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Her Minajesty! Nicki Minaj made a splash within the music business with the launch of her rap profession — and she or he has been taking the world by storm ever since.
Born Onika Tanya Maraj within the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Minaj moved to Queens, New York, on the age of 5 together with her household. She went on to graduate from Fiorello H. LaGuardia Excessive Faculty in Manhattan, the place she developed a love for performing arts.
After rapping in a New York-based quartet referred to as The Hoodstars, Minaj determined to make a reputation for herself, and she or he did simply that with the discharge of her first mixtape, Playtime Is Over, in July 2007. She dropped two extra tapes in April 2008 and April 2009, Sucka Free and Beam Me Up Scotty, the latter of which caught the eye of Lil Wayne. The “Lollipop” rapper rapidly signed her to his file label, Younger Cash Leisure, and the remainder was historical past.
As Younger Cash’s newest recruit, Minaj was tapped as a featured artist on songs together with Ludacris’ “My Chick Dangerous” and Kanye West’s “Monster” earlier than releasing her debut album, Pink Friday, in November 2010. Her profession instantly took off as she toured with Britney Spears, carried out on the 2011 Victoria’s Secret Trend Present and gained numerous awards.
In April 2012, Minaj launched her sophomore album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, which combined rap and pop music and solely made her a fair larger mainstream star. To advertise the file, she launched her first headlining tour, carried out on the Grammy Awards (making her the primary solo feminine rapper to take action) and rapped alongside Madonna through the Tremendous Bowl XLVI halftime present. Within the midst of the Roman Reloaded period, Minaj additionally ventured into the film and TV worlds, voicing a personality in 2012’s Ice Age: Continental Drift, changing into a decide on season 12 of American Idol and starring in 2014’s The Different Lady.
The Grammy nominee dropped her third album, The Pinkprint, in December 2014 and starred in one other movie, Barbershop: The Subsequent Reduce, the next yr. Her fourth file, Queen, got here out in August 2018. It was not till Could 2020 that she received her first No. 1 on the Billboard Sizzling 100, due to her remix of Doja Cat’s “Say So.” Her second chart-topper, “Trollz” with 6ix9ine, got here only one month later.
By the years, Minaj has additionally made headlines for her private life. She dated fellow rappers Safaree Samuels, Meek Mill and Nas earlier than marrying her childhood buddy Kenneth “Zoo” Petty in October 2019. The couple welcomed a son the next September.
Scroll right down to see Minaj’s evolution!
Credit score: Shutterstock(3)
Nicki Minaj By the Years: From Rap Queen to Mother and Past
Her Minajesty! Nicki Minaj made a splash within the music business with the launch of her rap profession — and she or he has been taking the world by storm ever since.
Born Onika Tanya Maraj within the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Minaj moved to Queens, New York, on the age of 5 together with her household. She went on to graduate from Fiorello H. LaGuardia Excessive Faculty in Manhattan, the place she developed a love for performing arts.
After rapping in a New York-based quartet referred to as The Hoodstars, Minaj determined to make a reputation for herself, and she or he did simply that with the discharge of her first mixtape, Playtime Is Over, in July 2007. She dropped two extra tapes in April 2008 and April 2009, Sucka Free and Beam Me Up Scotty, the latter of which caught the eye of Lil Wayne. The “Lollipop” rapper rapidly signed her to his file label, Younger Cash Leisure, and the remainder was historical past.
As Younger Cash’s newest recruit, Minaj was tapped as a featured artist on songs together with Ludacris’ “My Chick Dangerous” and Kanye West’s “Monster” earlier than releasing her debut album, Pink Friday, in November 2010. Her profession instantly took off as she toured with Britney Spears, carried out on the 2011 Victoria’s Secret Trend Present and gained numerous awards.
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In April 2012, Minaj launched her sophomore album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, which combined rap and pop music and solely made her a fair larger mainstream star. To advertise the file, she launched her first headlining tour, carried out on the Grammy Awards (making her the primary solo feminine rapper to take action) and rapped alongside Madonna through the Tremendous Bowl XLVI halftime present. Within the midst of the Roman Reloaded period, Minaj additionally ventured into the film and TV worlds, voicing a personality in 2012’s Ice Age: Continental Drift, changing into a decide on season 12 of American Idol and starring in 2014’s The Different Lady.
The Grammy nominee dropped her third album, The Pinkprint, in December 2014 and starred in one other movie, Barbershop: The Subsequent Reduce, the next yr. Her fourth file, Queen, got here out in August 2018. It was not till Could 2020 that she received her first No. 1 on the Billboard Sizzling 100, due to her remix of Doja Cat’s “Say So.” Her second chart-topper, “Trollz” with 6ix9ine, got here only one month later.
