Niki Minaj Biography

Hip-hop artist Nicki Minaj was featured in seven songs on Billboard's Hot 100 at the same time, even before the release of her debut album in 2010.
Born in 1982, famed hip-hop artist Nicki Minaj grew up with an abusive, drug-addicted father. After attending La Guardia High School for the Arts, she was introduced to rapper Lil Wayne, who launched her career. Her 2010 debut album, Pink Friday, and her single, "Your Love," topped the Billboard charts. A frequent "cameo" singer, Minaj's voice was featured in seven songs on Billboard's Hot 100 in 2010. In 2012, Minaj was announced as one of the new judges of the popular singing show American Idol twelfth season. She also released the hit album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded that same year.

Hip-hop artist and singer Nicki Minaj was born Onika Tanya Maraj on December 8, 1982, in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago, and moved with her family to Queens, New York, when she was 5 years old. Minaj's father was a severe drug addict with a long history of violence. At one point, he set fire to the family's home in a failed attempt to kill Minaj's mother. Those early struggles, Minaj has said, helped fuel her drive to rise above the life her parents knew. "I've always had this female-empowerment thing in the back of my mind," she told Details magazine, "because I wanted my mother to be stronger, and she couldn't be. I thought, 'If I'm successful, I can change her life.'"

To reach that point, however, the young Minaj developed personas for herself that would allow her to be a "new person." An early incarnation was someone she called "Cookie," then came "Harajuku Barbie," before finally settling on Nicki Minaj. "Fantasy was my reality," she has said. Minaj clearly had a knack for performance. At the age of 12, she authored her first rap, then went on to delve into acting at La Guardia High School of Music and Art, the school that inspired the movie Fame.

Determined to make it in the music business, Minaj took on backup singing roles for local New York City rappers. Soon, she began writing her own material. She was eventually discovered by Dirty Money CEO Fendi, who came across Minaj's MySpace page, loved what he heard, and immediately signed her to his label.

That connection led Minaj to Lil Wayne, who collaborated with her on a series of mix tapes, the first of which, Playtime is Over, was released in April 2007. The recording, and subsequent mixed tapes, showcased Minaj's female swagger and out-front style.

By early 2010, considerable anticipation had built up around Minaj's much discussed, much covered debut album, which was scheduled for release that fall. In April of that year, she released her first single, "Massive Attack." Two months later she won Best Hip-Hop Female at the annual BET Awards. She dedicated the award to Lil Wayne.

In March 2012, Minaj made a guest appearance on the popular television competition American Idol. She told singer Jennifer Lopez, then a judge on the show, to "scoot over a little bit" to make room for her at the judges' table. Rumors then flew of a feud between Minaj and Lopez, which Minaj later dismissed. Later that year, however, Minaj apparently got her wish when it announced as one of the newest cast members of American Idol. The singer signed on as part of the show's judging panel. It didn't take long before the fireworks began between her and fellow judge Mariah Carey. The pair seemed to take an instant dislike to each other, and openly feuded during the show's early auditions.

Television viewers got to see the two square off against each other once the show's twelfth season began airing in early 2013. Minaj and Carey got into an argument during auditions in Charlotte, North Carolina, with Minaj later storming off stage. Carey later claimed that Minaj threatened her with physical harm and decided to hire extra security as a result, according to the New York Daily News.

Minaj has also been critical of the show, tweeting that American Idol "is NOT a singing competition."

One of rap and dance music's rising stars, Minaj reached a national audience with her 2012 Super Bowl appearance. She performed alongside pop superstar Madonna in the game's popular halftime show. A short time later, Minaj released the album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded. The record proved to be a smash hit, reaching the top of the pop, R&B and rap charts. The infectious dance song, "Starships," was the first breakout single. "Pound the Alarm" soon followed and as did "Va Va Voom."

Later that same year, Minaj released a new version of her album entitled Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded—The Re-Up. "Freedom" was its first single and it proved enormously popular with her fans.

Hip-hop artist whose 2010 debut album, Pink Friday, went 4x platinum and had seven singles reach the Billboard's Hot 100 at the same time. Her follow up album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, was released in 2012.

She played the clarinet in middle school, and worked as a waitress at Red Lobster after her acting career failed to take off. She was fired from Red Lobster for being rude to customers, and worked as an office manager on Wall Street.

She has three brothers named Micaiah, Brandon and Jelani, her mother has worked as a Gospel Singer, and her father has worked for American Express. Her longtime relationship with producer Safaree Samuels ended in 2014. She then began dating rapper Meek Mill.
Born on December 8, 1984, Nicki Minaj is an Indo-Asian descent. She grew up in a troubled family with a father who was a drug addict. She studied singing and acting at LaGuardia High School but like many other big stars, she began her singing career as a backing vocalist for other artists.

Her talent was first spotted by Young Money CEO Fendi on MySpace and later was recruited for The Carter Edition of Young Money's "The Come Up" DVD series. Her rapping skill caught Lil Wayne's attention who later on tagged her for a number of collaborations in his mixtapes.

