Rapper Nicki Minaj chooses to defy her father's wishes to keep his past as an abusive husband under wraps, because she hopes speaking out about her childhood fears will deter other dads from acting "crazy".
The Your Love hitmaker, who was born in Trinidad and moved to New York when she was five, admits she was driven to succeed following her painful upbringing because she wanted to save her mum from the beatings she would suffer at the hands of her father, who battled drug addiction.
She tells Rolling Stone magazine, "When I first came to America, I would go in my room and kneel down at the foot of my bed and pray that god would make me rich so I could take care of my mother."
Minaj, whose parents are still together, confesses her dad never wanted the star to discuss that part of her childhood now he's got his life back on track, but she insists on sharing her story because she wants to warn other parents about the consequences of their actions.
She says, "It's the price you pay when you abuse drugs and alcohol. Maybe one day your daughter will be famous and talk to every magazine about it, so think about that, dads out there who want to be crazy."