Madonna Talks About Her Rape

Madonna revealed in an essay she wrote for Harper’s Bazaar that as a young women first coming to NYC, she was raped at knifepoint. Definitely a different tone from her AMA with Reddit. She mentions it almost casually, almost as a throwaway, in between talking about what it means to be a “REAL” artist and how tall the buildings in NYC are. Her story sounds absolutely horrifying. From Harper’s Bazaar:

New York wasn’t everything I thought it would be. It did not welcome me with open arms. The first year, I was held up at gunpoint. Raped on the roof of a building I was dragged up to with a knife in my back, and had my apartment broken into three times. I don’t know why; I had nothing of value after they took my radio the first time.

After mentioning the “tall buildings” and “sizzling-hot sidewalks” Madonna admits to being afraid, saying,

… I felt like a warrior plunging my way through the crowds to survive. Blood pumping through my veins, I was poised for survival. I felt alive.

But I was also scared shitless and freaked out by the smell of piss and vomit everywhere, especially in the entryway of my third-floor walk-up.

From what I’ve read, NYC in the early ’80s was a scary time. I think she made it “thought the wilderness”, through. Call me crazy but that Madonna, I think she’s really going places.