In April 2007, Nicki released her first mixtape "Playtime Is Over". Weezy lent his vocal on one of the songs. A year later, she dropped another mixtape "Sucka Free" which landed her as Female Artist of the Year at the Underground Music Awards.

After the arrival of her third mixtape "Beam Me Up Scotty" which received positive reviews from BET and MTV, she appeared in a bunch of joint tracks for studio albums from the likes of Ludacris, Usher, Mariah Carey and, of course, her mentor Weezy.

Nicki finally released her debut single "Massive Attack" in March 2010. She teams up with Sean Garrett on the hook and tags her BFF Amber Rose aka Kanye West's girlfriend when shooting the music video.

The singles "Your Love" and "Check It Out" then preceded the release of her official debut album, "Pink Friday", which was released later in 2010. It peaked at No. 2 on Billboard 200 and went platinum. She earned a handful of 2011 Grammy nominations, including Best New Artist, Best Rap Album, and Best Rap Performance.

In early 2012, she released "Starships" as the first offering from her sophomore effort, "Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded", an album built around her devil-may-care alter ego "Roman Zolanski." Boasting guest appearances from Nas, Wayne, Rick Ross, Chris Brown and Beenie Man, the album hit No. 1 on the U.S. album charts. In addition to "Starships", the album spawned other hits like "Pound the Alarm" and "Va Va Voom" which reached the Hot 100's top 40. By the end of 2012, Minaj was announced as a judge for the twelfth season of "American Idol", although she left at the end of the season.

In 2013, Minaj announced that she would be releasing a new album in 2014. "Lookin A**" was released in March ..2014 as the first single off the album which was later titled "The Pinkprint". "Pills N Potions" was released a few weeks later as the second single. However, the biggest hit from the album is so far the third single, "Anaconda". Featuring a sample of Sir Mix-a-Lot's 1992 hit "Baby's Got Back", the ode to booty spawned a twerk-filled music video that eventually became the most-viewed clip on YouTube in 24 hours period. The song itself peaked at No. 2 on Hot 100. "The Pinkprint" album is coming out on December 15.

Nicki Minaj , born with the name Onika Maraj is a famous rapper with a special style, mysterious background, and multiple personalities. Her tremendous achievement in rapping has earned her a very popular reputation. But before becoming popular, she was singing mix tapes on Jamaica Avenue in Queens, N.Y. Then in 2009 she signed with the very popular Young Money crew. Ever since then, she worked with other well-known artists such as Jay-Z, Trey Songz, and Mariah Carey. "She came fully loaded: witty rhymes, superhero sex appeal, the ultimate come-up story and a tough exterior that morphs into a sassy, street-smart bombshell who calls herself the Harajuku Barbie."  In the wink of an eye, she is going down in history as the first female rapper to have seven songs in the Hot 100 in the same year.

In the very beginning, before Nicki even moved to New York, she was bring raised in Trinidad and Tobago by her grandmother while her parents moved to America looking for a new life for the family. Since the family originally came from Trinidad, it would have been very hard for the mother to bring such a young child with her while she searched for places to live. She was only about 5 years old when her mother left. Eventually though, Nicki's mother came back for her.  
    "A lot of times when you're from the Islands, your parents leave and then send for you because it's easier when they have established themselves; when they have a place to stay; when they have a job. I thought it was going to be for a few days, it turned into two years without my mother...(When i went to New York) I thought it was gonna be like a castle. Like white picket fence, like a fairytale. I got off the plane and it was cold. I remember the smell. I could always remember the smell when i got out of the airport of the snow, and i had never seen snow. I remember the house. I remember that the furniture wasn't put down. It was, like, piled up on each other, and i didn't understand why, 'cause i thought it was gonna look like a big castle."
     Soon after Onika arrived in Queens New York, Her father would fall victim to crack.
    "All of my young and teenage years we lived in fear that my mother would be killed by my father. It was ridiculous. My father was violent- physically and verbally."
    One night, when Nicki was younger, her father burned her home to the ground. The night before the fire was set, her mother had a vision about it so she sent Nicki and her brother to sleep at a friend's house. That night, Onika’s mother would escape the house just in time. Nicki says, "He did burn the house down. It wasn't an attempt, he did! My mother was in the house and she had to run out at the last minute."
    A major turning point for this rap sensation was when her mother passed away in 2003.

