Highlights
- Nicki Minaj has become synonymous with hip-hop and is considered the queen of rap, breaking barriers as one of the greatest female rappers in a male-dominated genre.
- She has achieved immense success in the music industry, with her debut album topping the charts, selling over 100 million records worldwide, and having multiple top ten singles in the US.
- Minaj's influence extends beyond music, as she has ventured into film, television, and business ventures, including endorsements, fragrances, and collaborations with fashion brands. She has become a role model and inspiration for many young people worldwide.
Nicki Minaj and "hip-hop" have become synonymous, and we can't talk about Minaj without thinking of hip-hop; she's the queen of rap.
Minaj is a multi-talented living legend, who took the industry by storm when she released three mixtapes between 2007 and 2009 (all of which became street anthems).
Her debut album, Pink Friday, topped the Billboard charts. In 2010, Minaj was ranked as the top-selling female artist, on her way to becoming one of the greatest rappers ever – in a genre dominated by male artists.
She has sold over 100 million records worldwide, and attained a level of which most female rappers can only dream, having twenty-three top ten singles in the US, six of them being solo songs.
Minaj attracts awards wherever she goes, and she has won multiple awards in different categories, including the eight American Music Awards, five MTV Video Music Awards, twelve BET Awards, three Guinness World Records, and many more.
Minaj's versatility knows no bounds as she ventured into filming and television, including her voice roles in animation, supporting roles in some movies, and as an American Idol judge.
In 2016, Minaj was on TIME magazine's annual list of the 100 Most Influential People. It is more than safe to say this female rapper has done exceedingly well for herself and for the hip-hop community.
Nicki Minaj has an estimated net worth of $150 million; she has grown to become a role model and an idol to so many young people all over the world.
Early Life And Career
Onika Tanya Maraj, known as Nicki Minaj, was born on December 8th, 1982, in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago. Her parents were both gospel singers.
She had a difficult childhood, as her father had anger management issues, and was addicted to crack cocaine and alcohol – to the extent that he burned down their house at some point in December 1987.
Maraj has an older brother named Jelani, a younger brother named Micaiah, and a younger sister named Ming. Jelani and Maraj grew up with their grandmother in Saint James with eleven cousins.
When things started improving for her mother Carol in South Jamaica, Queens, she was able to bring Jelani and Maraj to the States when Minaj was five, to live with her and their father.
Maraj was accepted to and graduated from the prestigious and competitive Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art And Performing Arts, immortalized in pop culture through the 1980s film Fame.
Per the Ivy Tutors Network:
LaGuardia’s High School’s reputation precedes it: not only is it one of NYC’s 9 specialized high schools, it is also THE “Fame School.”
Founded in 1936, LaGuardia boasts many notable artists and performers among its alumni, including Nicki Minaj, Ansel Elgort, Timothée Chalamet, and Jennifer [Aniston].
At that point, Nicki wanted to be an actress, and was even cast in the Off-Broadway play In Case You Forgot in 2001. She rapped in a quartet named Hoodstars, alongside Lou$tar, Safaree Samuels, and 7even Up.
After she signed with a Brooklyn group called Full Force, the group struggled – but made an impact gradually, as they recorded the entrance song for the WWE Diva Victoria, "Don't Mess with Me."
Maraj adopted the now-famous name Nicki Minaj shortly after signing a 180-day contract with Fendi, who is the CEO of Brooklyn Label Dirty Money Entertainment.
Playtime Is Over was her first mixtape, released on July 5, 2007, releasing the second, Sucka Free and the third, Beam Me Up Scotty, in 2008 and 2009, respectively, which caught the attention of both BET and MTV.
Her star was already shining as brightly as a diamond when she was discovered by Lil Wayne, who was an already famous rapper; Wayne got her signed to Young Money Entertainment in 2009.
As an artist newly signed to the record label, she featured on a couple of songs, including "Knock Out" and "Up Out My Face," before releasing her first album, Pink Friday, which shocked the world.
Rise To Fame
Nicki Minaj is a star, and her rise to stardom didn't come as a surprise.
Her song "Your Love" was the lead single on her debut album Pink Friday, after she dropped "Massive Attack" (featuring Sean Garrett) from the album due to poor commercial performance.
"Your Love" was number one on the hip-hop chart, and it reached number fourteen on the Billboard Hot 100.
After releasing "Check It Out" featuring Will.I.Am and "Right Thru Me" as follow-up singles, she featured on Kanye West's star-studded "Monster," alongside likes of Jay-Z and Rick Ross:
Accolades and recognition kept on coming, as her verse in "Monster" was rated the number one best rap verse in the last five years by the influential magazine Complex.
Sean Fennessey observed that Minaj's brilliance was introduced to the world through her verse on "Monster"; she later performed "Monster" with Jay-Z and Kanye West live at Yankee Stadium, making her the first female rapper to perform there.
In November 2010, her verse on Ludacris' song "My Chick" led to her first-ever Grammy Award nomination. Nicki Minaj also released Pink Friday in November 2010.
This album received positive reviews from critics, and became number one on the Billboard 200, with 375,000 copies sold in the first week.
In December of that year, Pink Friday became the first solo female rapper's album to go platinum in seven years. Nicki Minaj was nominated for three Grammy Awards for Pink Friday.
In no time, Minaj became one of the most famous rappers in the world, dropping five studio albums in total — in addition to collaborative work like "Monster".
Business Ventures
Nicki Minaj is now worth millions of dollars; it's obvious the bulk of her income comes from music, but a sizable percentage comes from endorsements.
Minaj has bagged numerous endorsements from Nokia and other big-name brands. In 2012, Forbes announced a seven-figure endorsement deal between cola titan Pepsi and Nicki Minaj (she also collaborated with Beats by Dre headphones).
Nicki also makes a significant sum from her fragrances, a venture she launched in 2012. Nine fragrances have already been established, and the tenth, Pink Friday 2, is slated for release through Amazon and JCPenney in December 2023.
Nicki Minaj made her debut in the business of beauty and fashion in 2012, in collaboration with MAC Cosmetics, which turned out to be a success.
She also collaborated with Swedish brand H&M on a clothing line.
In 2015, Nicki Minaj's collaboration with Fendi birthed Fendi Print On, a line of clothing and accessories that turned out to be a commercial success.
Apart from the slate of diverse businesses mentioned above, she also generates income through real estate, television, and film.
Impact On Hip Hop
In a largely male-dominated industry, Nicki Minaj has broken glass ceiling after glass ceiling with her music, persona, and fashion.
She has proven her point in a way most feminists couldn't, and devised a road map that will empower women not just in music but in every aspect of life. Music and fashion have long been complementary to each other.
Minaj, being a standout with her fame for bold fashion choices, became a fashion icon, inspiring young women to wear their individuality and wardrobe choices like a crown of honor.
Nicki Minaj remains one of the most influential rappers of her generation; her journey as a little girl from Queens to the queen of rap has broken strongholds and stereotypes to inspire many young fans, predominantly aspiring female rappers, to work hard and to know that there is no limit to what they can achieve.
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