Onika Maraj is one of the most successful female rappers of all time, but the world doesn’t know her as that name. While most people know her as Nicki Minaj, the rapper has also got several nicknames derived from the alter egos she has created for herself throughout her life and career. From Nicki Lewinski to Martha Zolanski, Minaj often writes and performs under the guise of several distinct personalities, all bringing their own flavor to her work.
Nicki Minaj has reached such success in her career that she could never be canceled, and some fans believe that part of her appeal is her unique embracing of the different facets of her own personality, or her alter egos and nicknames, that set her apart from the crowd. Keep reading for the story behind some of Minaj’s most famous nicknames and alter egos, and where you can witness them flourishing in her work.
Cookie
One of the first nicknames or alter egos that Nicki Minaj ever had was Cookie. According to the Nicki Minaj fandom page, the rapper created this personality for herself when she was still a child. Creating an alter ego may have helped Minaj to deal with some of the struggles that she faced during her younger years.
Nicki Minaj’s life now is a dream come true, but her childhood and teenage years were often marked with sadness. Her parents left her in Trinidad and Tobago with her grandmother when she was still a little girl to go and establish a life in the United States. When she finally joined her parents in America, money was an issue and she used to pray for financial freedom so he mother could leave her father, who Minaj has said was abusive towards her mother. At one point, her father set fire to the house while her mother was inside and also commonly sold the family’s property to sustain his drug habit.
When she was a teenager, Minaj fell pregnant unexpectedly and had an abortion. She also struggled with bouts of extreme sadness when she was continuously rejected from her dreams of becoming a rap star. It’s understandable that slipping into an alter ego like Cookie helped her to cope with all that was going on and beyond her control.
Nicki Lewisnki
In her song ‘Itty Bitty Piggy’, Minaj raps about Nicki Lewinski, another one of her well-known nicknames. The Nicki Minaj fandom reports that this alter ego was created when Minaj was an underground artist making mixtapes. This alter ego is also reportedly responsible for the sexually suggestive lyrics that appear in many Nicki Minaj songs.
Roman Zolanski
Perhaps one of the most famous Nicki Minaj alter egos is Roman Zolanski, an outspoken homosexual male persona with a British accent. Minaj has referred to Roman as her “twin sister” and has actually mentioned the personality frequently in her music. Her second studio album, which was released in 2012, was called ‘Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded’. The first track from the album is called ‘Roman Holiday’, in which Minaj sings that she is “Roman Zolanski”. The album also features a track called ‘Roman Reloaded’.
Minaj also released the song ‘Roman’s Revenge’ featuring Eminem in 2010, in which she raps as her alter ego Roman. At the end of the track, Minaj speaks in a British accent and reprimands the persona of Roman. As we’ve gotten to know Minaj better, it’s become clear that she’s embodying yet another one of her alter egos during this part: that of Roman’s mother, Martha Zolanski.
Martha Zolanski
Martha Zolanski appears in Minaj’s ‘Moment for Life’ music video, revealing herself to be Minaj’s godmother. By the description of the Nicki Minaj fandom, she’s “strict and commanding”.
While talking to Ellen DeGeneres about her nicknames and alter egos, Minaj describes Martha as a “crazy lady from London.”
The Harajuku Barbie
Another one of Minaj’s most famous monikers is The Harajuku Barbie, often shorted to just Barbie. Minaj mentions this alter ego in her track ‘Itty Bitty Piggy’ and she’s described as having a soft voice.
Minaj has often been seen wearing a Barbie necklace and has said that people get her confused with a “real Barbie”.
Nicki The Boss
Again described in Minaj’s ‘Itty Bitty Piggy’ soundtrack is the nickname Nicki the Boss, another one of Minaj’s alter egos adored by her fandom. Minaj’s “Barbs” describe her as an “ingenious austere business woman that always thinks outside of the box and who is never afraid to assert herself.”
Though different, these personalities all come together to form the absolute force that the world knows as Nicki Minaj.