When Nicki Minaj was a child, she was continuously around her parents fighting. To get away from all the problems, she would create people or "characters" in her mind and live her life through them.
     "(t)o get away from all their fighting, I would imagine being a new person. “Cookie" was my first identity--that stayed with me for a while. I went on to 'Harajuku Barbie', then 'Nicki Minaj'. Fantasy was my reality." So as you probably know by now, Nicki Minaj is her stage name and she portrays herself as a barbie to the public. That is also one of her personalities.
    "For her debut album, Minaj created another alter-ego named "Roman Zolanski".[45] She stated that in songs like "Bottoms Up" with Trey Songz it is not Nicki rapping, but instead Roman Zolanski, and claims that Roman is her "twin sister". She claims that she was born inside her, out of rage, and becomes her when she is angry. She has also said 'She is a demon inside her'. Roman has been compared to Eminem's alter ego Slim Shady, and on the song "Roman's Revenge" from Pink Friday, Minaj and Eminem collaborate, using these alter egos.[46] Roman also has a "mother" called "Martha Zolanski"[47], who also appeared on the song Roman's Revenge, with a British accent. [48] Martha appears in the video for "Moment 4 Life" where she appears to be Nicki's magical Godmother. In songs such as "All I Do Is Win (Remix)" it is Nicki rapping.[45] Minaj stated that on her debut album, fans will get to "meet" Nicki, Roman and Onika.[45]
    On November 18, 2010 Nicki Minaj assumed a different alter-ego named "Nicki Teresa".[49] Wearing a colorful scarf around her head, she went around as the "healer to her fans" as she visited them at The Garden of Dreams Foundation at Fuse studios in New York City.[49] Minaj made an appearance on Lopez Tonight on December 6, 2010 and presented a different alter-ego for the Spanish-inspired occasion, named "Rosa" (pronounced Rrrrrosa).[50]"
    When she is Onika (her original self) she is toned-down. Then, she switches to the energetic Nicki and then to her stormy alter ego, Roman Zolanski. She also talks in British and Jamaican accents, and makes animal-like growls. She calls herself Barbie because it is one of her multiple personalities along with Onika, Nicki, Roman and just invented the Vintage Nicki.
    “What makes Minaj stand out, besides her supply of gaudy Lil Kim wigs and burlesque outfits, is her endless closet of characters: in one song alone, she’s Jamaican, then she’s Queens. Not to mention, childlike, gangster, valley girl.”
    The  "Harajuku Barbie" is also one of her many personalities. Not only this, but i learned that she calls all of her fans "my Barbies".
    "But with that cult following has come an equal share of non-believers who worry that her self-styled 'Harajuku Barbie' image and reliance on sex appeal only reinforce the hip-hop patriarchy. And as the former acting student keeps creating new characters in each song, many wonder who the real Nicki Minaj even is."

Bibliography WELTEROTH, ELAINE. "NICKI MINAJ : Crushes the Competition." Ebony 66, no. 2/3 (December 2010): 96. Middle Search Plus, EBSCOhost (accessed March 4, 2011).

Concepcion, Mariel. "Darling Nicki: three years after being discovered by Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj--who drops her long-awaited debut album later this month-breathes life into the dying female MC game and proves she can play with the big boys." Billboard 20 Nov. 2010: 20+. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 8 March 2011.

"MINAJ'S TEARS FOR LATE GRANDMOTHER." World Entertainment News Network 23 Nov. 2010. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 9 March 2011.


"MINAJ'S PROTECTIVE BROTHER BROUGHT PEACE TO TROUBLED CHILDHOOD." World Entertainment News Network 26 Jan. 2011. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 9 March 2011.

"MINAJ'S DAD BURNED FAMILY HOME TO THE GROUND." World Entertainment News Network 17 Nov. 2010. Gale Biography In Context. Web. March 2011.

Montagne, Renee. "Pop Personae: Why Do Some Women Perform in Character?" Points of View Reference Center. EBSCO, 12 Aug. 2010. Web. Mar. 2011.

2011, Southwest. "Nicki Minaj: Beneath The Bravado : NPR." NPR : National Public Radio


Nicki Minaj Pictures – Free Listening, Videos, Concerts, Stats, & Pictures at Last.fm." Last.fm - Listen to Free Music with Internet Radio and the Largest Music Catalogue Online. Web. 03 Apr. 2011. <http://www.last.fm/music/Nicki Minaj/ images/55867279>.

"Rap-Up.com || Album Cover: Young Money – ‘We Are Young Money’." Rap-Up.com || Hip-Hop and R&B Music, News, Photos, Interviews, & Videos. Web. 03 Apr. 2011. <http://www.rap-up.com/2009/11/24/album-cover-young-money-we-are-young-money/>.

"Fashion No No’s." Fash Life | Celebrity Fashion For Less. Web. 03 Apr. 2011. <http://fashlife.com/category/fashion-2/fashion-no-nos/>.

"Nicki Minaj’s High School Photo | Rapper Drake Fansite." Rapper Drake Fansite | Drake & Young Money News, Music, Pictures, Videos, Lyrics & More. Web. 03 Apr. 2011. <http://drakeym.com/young-money/nicki-minaj/nicki-minaj-high-school-photo/>.

"Trinidad & Tobago Map." GMT: Greenwich Mean Time - World Time / Time in Every Time Zone. Web. 03 Apr. 2011.


