Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj (), is a Trinidadian rapper, singer, songwriter, actress and model based in the United States. She is known for her strange style, funny voices, colorful wigs and costumes, and characters she uses in her music.
Nicki Minaj became the first and only female rapper to be listed on Forbes''' Hip Hop Cash Kings list.
Background
Nicki Minaj moved to Queens, New York City at age five. Her father went to rehab for alcoholism in 2012. Minaj claimed he burned down their house in her youth. As a teenager, Nicki Minaj had an abortion, which is referenced in her song "All Things Go" from The Pinkprint.
Career
2009 - 2011: Beginnings and Pink Friday
In August 2009, Nicki Minaj signed to Young Money Entertainment with distribution from Universal Motown. Her debut album, Pink Friday, was released on November 9, 2010. It climbed to number one on the US Billboard 200 album chart and contained the singles "Your Love", "Moment 4 Life" (featuring Canadian rapper Drake), "Super Bass", "Did It on 'Em", and "Fly" (featuring Barbadian singer Rihanna). The first, second, and fifth singles reached the top 20 in the US, while "Super Bass" managed to peak at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked in the top ten around the world. The song has been certified 8× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for combined shipments and streams of 8 million copies in the US alone. Minaj was also featured with Kesha on a remix of Britney Spears' song "Till the World Ends".
Nicki Minaj has been instrumental in challenging the patriarchal norms of the music industry, as a Black female rapper. Additionally, in Nicki Minaj's early career she used sexuality as a way to gain fans and relate to audiences. She was able to gather a large female and LGBT+ identifying audience through her implying that she was bisexual herself. Through her wigs, costumes, and bold designs she attracted fans from the LGBT+ community, who found themselves to be able to identify with her boldness and expressivity.
2012 - 2013: Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded and The Re-Up
Nicki Minaj released a single, "Starships", on Valentine's Day of 2012, before releasing her second studio album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, on April 3, 2012. This album contained more pop- and dance-leaning songs, with some songs produced by RedOne (known for working with Jennifer Lopez and Lady Gaga) and Dr. Luke. "Starships" reached number one in Scotland and the top five in the US, UK, and Canada. Minaj released two more singles from the album, "Pound the Alarm" and "Va Va Voom", which both reached the top 25 of the Billboard Hot 100. She was featured on David Guetta's single "Turn Me On", which reached the top ten worldwide. Minaj re-released Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded later in the year as Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded - The Re-Up that contained songs like "Va Va Voom" and "Freedom".
From 2012 to 2013, she was featured as a judge on the music competition series American Idol alongside Keith Urban, Mariah Carey, and Randy Jackson.
2014 - 2017: The Other Woman, The Pinkprint, and other projects
In 2014, she was featured in the film The Other Woman. She released her third studio album, The Pinkprint, in December of that year. It was preceded by the singles "Anaconda", which samples the 1992 hit single "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-a-Lot, and "Only". "Anaconda" reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Minaj's highest-peaking song in the United States up until 2022. Nicki Minaj performed "Anaconda" at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards.She was featured on Guetta's single "Hey Mama" alongside Bebe Rexha and Afrojack, along with Ariana Grande's "Side to Side".
On March 10, 2017, Nicki Minaj released three singles: "No Frauds", "Regret in Your Tears", and "Changed It". "No Frauds" became a top 20 hit in the US. Minaj took a break from social media at the end of the year to focus on new songs.
2018 - 2019: Queen
On April 13, 2018, Nicki Minaj released two singles: "Chun-Li" and "Barbie Tingz". The first reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was picked as the lead single from Minaj's fourth studio album, Queen. "Barbie Tingz" reached number 25 in the US but was later removed from the track list for Queen, except as a Target edition bonus track. The promotional single "Rich Sex", featuring American rapper Lil Wayne, was also released from the album. Minaj was featured on the single “Fefe” by rapper 6ix9ine which reached number three on the Hot 100 in both the US and Canada.
Nicki Minaj released a new single, "Megatron", on June 21, 2019.