A rapper, singer, songwriter, actress, and model, Nicki Minaj is well known for her unique and outlandish style, fast flowing rap style, use of stage alter egos.
Personal Life
Early Life
Nicki Minaj was born Onika Tanya Maraj. She was born on December 8, 1982 in Saint James, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. Her father was addicted to drugs and could get violent. In 1987, he burnt their family home down. When Minaj was a child, she and her four siblings, Jelani, Maya, Micaiah, and Ming, lived with their grandmother in Saint James.
Minaj’s mother moved to the New York City Bronx for college. Minaj and her family moved to Queens to be reunited with their mother when Minaj was five. Nicki Minaj went to Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. Once she graduated, Nicki Minaj sought to become an actress and got a role in the Off-Broadway play “In Case You Forget.”
While trying to build her acting career, Nicki Minaj worked as a waitress at Red Lobster. However, Minaj was fired for being rude to customers. It turns out, Minaj had a track record of this, as she was fired from multiple jobs for a similar reason.
Relationships
Nicki Minaj has dated many rappers in the spotlight. Minaj dated rapper Safaree Samuels for 12 years but the two called it quits in 2014. Both accused each other of lying and cheating during a Twitter feud.
Nicki Minaj has also dated Meek Mill and Nas. It is rumored that Minaj had something going on with rapper Drake, although that is unconfirmed.
Today, Nicki Minaj is married to Kenneth Petty. The two got married in 2019 and now have a son together. For the most part, Nicki Minaj keeps the life of her son private and keeps him off her social platforms.
Career
At the beginning of her rap career, Nicki Minaj was shortly with the group Full Force. Later on, Minaj left the group and went solo, posting her own songs on Myspace and sending them to people in the music industry.
Her first mixtape called Playtime is Over was released on July 5, 2007. Shortly followed in 2008, her second mixtape called Sucka Free was released. Later that year at the Underground Music Awards, she was named the Female Artist of the Year.
Her album Pink Friday was released in 2010 and was arguably her what shot her into fame. The Pink Friday album included popular songs such as “Your Love,” “Moment 4 Life,” “Super Bass,” and “Right Thru Me.” “Super Bass” ended up being a sleeper hit that reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 charts and became certified platinum.
In 2012, Minaj released “Starships” as the lead single for her album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded. “Starships” earned a number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100. Other notable hits from Nicki Minaj are:
- “Roman in Moscow”
- “Stupid H*e”
- “Roman Holiday”
- “Pound the Alarm”
- “Barbie Dreams”
- “Anaconda”
- “Pills N Potions”
Nicki Minaj’s latest album, Queen, is her first album in four years. The songs features the songs “Barbie Dreams,” “Majesty,” “Ganja Burn,” and more.
Nicki Minaj’s career isn’t limited to music. The rapper also voiced the character Steffie in the movie Ice Age: Continental Drift. Nicki Minaj also had a role in The Angry Birds Movie 2 in 2019. She also was a judge for American Idol’s 12th season. During that time, Minaj and co-judge Mariah Carey had many heated disagreements and Minaj left the show at the end of the season.
Awards
Nicki Minaj has won many awards and nominations for her music. Throughout her career, Nicki Minaj has earned 10 Grammy nominations for:
- Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, 2011
- Rap Performance, 2012
- New Artist, 2012
- Album, 2012
- Rap Album, 2012
- Pop Duo/Group Performance, 2015
- Rap Song, 2015
- Two Rap Performance Nominations, 2016
- Rap Album, 2016
Nicki Minaj has also won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Hip-Hop Video for “Super Bass.”
Featured Discography
Nicki Minaj has been featured in countless rap and pop songs by other popular artists. Here are a few of her most notable feature tracks:
- “Make Me Proud” – Drake
- “Down in the DM” (Remix) – Yo Gotti
- “Rake it Up” – Yo Gotti
- “Side to Side” – Ariana Grande
- “Dance (A*$) (Remix) – Big Sean
- “Bottoms Up” – Trey Songz
- “Monster” – Kanye West
In The News
Nicki Minaj has been in the tabloids several times for having beef with other celebrities, such as Miley Cyrus. Another popular feud was between Minaj and female rapper Cardi B, when Cardi B hit Nicki Minaj in the face with her shoe at the Harpar’s Bazaar ICONS party due to Nicki’s alleged shade towards Cardi on Twitter.
In professional news, Nicki Minaj recently announced that she will have a six-part docuseries about her life that will premiere on HBO Max.
For the latest Nicki Minaj news, be sure to stay tuned with The Shade Room.