Nicki Minaj is about as thick-skinned as they come, but she opened up about a decision that left her heartbroken back in her teen years.

The 32-year-old rapper spoke to Rolling Stone about a pregnancy that ended in abortion while she was still in high school.

"I thought I was going to die," she says when she found out she was pregnant. "I was a teenager. It was the hardest thing I'd ever gone through."

According to Rolling Stone, the father of her unborn child was an older guy from Queens that she dated while still attending Manhattan's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts.
While the "Anaconda" singer admitted that the decision to have an abortion has "haunted [her] all [her] life," she thought that it was the right choice at the time.

"It'd be contradictory if I said I wasn't pro-choice," Nicki told the mag. "I wasn't ready. I didn't have anything to offer a child."

Still, Nicki acknowledges that not everyone is going to like what she has to say.

"Millions of people are gonna hear it," said Nicki. "And you gotta watch everything you say -- people find an issue with every f***ing thing."

Nicki first rapped about the incident on a track called "Autobiography" from her 2008 mixtape, Sucka Free, but made headlines with a reference to the event on "All Things Go" from her latest album The Pinkprint. On the track, Nicki makes the confession in a verse that focuses on her dreams for her younger brother, Micaiah "Caiah" Maraj.

"I want Caiah to go to college, just to say we did it," she rhymes. "My child with Aaron would have been 16 any minute / so in some ways I feel like Caiah is the both of them / It's like he's Caiah's little angel, looking over him."

Lately, Nicki has been very open about her goal to start a family. Earlier this month, she told Ellen DeGeneres that one day she wants "a little cute fat baby."

In November, she also told Complex Magazine, "If I'm done with my fifth album and I don't have a child by then, no matter how much money I have, I would be disappointed, as a woman, because I feel like I was put here to be a mother."

The Pinkprint is Nicki's third album.
Nicki Minaj is the biggest female rap star in the world. Yes, Iggy Azalea might have one of the biggest pop songs of the year with ‘Fancy,’ but she doesn’t have the laundry list of hits that Nicki does. She doesn’t have the diehard Barbz at her side. And she just can’t rap like the Young Money queen.
With fame comes the complete unveiling of all things private, and Nicki’s been in the spotlight long enough to shed light on a past full of pain, sorrow, and triumph despite it all. Those who have been down with her since the mixtape days probably know what kind of toilet paper she wipes with, but there are still those factoids that listeners might not be aware of. What specifically motivated Nicki to take up female empowerment? What was her first big break? And what did she do in high school when she was told her singing wasn’t good enough?
As we look forward to ‘The Pinkprint’ and a hopeful release date, it feels right to dig into her history and uncover some of the things that make Nicki Minaj an icon. Walk with us as we go back in time for 25 Facts About Nicki Minaj You Probably Didn’t Know.


Nicki Minaj (born Onika Tanya Maraj on December 8, 1982 in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago) is an American singer. She was from Trinidad and Tobago, but moved to Queens, New York when she was five. After releasing three mixtapes between 2007 and 2009, she was signed to Young Money Entertainment in August 2009. She released her debut album Pink Friday in November 2010. Her first album became a success, reaching to number one on the US Billboard 200 and was certified Platinum. She also became the first female artist to have seven singles on the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time. Her single “Your Love” reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart, becoming the first female artist to top the chart since 2002. Minaj was named the 2011 Rising Star by Billboard. Her follow-up album Pink Friday, Roman Reloaded was released in April 2012, and in 2013, she landed a job as a judge on American Idol. Nicki made her acting debut in The Other Woman, and released her third album, The Pinkprint, in 2014. Nicki made major headlines in May of 2015 when her “Feeling Myself” video with Beyonce came out and she appeared to be making fun of Tyga for dating 17-year-old Kylie Jenner.

Nicki’s trademark candy colored wigs are perhaps more well-known than her catchy hooks

In 2014, Nicki and longtime boyfriend, Safaree Samuels, split. Shortly after, she began dating rapper Meek Mill, and they confirmed their engagement on April 16, 2015.