By the years, Minaj has additionally made headlines for her private life. She dated fellow rappers Safaree Samuels, Meek Mill and Nas earlier than marrying her childhood buddy Kenneth “Zoo” Petty in October 2019. The couple welcomed a son the next September.
Scroll right down to see Minaj’s evolution!
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Credit score: Courtesy of Nicki Minaj/Instagram
Nineteen Eighties
Minaj, who has two brothers and two sisters, as soon as mentioned that she didn’t have “plenty of self-discipline” rising up in New York.
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2007
The rapper launched her debut mixtape, Playtime Is Over, in July 2007. It included songs like “Can’t Cease Received’t Cease” that includes Wayne and “Leap Off ’07.”
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2010
Minaj’s first album, Pink Friday, debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 after its November 2010 launch. Its singles included “Your Love,” “Examine It Out” that includes will.i.am, “Proper Via Me,” “Second 4 Life” that includes Drake, “Tremendous Bass” and “Fly” that includes Rihanna. Pink Friday was nominated for Greatest Rap Album on the 2012 Grammys.
Credit score: Tannen Maury/EPA/Shutterstock
2012
The MC was a particular visitor throughout Madonna’s Tremendous Bowl halftime present in February 2012. Collectively, they carried out the Queen of Pop’s track “Give Me All Your Luvin’” with M.I.A.
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2012
Minaj’s second album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, debuted on the prime of the Billboard 200 in April 2012. It included the singles “Starships,” “Proper by My Facet” that includes Chris Brown, “Beez within the Entice” that includes 2 Chainz and “Pound the Alarm.” A reissued model of the album, titled The Re-Up, got here out that November with seven bonus tracks.
Credit score: Michael Becker / FOX
2013
The hip-hop star made her debut as an American Idol decide in January 2013 alongside Randy Jackson, Mariah Carey and Keith City. She infamously argued with Carey in a number of episodes, many occasions in entrance of contestants. They each finally left the present after only one season.
Credit score: Twentieth Century Fox/Lbi Prods/Kobal/Shutterstock
2014
Minaj starred reverse Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann and Kate Upton within the comedy The Different Lady, which hit theaters in April 2014. She performed Lydia, the assistant to Diaz’s character, Carly.
Credit score: Broadimage/Shutterstock
2014
The MTV Video Music Award winner broke up with Samuels round October 2014 after 12 years collectively.
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2014
Minaj detailed her cut up from Samuels on her third album, The Pinkprint, which was launched in December 2014 to important acclaim. The file included singles comparable to “Anaconda,” “Solely” that includes Drake, Wayne and Brown, “Truffle Butter” that includes Drake and Wayne and “The Evening Is Nonetheless Younger.” It was nominated for Greatest Rap Album on the 2016 Grammys.
Credit score: Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock
2017
Minaj introduced her breakup with Mill in January 2017 after almost two years of courting.
Credit score: Shutterstock; Eric Charbonneau/Shutterstock
2018
After a fun-filled fling, the “Huge Assault” rapper and Nas went their separate methods in January 2018.
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2018
In August 2018, Minaj launched her fourth album, Queen, which included songs like “Barbie Goals,” “Chun-Li” and “Good Kind.”
Credit score: Broadimage/Shutterstock
2019
The BET Award winner married Petty in October 2019 in Los Angeles with only a minister current. Their low-key marriage ceremony befell almost one yr after the New Yorkers rekindled their flame.
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2020
Doja Cat helped Minaj get her first No. 1 single in Could 2020 with their collaboration, “Say So.”
Credit score: Courtesy of Nicki Minaj/Instagram
2020
After saying her being pregnant in July 2020, Minaj gave delivery to her and Petty’s son that September.
Credit score: Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock
2021
Minaj received actual about balancing her profession with motherhood in a July 2021 Instagram Stay. “To the ladies that should stand up and go to work every single day and go away the child in daycare, God bless you,” she mentioned. “Like, I do know that’s not simple. Like, I can do a photoshoot for 2 hours and once I see my child, I really feel responsible. I really feel like, ‘Oh, my God.’”
Credit score: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
2022
The “Tremendous Bass” artist opened up about how motherhood has been the “largest freaking blessing” throughout a dialog withJada Pinkett SmithforInterview journal revealed in October 2022.
“I’m so completely satisfied that God allowed me to expertise this,” Minaj gushed. “I’ve all the time beloved youngsters and I’ve all the time been nice with youngsters, however in the previous couple of years I began considering, I do know it’s going to be an enormous shift for me as a result of I’m used to going wherever I would like, each time I would like, and I knew having a child was going to vary all that. However I completely like it.”
Regardless of the rapper saying she had “actual dangerous separation anxiousness” whereas being away from her son, Minaj received again to work by cohosting the 2022 MTV VMAs and accepted the coveted Video Vanguard Award whereas performing a medley of her prime hits.
