Nicki Minaj

Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty, known professionally as Nicki Minaj, is a Trinidadian rapper, singer, and songwriter born on December 8, 1982. Widely regarded as the “Queen of Rap,” she is considered one of the most influential rappers of all time, known for her razor-sharp lyrics, animated alter egos, versatile musical style, and powerful impact on the resurgence of female rap in the 2010s. Minaj began her career in the early 2000s as a member of the New York hip hop group Hoodstars before launching her solo journey. Refusing to use ghostwriters, she uploaded her music on MySpace, which eventually led to her discovery by Fendi of Dirty Money Entertainment. Her 2007 mixtape Playtime Is Over and the viral track “Itty Bitty Piggy” gained the attention of Lil Wayne, who brought her into his Young Money collective. Her debut album, Pink Friday (2010), topped the Billboard 200 and launched the hit “Super Bass.” Minaj’s follow-up albums—Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, The Pinkprint, and Queen—solidified her commercial dominance and cultural impact with hits like “Starships,” “Anaconda,” and “Chun-Li.” In 2020, she earned her first two Billboard Hot 100 number-one hits with “Say So” and “Trollz,” and her solo chart-topper “Super Freaky Girl” followed in 2022, becoming the lead single on her 2023 chart-topping album Pink Friday 2. As the best-selling female rapper of all time with over 100 million records sold, Minaj has received numerous accolades, including eight MTV VMAs, 13 BET Awards, and three Guinness World Records. She was named one of Time’s 100 most influential people in 2016 and honored as Billboard’s Game Changer in 2019. Beyond music, she has launched a fragrance line, fashion ventures, and hosted the popular Queen Radio. Her acting credits include roles in The Other Woman, Barbershop: The Next Cut, and animated films like Ice Age: Continental Drift. In 2023, she founded her own record label, Heavy On It, and continues to break barriers as a cultural icon and trailblazer in hip hop.