Influenced by the unpredictable rhymes of Missy Elliot along with the sexually charged attitudes of Lil' Kim and Foxy Brown, rapper, television reality show judge, and household name Nicki Minaj was discovered thanks to her MySpace page. It was there that Dirty Money Entertainment CEO Fendi first heard her ability to freestyle and first laid eyes on her steamy set of promo shots. With killer curves she was obviously proud to flaunt, plus a background in the performing arts thanks to the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art (the school that had inspired the movie Fame), Minaj was a perfect fit for Fendi's urban DVD magazine The Come Up. She appeared in numerous volumes, including number 11, which spotlighted her future label boss, superstar rapper Lil Wayne. Through Fendi, Wayne contacted Minaj and signed her to his Young Money label. They began to build her career through mixtapes like Lil Wayne's Dedication 3 and Minaj's own Sucka Free. Meanwhile, appearances on various remixes -- everything from T.I.'s "No Matter What" to Jeffree Star's club track "Cupcakes Taste Like Violence" -- helped spread the word.
The big breakthrough for Minaj came when Wayne added his rhymes to her "High as a Kite" single, a mixtape favorite in 2008. The year 2009 would see more guest appearances and mixtapes, including the Beam Me Up Scotty mixtape, featuring the street single "I Get Crazy." In 2010, the singles "Your Love" and "Check It Out" preceded the release of her official debut album, Pink Friday, which debuted that November at number two on the Billboard 200 and went platinum. She earned a handful of 2011 Grammy nominations, including Best New Artist, Best Rap Album, and Best Rap Performance. An all-out media blitz followed between albums with extravagant performances at award shows across the globe, an appearance as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live, and joining Madonna -- alongside M.I.A. -- for her Super Bowl XLVI halftime show.
In early 2012, the Eurodance-influenced single "Starships" signaled the coming of her official sophomore effort, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, an album built around her devil-may-care alter ego "Roman Zolanski." Guest artists included Nas, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Chris Brown, and Beenie Man, while production came from the likes of RedOne, Dr. Luke, and Ke'Noe. The album hit number one on the U.S. album charts, driven by a Top Ten showing for "Starships." "Pound the Alarm" and "Va Va Voom" also reached the Top 40. By the end of 2012, Minaj had been announced as a judge for the 12th season of American Idol, although she left at the end of the season. It hardly affected her success, as she set two career records during 2013: most-charted female rapper in the history of Billboard's singles chart, and the first person to win Best Female Hip-Hop Artist at the BET Awards four times in a row. She then announced her third studio album, The Pinkprint, which appeared at the end of 2014. First single "Lookin Ass" was also featured on the Young Money compilation Rise of an Empire, released in March of that year, while follow-up "Anaconda" was nominated for Best Rap Song at the 2015 Grammy Awards. Filled with songs about guilt and failed relationships, the album was well-received by critics and debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. ~ David Jeffries, Rovi

Nicki , born Onika Tanya Maraj, spent most of her childhood growing up in Queens in New York City, but up until she was five she lived on the Caribbean island of Trinidad with her Grandmother. Even at a young age Nicki was naturally talented and attended a high school that nurtured artists.

Because she came from a troubled home Nicki threw herself into performance, learning drama and music and even created alter egos , more than one which she still uses for her music today—“Nicki Minaj” is one of them!
Nicki started making mixtapes in 2007 and released them on smaller labels, and was recognized as being so talented that there was a major bidding war to sign her! But eventually rapper Lil Wayne and his label Young Money Entertainment signed her and she got to work on her full length albumPink Friday, which came out at the end of 2010.Pink Friday has already gone platinum

Maybe it’s the drama queen in her, or the alter egos, or that fact that she’s brimming with creativity in every way, but no one can deny that Nicki has unforgettable style!

She told Interview magazine recently that "I made a conscious decision to try to tone down the sexiness, I want people—especially young girls—to know that in life, nothing is going to be based on [looks]. You’ve got to have something else to go with that.”

In middle school Nicki used to play the clarinet!
Some of Nicki’s influences include Foxy Brown, Missy Elliot, Lil Kim and of course, Lil Wayne!
Nicki likes to create different alter egos for her music, like Nicki Theresa—a benevolent saint to her fans, and Harajuku Barbie.
Nicki didn’t get into the arts high school at first because the day of auditions she lost her voice!

Minaj — whose single “Super Bass” has clocked 471 million You Tube views — endured an unsettled early life and childhood. Initially she didn't live with her parents, and was placed with her grandmother in Saint James instead. Then at the age of five her mother collected her and they moved to Queens, New York. Minaj's memories of her father during this period were of a man who drank heavily, took drugs and was violent toward her mother. At one point she claims that he burned down their house, and that her mother only narrowly escaped.

AN INDIAN ANCESTRY
Nicki's family surname, “Maraj” is a Hindu term thought to be derived from the word “Maharaj”, which means “great king”. Historically, her ancestry dates back to the Indians who first arrived in Trinidad as contracted labourers in 1845. By 1917, 130,000 of them, mainly Hindu's, had settled there, with many of them forming relationships with the local Trinidadians. Nicki Minaj's ethnic ancestry is but one of thousands of stories which trace their roots back to this era of Indian immigration.

As her success has grown, Nicki Minaj's nationality and ethnic ancestry has increasingly become the subject of much debate and fascination amongst her fans, many of whom find it difficult to pinpoint her exact racial heritage and genealogy beneath the dense artifice of multi-coloured weave hairstyles and elaborate day-glo make-up. Questions about the music diva's ancestry, her mother and father, and their family background are played out online, where a total of approximately 200,000 people per year type their queries into the search engines of their computers and smartphones. According to statistics supplied by Google, 2,400 global Internet-users per month ask the question, “What race is Nicki Minaj?”, while a further 600 users ask,“Is Nicki Minaj Indian?”, each month. Her image, difficult to pin down, swerves and shape-shifts dramatically from from black to white, from blonde to brunette, from curly to straight, and from dirty to dangerous, always staying one step ahead of her fans expectations.

