Who is Nicki Minaj

No one else can be as unbothered as Nicki having a shoe thrown at her at a Fashion Week party.

Rapper, feminist, philanthropist and an icon best known for her alter egos and accents, Nicki has earned a spot in the list of the most influential and memorable artists worldwide.

Born in Trinidad and Tobago on the 8th of December in 1982, Onika Tanya Maraj is the third child of gospel singers Carol and Robert Maraj. The family moved to the Bronx when she was five.

She graduated in a high school centered on performing arts and pursued acting shortly after, but struggled with it. She started rapping around 2004, initially in a quartet called, “The Hoodstars”, for a short period.

She was later signed to Dirty Money Etn. for 180 days, where she would adopt her stage name, Nicki Minaj”, and release three mixtapes.

She was named Female Artist of the Year at the Underground Music Awards in 2008. A year later, she was signed to Young Money Ent. after getting discovered by Lil Wayne.

There, she released her first studio album, “Pink Friday”, which was certified platinum, and became a #1 hit in the US. Early 2012, she released “Starships” as the lead single from her anticipated second album, “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded”, which later became the 5th best-selling single of the same year, reaching #5 on Billboard’s Hot 100.

To this day, she has released four studio albums plus one in the works; she has received 10 Grammy Award nominations; she has donated for numerous charities and causes; and finally, she has given birth to a baby boy.