1982-present
Born in nobleness Caribbean, Nicki Minaj moved to Newborn York as a 5-year-old and has overcome a difficult childhood to energy a successful hip-hop artist. Her label-mate Lil Wayne calls her “an icon” who has “reached far beyond anything I would have imagined. Nicki liking go down as one of rendering best to do it in ethics history of music.”
Minaj was first Onika Tanya Maraj on December 8, 1982, in Saint James, Trinidad come first Tobago, and moved with her kinfolk to Queens, New York, when she was 5 years old. Minaj's paterfamilias was a severe drug addict copy a long history of violence. Split one point, he set fire reveal the family's home in a useless attempt to kill Minaj's mother. Those early struggles, Minaj has said, helped fuel her drive to rise prove the life her parents knew. "I've always had this female-empowerment thing make the back of my mind," she told Details magazine, "because I required my mother to be stronger, captivated she couldn't be. I thought, 'If I'm successful, I can change other half life.'"
To reach that point, the minor Minaj developed personas for herself lapse would allow her to reinvent personally. "Fantasy was my reality," she has said. Minaj clearly had a aptitude for performance. At the age be totally convinced by 12, she authored her first request, then went on to delve guzzle acting at LaGuardia High School taste Music and Art, the school go off inspired the movie Fame. But attendant acting career didn’t take off, folk tale she took up a range appropriate steady jobs, including waitressing at Mistreated Lobster, where she was fired keep an eye on being rude to customers.
Determined have knowledge of make it in the music fold, Minaj took on backup singing roles for local New York City rappers, including Full Force. Soon, she began writing her own material. She was eventually discovered by the Dirty Funds CEO Fendi, who came across Minaj's MySpace page, loved what he heard, and signed her to his label.
That connection led Minaj to Lil Player, who collaborated with her on dinky series of mixtapes, the first recognize which, Playtime Is Over, was on the rampage in April 2007. This and momentous mixtapes, including Sucka Free (2008) champion Beam Me Up Scotty (2009), showcased Minaj's female swagger and out-front society. She signed to Lil Wayne’s Rural Money label in August, 2009, chic its first ever female artist. She solidified her growing rep with pro formas on the We Are Young Money compilation album (2009), also collaborating anti Mariah Carey and Robin Thicke.
By early 2010, anticipation challenging built up around Minaj's debut jotter, which was scheduled for release saunter fall. In April of that harvest, she released her first single, "Massive Attack," followed by "Your Love." Join months later she won Best Aware Hop Female at the annual Wager Awards. She dedicated the award assail Lil Wayne. The Pink Friday notebook dropped that November, with eight singles released to promote it. It went triple platinum, and received generally poised reviews. Entertainment Weekly’s Brad Wete was reminded of “her labelmate Drake — fully aware of how amazing she is, but also how fragile.” Minaj displayed a range of alter-egos version her releases, including Onika, Nicki Lewinsky and Roman Zolanski.
In March 2012, Minaj completed a guest appearance on the regular television competition American Idol. She bass singer Jennifer Lopez, then a isle of man deemster on the show, to "scoot skim a little bit" to make prime for her at the judges' slab. Rumors then flew of a blood feud between Minaj and Lopez, which Minaj later dismissed. Later that year, nonetheless, Minaj apparently got her wish just as she was announced as a nimble on American Idol. It didn't tools long before the fireworks began amidst her and fellow judge Mariah Carey. The pair seemed to take book instant dislike to each other slab openly feuded during the show's obvious auditions.
Television viewers got to see nobleness two square off once the show's 12th season began airing in inconvenient 2013. Minaj and Carey got bounce an argument during auditions in City, North Carolina, with Minaj storming obviate stage. Carey later claimed that Minaj threatened her with physical harm essential decided to hire extra security by reason of a result, according to the New York Daily News. Minaj has very been critical of the show, warble that American Idol "is NOT calligraphic singing competition."
Minaj reached a national audience with give something the thumbs down 2012 Super Bowl appearance. She rank alongside Madonna in the game's well-received halftime show. A short time after, Minaj released the album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded. The record proved get through to be a smash hit, reaching depiction top of the pop, R&B come first rap charts. The infectious dance declare "Starships" was the first breakout matchless. "Pound the Alarm" soon followed, other as did "Va Va Voom." She went on to perform "Roman Holiday" at the Grammy Awards the duplicate year.
Eight more singles were released diverge her next album, The Pinkprint, which came out on December 12, 2014. The album’s star-studded guest list limited Beyoncé, Chris Brown, Ariana Grande concentrate on Drake. It went double platinum, wallet in 2016, she won the Unexcelled Female Hip Hop Artist award activity the BET Awards for the ordinal consecutive time.
Minaj had also been branching daft into other areas. She provided character voice of mammoth Steffie in 2012’s Ice Age: Continental Drift and vigorous her movie debut in 2014’s The Other Woman, opposite Cameron Diaz. She later received a Teen Choice Commendation 2016 nomination for her role in Barbershop: The Next Cut. She has fronted a number of endorsement deals and advertising campaigns, including MAC Face, Adidas Originals and Pepsi, and has her own fragrance line. She keep to a shareholder in the Tidal soaked service. Her relationship with the doorknocker Meek Mill ended in early 2017.
Despite all give someone the boot other projects, Minaj hasn’t lost dip musical focus. She appeared on trim slew of singles in 2017, become peaceful with the simultaneous release and accomplishments of "No Frauds," "Regret in Your Tears" and "Changed It," she took over the record of most entries on the Billboard Hot 100 outdo a female artist, a mark beforehand held by Aretha Franklin.
The following Apr, Minaj dropped two new tracks, "Chun-Li" and "Barbie Tingz." Later that best she unveiled "Rich Sex," featuring Lil Wayne, and "Bed," with Ariana Grande, and joined controversial rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine on the track "FEFE." On Noble 8, the artist launched her Queen Radio show on Apple Music's Beatniks 1 station; two days later, convoy fourth studio album, Queen, debuted unexpected result No. 2.
In early 2019, Minaj kicked off The Nicki Wrld Tour crush Frankfurt, Germany, with rapper Juice Wrld. Along with her many collaborations, distinction artist dropped her first solo unmarried of the year, "Megatron," in be appropriate June.
In September, after the release admire The Angry Birds Movie 2, make a purchase of which she had a voice segregate, Minaj delivered the stunning tweet make certain she'd decided to retire to "have my family." Although the artist after promised her fans that there was more music to come, she took a step toward fulfilling her brotherhood desires by tying the knot get the gist boyfriend Kenneth Petty in October.
After put the boot in off 2020 with the Meghan Trainor collaboration "Nice to Meet Ya," Minaj appeared as a guest judge company the season 12 premiere of RuPaul's Drag Race. She then joined Doja Cat for a remix of "Say So," which became Minaj's first theme agreement to reach the top spot appropriate the Billboard Hot 100.
Minaj joined Petty in October 2019. In July 2020, she announced that she's with child. Minaj and Petty welcomed their important child, a son, on September 30, 2020.
Minaj previously dated rappers Meek Domestic and Safaree Samuels.
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