(born Dec. 8, 1982, St. James, Trinidad and Tobago), American rap singer and songwriter Nicki Minaj in 2013 saw her career skyrocket as she claimed title to a record 44 appearances—the most by a female rapper—on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Though she had remained visible since 2012 as a judge on the reality television singing competition American Idol, the savvy star announced that she would not tour in 2013 but would instead concentrate on creating her third album. Minaj combined colourful wigs and risqué clothes to create a bold persona to complement her flowing, quick-spoken rap style. Gaining attention for her sexually explicit lyrics and tough attitude, she embraced the shock value of her work to help guide her career onto an upward path. She was also known for her preference for the colour pink, a predilection that she used in branding her albums and such consumer items as her Pink Friday perfume and Pink Pill speakers (sold by AT&T).

Onika Tanya Maraj was about five years old when her family moved to Queens, N.Y., from Trinidad and Tobago. Her childhood was dominated by a violent drug-addicted father, and she spent time creating fantasies for herself that would allow her an escape from her tumultuous life; she adopted a new name, Nicki Minaj, from that practice. Other creative outlets included writing her first rap song when she was 12 years old and pursuing acting at New York City’s Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts.

Minaj entered the music business as a backup singer for local aspiring rap singers in New York City. She included videos of her work on her Myspace page, which was seen by a local record label. Minaj eventually came to the attention of rapper Lil Wayne, and the two worked on some mixtapes (recordings), with the first, Playtime Is Over, appearing in 2007. As other mixtapes were released, Minaj’s exposure grew, and the next year she was named Female Artist of the Year at the Underground Music Awards. In 2009 she signed with Young Money Entertainment, the label founded by Wayne. Her first album for Young Money, Pink Friday (2010), made it to the top of the Billboard 200 chart.

In 2012 Minaj released her second album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded. It featured the single “Starships,” which won best female video at that year’s MTV Video Music Awards presentation. Also in 2012 she caused controversy on American Idol with her blunt, opinionated judging style and with her frequent disputes with fellow judge Mariah Carey.

Nicki Minaj is a popular rap artist in the US who shot to fame within a short span of time. The talented vocalist and songwriter has established herself as an award-winning singer, rapper, hip-hop artist, television host, and icon of female empowerment. Her unique voice (which often makes use of various accents), and vigorous, fast-flow rap style have made her popular both as a solo artist and as a featured cameo voice on other albums. In addition to her music, Minaj is also widely known for bold, loud fashion statements, including brightly colored makeup, outrageous hair styles, and unconventional costumes. She has overcome many obstacles along her path to stardom, having been born outside the United States, moving with her family to New York at a young age, enduring an abusive and drug-addicted father, and paying her dues by working several odd jobs before finally finding recognition as a major artist. While her hasty temper has caused friction and drama with other celebrities (including Jennifer Lopez and Mariah Carey), fans love her fierce, in-your-face persona. In less than ten years, she has gone from a social media hopeful to successful multi-media mogul, including multiple recording projects, TV hosting, and even a Super Bowl appearance. With no signs of slowing down, Nicki Minaj continues to wow audiences with her chart-topping numbers

