Nicki Minaj Biography

With millions of fans and admirers from all walks of life, Nicki Minaj is a household name worldwide. She is known for her music, style, and charisma, but what many don't know is that beneath the glamour and flash, there's a tale of adversity and resilience.

Nicki Minaj had to face several challenges during her childhood and teenage years, including poverty and domestic violence. These experiences could have broken many people, but Nicki persevered.

She used her hardships to fuel her art and create music that resonates with millions. Through it all, Nicki never lost sight of her dreams. Her determination to succeed in the music industry has made her one of the most successful female rappers of all time.

Minaj has won numerous awards, including multiple BET Awards and MTV Video Music Awards. Nicki's story is a testament to the power of persistence and the importance of never giving up, no matter how difficult and long the road might get.

Nicki Minaj's Early Life: From Trinidad To Queens

Nicki Minaj was born Onika Tanya Maraj on December 8, 1982, in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago.

Nicki and her family relocated to Queens, New York, when she was five years old, hoping to start over and find better opportunities. Of course, the difficulties of adjusting to a new nation, culture, and way of life followed this change.

Raised by her grandmother in Queens, known for its rich cultural diversity, Nicki Minaj was exposed to many forms of music but took a special liking to the vibrant sounds of hip-hop and Caribbean music.

These early musical influences would play a crucial role in shaping her distinctive style, blending rap with elements of dancehall and soca. As a child, she displayed a precocious interest in performing arts, participated in school plays, and developed a passion for music that would become the driving force of her life.

As financial constraints and family conflicts escalated her already worrisome problems, Nicki Minaj began to explore her identity and experiment with different personas. Like the seeds of her alter egos, such as Roman Zolanski and Barbie, that would later become integral to her musical expression.

Nicki Minaj: The Rise To Superstardom

Starting out as a backup singer for up-and-coming rappers in NYC, Minaj's career began to take off when a record label discovered her videos on Myspace. Her talent caught the attention of Lil Wayne, and the two collaborated on several mixtapes, including their first release, "Playtime Is Over," in 2007.

As Minaj released more mixtapes, her visibility increased, and she was recognized as Female Artist of the Year at the Underground Music Awards. The following year, she joined Young Money Entertainment, the label started by Wayne, which went on to produce several hit tracks from Minaj, Wayne, and Drake.

In 2010, Nicki Minaj's "Pink Friday" debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 chart as her first album under Young Money. The album was filled with sexually explicit content that was typical of her music, and she leveraged the shock factor to make a statement in the industry.

After releasing her second album, "Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded," with popular pop songs such as "Starships," in 2012, Nicki Minaj landed a role as a judge on American Idol, the reality TV singing competition, in 2013.

Minaj's outspoken and opinionated approach to judging caused controversy, particularly when she clashed with fellow judge Mariah Carey. However, despite her popularity with audiences, she left the show after just one season.

In 2013, Minaj set a new record for a female rapper with an impressive 44 appearances on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

In 2014, she released her third studio album titled "The Pinkprint" which had a mix of breakup songs and a return to her earlier rap style with the hit single "Anaconda." Her 2018 album "Queen" included collaborations with popular artists like Eminem and The Weeknd.

Nicki is known for her risqué music videos and has quite a following on YouTube. Not only that, her non-video streaming platforms are blowing up too. In 2023, she was the most-streamed female rapper on Spotify, with a staggering 60.9 million monthly listeners.

Nicki Minaj's Top 10 Songs on Spotify

Streams

Tusa

1.44 Billion

Side to Side

1.35 Billion

Bang Bang

1.26 Billion

Swalla

1.08 Billion

Starships

1.00 Billion

Hey Mama

790 Million

Super Bass

768 Million

FEFE

765 Million

Beauty and a Beat

674 Million

MotorSport

575 Million

Source: Spotify

Business Ventures Nicki Minaj Has Taken On

After signing a seven-figure deal with Pepsi to launch a new drink, the mogul added millions to her bank account that same year through partnerships with Beats By Dre, MAC Cosmetics, and Adidas.

She has released nine fragrances since the release of her first perfume, Pink Friday, in 2012. Additionally, according to Business Insider, her Viva Glam lipstick with MAC Cosmetics was the best-selling shade ever.

Nicki Minaj's Massive Net Worth

Nicki Minaj's net worth jumped in 2023 to an incredible $150 million! She is currently the wealthiest female rapper in the history of time with a net worth of $150 million, according to HypeBeast. The bulk of Minaj’s money comes from music platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and YouTube.

Touring is also a significant source of income for Minaj. Her 2015 headlining tour, The Pinkprint Tour, grossed $22 million over 55 shows for an average of $400,000 per show. Of course, that money gets split up among ticket brokers, the venue, opening acts, crew, and so on, so her exact earnings are not known.

Her highlights of 2023 were her collaborations with Ice Spice on the long-awaited "BarbieWorld" and the remix of Ice Spice's "Princess Diana."

Nicki Minaj's Personal Life

Nicki Minaj is presently married to Kenneth 'Zoo' Petty. Despite the fact that they have known each other for years, having been childhood friends, they only started dating in December 2018.

Kenneth's criminal record has raised some eyebrows among Nicki's fans, as he is a registered sex offender who was found guilty of rape in 1995; he also served time in prison for manslaughter from 2002 to 2009.

They have one child together, born Sept. 30, 2020. He is known as, “Papa Bear” as the couple has not disclosed his true given name.

Prior to her wedded bliss, Nicki Minaj and Safaree Samuels dated for 12 years, and she dated Meek Mill for around 2 years. Though never official, there were rumors she also dated Nas, Drake, and Eminem.

The Many Controversies Of Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj has a lot of beef with a lot of rappers, mostly brought on herself, including her feud with fellow rapper Cardi B. She has also been confronted over her use of cultural appropriation in her music, videos, and fashion choices.

Additionally, she has faced a great deal of criticism for her support of her brother Jelani, who was convicted of predatory sexual assault after being charged with repeatedly raping his 11-year-old stepdaughter at their Long Island home.