerment, “It’s always about the female taking back the power, and if you want to be flirty and funny that’s fine, but always keeping the power and the control in everything.”

Even with the video causing some controversy, Minaj prefers the new toned-down image that she has been able to project with total confidence.

“I kind of feel now that I look more like my regular old self, like what I look like when I’m at home,” said Minaj. “I think there’s just a little bit more confidence and so I’m like, ‘It is what it is. I am who I am. I look like what I look like.’ I don’t really have to change much of it anymore.”