“Nicki Minaj” is a stage name, a persona adopted by the famous rapper. She was born Onika Tanya Maraj on December 8, 1982 in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago. EDIT
Her father is Robert Maraj, who worked as a financial executive. Her mother, Carol Maraj, was a foreign exchange teller and gospel singer. She also has four siblings, brothers Brandon Lamar and Michaiah Maraj, and sisters Ming Maraj and Jelani Maraj. EDIT
Her parents emigrated to the United States when Nicki was very young. She lived with her grandmother in Saint James until her mother sent for her and her brother when she was five. EDIT
Her father was addicted to drugs and abusive, particularly towards her mother. He once set fire to the family home in an apparent and unsuccessful attempt to kill her mother. EDIT
With a keen ear for music since an early age, she played the clarinet in her middle school band. Afterward, she auditioned and gained admission to ‘La Guardia High School’, a magnet school for the arts. EDIT
After an unsuccessful attempt at an acting career post high school, she worked several odd jobs, many of which she was fired from for apparent poor customer service.
She began her musical career rapping in a foursome called ‘The Hoodstars’, which included 7even Up, Lou$tar, and Scaff Breezy. EDIT
In 2004, ‘The Hoodstars’ recorded the song ‘Don’t Mess With,’ which was a contribution to a compilation album for the WWE, entitled ‘ThemeAddict: WWE The Music’, Vol. 6. EDIT
Minaj left ‘The Hoodstars’ and uploaded much of her work to her Myspace profile page. This caught the attention of Fendi, CEO of ‘Dirty Money Entertainment’, who signed her for a 180-day contract, in 2007. EDIT
She released her first mixtape, ‘Playtime is Over’ on July 5, 2007, and she released a follow-up entitled ‘Sucka Free’ in April of the following year. EDIT
On April 18, 2009, she released her third mixtape ‘Beam Me Up Scotty.’ The album featured the hit song ‘I Get Crazy,’ which reached number 20 on the US Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs. EDIT
After gaining the attention of fellow rap artist Lil Wayne, Minaj signed a contract with his record label ‘Young Money Entertainment’ in August of 2009. EDIT
Beginning on November of 2009, she appeared as a featured cameo on other artists’ songs, including those of Mariah Carey and Robin Thicke. EDIT
On March 29, 2010, she released her debut album ‘Massive Attack’ (an early title, which was later changed to ‘Pink Friday’). The album featured the hit song ‘Your Love,’ which reached number 14 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and number 1 on Billboard’s Rap Songs. EDIT
‘Super Bass’ was the fifth single to be released from ‘Pink Friday,’ and the song reached number 3 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and certified octuple-platinum in the United States. EDIT
She performed ‘Give Me All Your Luvin’ featuring Madonna and rapper M.I.A. for the 2012 Super Bowl half-time show. EDIT
Her follow-up studio album ‘Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded’ was released on April 2 2012, which featured singles ‘Roman in Moscow’ and ‘Stupid Hoe.’ EDIT
She voiced the character Steffie in ‘Ice Age: Continental Drift’ in June of 2012. EDIT
In September of 2012, she became a judge on the television show ‘American Idol,’ along with judges Mariah Carey, Randy Jackson, and Keith Urban, which she left the following May. EDIT
Though known for her rapping, she began acting and first appeared in the 2014 release ‘The Other Woman’, which starred Cameron Diaz. EDIT
Her third album, ‘The Pinkprint’, was released on December 15, 2014, which featured her largest hit to date, ‘Anaconda’. The song reached number 2 on Billboard’s Hot 100.

The famous singer songwriter has given numerous chart-topping numbers which include ‘I Get Crazy’ from the 2008 album ‘Beam Me Up Scotty. The song hit number 20 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs. The following year the song ‘Super Bass’ from the album ‘Pink Friday’ reached number 3 on Billboard’s Hot 100. EDIT
In 2014 the song ‘Anaconda’ from ‘The Pinkprint’ reached number 2 on Billboard’s

She was named ‘Female Artist of the Year’ at the 2008 ‘Underground Music Awards’. EDIT
In 2010, she was the first female artist ever to appear on MTV’s ‘Hottest MC’s in the Game’, on which she also appeared the following year. EDIT
In 2012, she became the first solo female rap artist ever to perform at the ‘Grammy Awards’. EDIT
The video for the song ‘Starships’ won ‘Best Female Video’ at the ‘2012 MTV Music Awards’. EDIT
She won the award for ‘Best Hip-Hop’ at the ‘2012 MTV Europe Music Awards’. EDIT
As of 2013, she was the first artist to receive BET’s Best Female Hip-Hop Artist four years in a row. She won again the following year.

n 2015, Nicki Minaj became engaged to hip-hop recording artist Meek Mill. She does not currently have any children, though they have speculated that they might be interested in having them in the future.

Onika Tanya Maraji is the girl who many of us know as Nicki Minaj. This talented star is a well known American rapper, songwriter and singer. She was born on Decemeber 8, 1982 in Saint James in Spain to Indian and Afro-Trinidadian parents, but this young girl spent most of her time with her grandma while growing up because of abuse going on in her home. However, by the age of five Nicki Minaj’s mother wanted her back and picked her up and moved away to Queens, crucial for the future of Nicki Minaj net worth Nicki Minaj net worth is estimated at $14 Million dollars, but it took a lot of hard work and dedication to get to where she is. This 29 year old started her musical journey at a very young age by playing the clarinet at Elizabeth Blackwell Middle School and then she was enrolled in LaGuardia High School where she spent most of her time studying visual and performing arts. By 2007 this young stars career began and she created her first mixtape known as, “Playtime is Over,” with Dirty Money Records. After that, other mixtapes were created by the talented rapper such as, “Beam Me Up Scotty,” and “Sucka Free.” By 2009 Nicki was noticed by Lil Wayne and she was able to secure a record deal with him and created her first single Billboard Hit many of us known as, “BedRock”, booming Nicki Minaj net worth When it comes to Nicki Minaj's spending habits they are pretty prodigal. She recently took a young fan named Sophia Grace Brownlee on a shopping spree along with her little cousin. The star enjoys pleasing her fans and helping others when she can. When the star isn’t spending her money on others she does enjoy shopping for herself and spending money on her unique fashionable clothing for her performances and her beautiful home in New York. This warm hearted star also does what she can to help her family and friends out as well and does make sure they have everything they need in life because she knows what its like to live the rough life, giving a human touch to Nicki Minaj net worth Growing up Onika’s home life was difficult due to her parents fighting often, drinking and their drug addictions. This effected her in away that caused her to become emotional unstable so she created alter egos to help cope with the drama going on inside her home. She says the alter egos helped shaped her and kept her as happy as she could possibly be in a home full of chaos. Some of the alter egos she had were Cookie, Hatajuku Barbie and the amazing Nicki Minaj, which she now uses as her rapper name. Who would have thought that an alter ego will mean so much for Nicki Minaj net worth The star also find comfort in God, she is Christian and finds God is always there for her when she needs him the most. That is how she copes now with the dramas of life

