Nicki Minaj was born in the Caribbean and moved to New York when she was five years old. She overcame a difficult childhood to become a successful hip-hop artist. Lil Wayne, her labelmate, calls her “an icon” who has “reached far beyond anything I could have imagined.” Nicki will be remembered as one of the best in music history.”
Early Life
Minaj was born Onika Tanya Maraj on December 8, 1982, in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago, and moved to Queens, New York, with her family when she was five years old. Minaj’s father was a violent drug addict with a long history. At one point, he attempted to kill Minaj’s mother by setting fire to the family’s home. Minaj has stated that her early struggles fueled her desire 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 get there, the young Minaj created personas for herself that allowed her to reinvent herself. “Cookie” was an early incarnation, followed by “Harajuku Barbie,” before finally settling on Nicki Minaj. “My reality was fantasy,” she has said. Minaj had a natural talent for stage presence. She wrote her first rap at the age of 12, then went on to study acting at LaGuardia High School of Music and Art, the school that inspired the film Fame. Her acting career, however, did not take off, and she took up a variety of steady jobs, including waitressing at Red Lobster, where she was fired for being rude to customers.
Early Career
Minaj, determined to make it in the music industry, began singing backup for local New York City rappers such as Full Force. She soon started writing her own material. Fendi, the Dirty Money CEO, eventually discovered Minaj on her MySpace page, loved what he heard, and signed her to his label.
Minaj met Lil Wayne through that connection, and the two collaborated on a series of mixtapes, the first of which, Playtime Is Over, was released in April 2007. Minaj’s female swagger and outspoken style were on display in this and subsequent mixtapes, including Sucka Free (2008) and Beam Me Up Scotty (2009). In August 2009, she signed with Lil Wayne’s Young Money label, becoming the label’s first female artist. She cemented her growing reputation by appearing on the We Are Young Money compilation album (2009), as well as collaborating with Mariah Carey and Robin Thicke.
Debut Album: ‘Pink Friday’
By early 2010, there was a lot of buzz surrounding Minaj’s debut album, which was set to be released that fall. She released her first single, “Massive Attack,” in April of that year, followed by “Your Love.” She won Best Hip Hop Female at the annual BET Awards two months later. She named the award after Lil Wayne. Pink Friday was released in November of that year, and eight singles were released to promote it. It went triple platinum and received mostly positive feedback. Brad Wete of Entertainment Weekly was reminded of “her labelmate Drake — fully aware of how amazing she is, but also how fragile.” Minaj’s releases featured a variety of alter egos, including Onika, Nicki Lewinsky, and Roman Zolanski.
‘American Idol’ Feud With Mariah Carey
Minaj made a guest appearance on the popular television competition American Idol in March 2012. She instructed Jennifer Lopez, who was a judge on the show at the time, to “scoot over a little bit” to make room for her at the judges’ table. Rumors of a feud between Minaj and Lopez then circulated, which Minaj later denied. However, Minaj apparently got her wish later that year when she was announced as a judge on American Idol. It didn’t take long for her and fellow judge Mariah Carey to start feuding. The pair appeared to dislike each other right away and openly feuded during the show’s early auditions.
When the show’s 12th season premiered in early 2013, viewers got to see the two square off. During auditions in Charlotte, North Carolina, Minaj and Carey got into an argument, and Minaj stormed off stage. According to the New York Daily News, Carey later claimed that Minaj threatened her with physical harm and that she decided to hire extra security as a result. Minaj has also criticized the show, writing on Twitter that “American Idol is NOT a singing competition.”
‘Roman Reloaded’ and ‘The Pinkprint’
Minaj’s Super Bowl performance in 2012 drew a national audience. She appeared in the game’s popular halftime show alongside Madonna. Minaj followed up with the album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded. The song was a smash hit, reaching the top of the pop, R&B, and rap charts. The first hit single was the infectious dance song “Starships.” “Pound the Alarm” and “Va Va Voom” quickly followed. The following year, she performed “Roman Holiday” at the Grammy Awards.
Eight new singles were released from her upcoming album, The Pinkprint, which was released on December 12, 2014. Beyoncé, Chris Brown, Ariana Grande, and Drake were among the album’s many guests. It went double platinum, and she won Best Female Hip Hop Artist at the BET Awards for the seventh time in 2016.
Film Roles and Other Business Interests
Minaj had also been venturing into new areas. She voiced the mammoth Steffie in 2012’s Ice Age: Continental Drift and made her film debut opposite Cameron Diaz in 2014’s The Other Woman. She was later nominated for a Teen Choice Award in 2016 for her role in Barbershop: The Next Cut. She has fronted a number of endorsement deals and advertising campaigns for companies such as MAC Cosmetics, Adidas Originals, and Pepsi, and she also has her own fragrance line. She owns a stake in the Tidal streaming service. Her marriage to rapper Meek Mill ended in early 2017.
More Hits and ‘Queen’
Despite her other endeavors, Minaj has maintained her musical focus. She appeared on a slew of singles in 2017, and with the simultaneous release and success of “No Frauds,” “Regret in Your Tears,” and “Changed It,” she broke Aretha Franklin’s record for most Billboard Hot 100 entries by a female artist.
Minaj released two new songs the following April, “Chun-Li” and “Barbie Tingz.” Later that year, she released “Rich Sex” with Lil Wayne and “Bed” with Ariana Grande, as well as “FEFE” with controversial rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine. The artist debuted her Queen Radio show on Apple Music’s Beats 1 station on August 8; two days later, her fourth studio album, Queen, debuted at No. 2.
Minaj and rapper Juice Wrld kicked off The Nicki Wrld Tour in Frankfurt, Germany, in early 2019. In addition to her numerous collaborations, the artist released her first solo single of the year, “Megatron,” in late June.
Minaj announced in September, following the release of The Angry Birds Movie 2, in which she had a voice role, that she was retiring to “have my family.” Although the artist later promised her fans that more music would be released, she took a step toward fulfilling her family desires by marrying boyfriend Kenneth Petty in October.
Minaj appeared as a guest judge on the season 12 premiere of RuPaul’s Drag Race after kicking off 2020 with the Meghan Trainor collaboration “Nice to Meet Ya.” She then collaborated with Doja Cat on a remix of “Say So,” which became Minaj’s first song to top the Billboard Hot 100.
Personal Life
Minaj married Petty in October 2019. In July 2020, she announced that she’s expecting. Minaj and Petty welcomed their first child, a son, on September 30, 2020.
Minaj previously dated rappers Meek Mill and Safaree Samuels.