Onika Tanya Maraj (born December 8, 1984), better known by her stage name Nicki Minaj, is a Trinidadian Hip hop and R&B recording artist and songwriter. She first saw fame when she signed a record deal with Young Money Entertainment and then later Cash Money Records.
In August 2009, Minaj signed to Young Money Entertainment with distribution from Universal Motown. In Minaj's early career, she released three mixtapes, Playtime Is Over, Sucka Free, and Beam Me Up Scotty. Minaj was discovered by fellow American rapper, Lil Wayne and after the three mixtapes, Minaj signed a deal with Young Money Entertainment. After signing the deal, Minaj began working on her debut album, titled Pink Friday, which charted at number-two on the US Billboard 200. Minaj became the first artist ever to have seven songs within the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time. Her second single, "Your Love" reached number-one on the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart, making Minaj the first female artist to top the chart unaccompanied since 2002. Minaj became the first female artist to be included on MTV's Annual Hottest MC List One month after the release of Pink Friday, Minaj's album gained a Platinum certification in the United States. Minaj is known for collaborating with numerous artists and guest raps on many popular singles.

Born on December 8th, 1982 in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago, Nicki Minaj first sang with local rappers in New York until she was discovered by Lil Wayne. The release of several mixtapes and appearances on the tracks of several rap and hip-hop artists paved the way for the release of her debut album, "Pink Friday". Now, she's being called the one to watch in the world of hip hop. In this WatchMojo.com video, we take a look at the musical origins of hip hop recording artist, Nicki Minaj.


Onika Tanya Maraj, better known as Nicki Minaj, was born on December 8th, 1984 in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago. At the age of five, she moved to Queens, New York with her mother. It was here she attended high school, where she specialized in the arts, causing her to fall in love with music.

After singing with local rappers, she soon caught the attention of Lil Wayne and he signed her to his label, Young Money. She released several mixtapes, including 2007's Playtime is Over, 2008's Sucka Free and 2009's Beam Me Up Scotty.


She also performed on several remixes, including T.I.’s “No Matter What.” As the underground music scene started to take notice of Minaj, she continued to refine the freestyling techniques that would set her apart from her fellow rappers.



Minaj would land on the music charts on several occasions during 2010. In the first half of the year, she was featured as a guest on songs such as Ludacris’ “My Chick Bad,” Trey Songz’ “Bottoms Up” and Jay Sean’s “2012 (It Ain’t the End).” The release of her solo single, “Your Love,” brought her to the top of the Rap Songs chart and made her the first unaccompanied female artist to reach that position in eight years.

In October, Minaj had another chart record. She became the first artist to have seven songs on the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time. This was thanks to collaborations with artists such as Kanye West and Sean Kingston, and the release of more singles, including "Roman's Revenge" with Eminem, ahead of her debut album. A month later, her first solo effort, Pink Friday, debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200.


From the looks of it, things are just beginning for Nicki Minaj. The rapper burst onto the hip hop scene and quickly became an artist to watch as she teamed up with other musicians. Now, having already been declared the Queen of Hip-Hop, Minaj is giving her fellow female singers a run for their money as her solo career takes off.

In the new issue of Rolling Stone, Nicki Minaj reveals that her ambition stems from a painful childhood. (Read the full story here.) "When I first came to America," she says, "I would go in my room and and kneel down at the foot of my bed and pray that god would make me rich so that I could take care of my mother." Minaj's father was a violent drug addict once set their house on fire while her mother was inside. She has no qualms about sharing these stories, even though her parents still live together and her father would prefer that she not share their history. "It's the price you pay when you abuse drugs and alcohol," she says. "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."

Early in her career Minaj claimed to be bisexual, but now says she just did that to get attention. "I think girls are sexy," she says. "But I'm not going to lie and say that I date girls."

• She's immensely proud of the fact that her and Drake are proving that rappers can come from any background. "At one point you had to sell a few kilos to be considered a credible rapper," she says. "But now it's like Drake and I are embracing the fact that we went to school, we love acting, we love theater, and that's ok — and it's especially good for the black community to know that's ok, that's embraced."

• Minaj has mapped out a five-year plan that includes a film career, a perfume line, a clothing line and possibly records that feature her singing as much as rapping. "There's this fear of not being perfect," she says. "There's some songs I just won't write because I'm afraid of not meeting my expectations of what I know that song could be. I don't compete with other people. I compete with myself."