Nicki Minaj

Artist Image: Nicki Minaj
Attribution
Image Credit: Lightspace Studios (https://vimeo.com/233695539 (Cropped from 0:08)), CC BY 3.0

Biography

Onika Tanya Maraj (born December 8, 1982), known by her stage name Nicki Minaj, is a Trinidadian-born American rapper, singer, songwriter and voice actress. She was born in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago and when she was 5 years of age she moved to the New York City borough of Queens, where she grew up. After releasing three mixtapes between 2007 and 2009 and being signed to Young Money Entertainment in August 2009, Minaj released her debut album, Pink Friday, in November 2010. It quickly became a commercial success, peaking at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 and being certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) a month after its release. She became the first female solo artist to have seven singles on the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time. Her second single, "Your Love", reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart, making Minaj the first female artist to top the chart unaccompanied since 2002. She also became the first female artist to be included on MTV's Annual Hottest MC List. Minaj was named the 2011 Rising Star by Billboard. Her second studio album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded was released on April 3, 2012. Maraj was born in 1982 in Saint James, a suburb of Trinidad and Tobago's capital city Port of Spain. Her parents are of mixed Indian and Afro-Trinidadian ancestry and she lived in Saint James with her grandmother until age five, because her parents were looking for a place to live in the Queens borough of New York City at the time. Her mother would occasionally visit, and one day, when Minaj was five, her mother picked her up to move to Queens. According to Minaj, her father drank heavily, took drugs, and once tried to kill her mother by setting the house on fire. She attended Elizabeth Blackwell Middle School 210, where she played the clarinet. She graduated from LaGuardia High School. At LaGuardia, a school specializing in music and the visual and performing arts, Minaj participated in the drama program. She had initially planned to sing at LaGuardia but lost her voice on the day of the audition.

Details

Item Name Item Details
Year Formed 2004
Number of Albums 56
Record Label Republic Records
Website mypinkfriday.com
Wikipedia Nicki Minaj on Wikipedia
Social Networks

Trivia

Minaj grew up in a troubled family with a father that was a drug addict who later changed after he checked into rehab and started going to what?

church

...dict who later changed after he checked into rehab and started going to church . Minaj went to LaGaurdia High School and studied singing and acting. Sh...
Minaj went to LaGaurdia High School and studied singing and what else?

acting

... to church. Minaj went to LaGaurdia High School and studied singing and acting . She was first spotted by the CEO of Young Money, and was later recruit...
What company was Minaj first spotted by?

Young Money

...l and studied singing and acting. She was first spotted by the CEO of Young Money , and was later recruited for The Carter Edition of Young Money's own...
Who first spotted Minaj?

CEO of Young Money

...hool and studied singing and acting. She was first spotted by the CEO of Young Money , and was later recruited for The Carter Edition of Young Money's ...
What was Minaj recruited for?

The Carter Edition of Young Money's own The Come Up DVD series

...of Young Money, and was later recruited for The Carter Edition of Young Money's own The Come Up DVD series . Her rapping skills caught the eyes of Lil ...
In what year did Minaj release her first mixtape?

2007

...ater worked with her for many collaborations with his mixtapes. In April 2007 , Minaj released her first mixtape Playtime Is Over. One year later she m...
What was the name of Minaj's first mixed tape?

Playtime Is Over

...with his mixtapes. In April 2007, Minaj released her first mixtape Playtime Is Over . One year later she made another mixtape Sucka Free which made her...
Which song was named Female Artist of the Year at the Underground Music Awards?

Sucka Free

...rst mixtape Playtime Is Over. One year later she made another mixtape Sucka Free which made her Female Artist of the Year at the Underground Music Awa...
Where did Trivia graduate from?

LaGuardia High School

...Year at the Underground Music Awards. Trivia (16) Graduated from LaGuardia High School , where she participated in the drama program. She had planned t...
What high school did Minaj graduate from?

LaGuardia

...f the Year at the Underground Music Awards. Trivia (16) Graduated from LaGuardia High School, where she participated in the drama program. She had pla...
What type of letters are on Minaj's left arm?

traditional Chinese

...e day of the audition. Has God you are always with me tattooed in traditional Chinese letters on her left arm. Minaj will be the supporting act for Br...
What did Minaj's early days include?

shaky attempts at an acting career and losing her job at Red Lobster for being rude to customers

...r. Her early days included shaky attempts at an acting career and losing her job at Red Lobster for being rude to customers , but Minaj progressed quic...
For what reason did she lose her job at Red Lobster?

being rude to customers

...empts at an acting career and losing her job at Red Lobster for being rude to customers , but Minaj progressed quickly from MySpace demos to nationally...
What did Minaj lose her job at for being rude to customers?

Red Lobster

...ays included shaky attempts at an acting career and losing her job at Red Lobster for being rude to customers, but Minaj progressed quickly from MySpa...
Minaj's unique flow turns on a dime from sugary to what?

snarling

...ferocious, known for a unique flow that turns on a dime from sugary to snarling , with razorsharp wordplay and mercilessly blunt lyricism. Her range is...
What genre did Minaj branch out into?

melodicism

...but album Pink Friday saw the rapper branching out into radiofriendly melodicism , and accordingly it was the first of her albums to sell in the multip...
What was the first of Minaj's albums to sell in the multiplatinum reaches and top chart positions internationally?

Pink Friday

...y have yielded some of her most successful work. Her 2010 debut album Pink Friday saw the rapper branching out into radiofriendly melodicism, and acco...
Superbass, Starships, and Anaconda were all charttopping smash hits with what?

stream counts in the hundreds of millions

...aconda, all of which were charttopping smash hits with stream counts in the hundreds of millions , but she occasionally offered up albumlength statemen...
How old was she when she joined her mother in Queens?

five

... singers, she lived with her grandmother in Saint James until the age of five , when she joined her mother, who had relocated to Queens, New York. In h...
Where did she join her mother?

Queens, New York

... the age of five, when she joined her mother, who had relocated to Queens, New York . In high school she discovered the performing arts, setting her si...
When did she discover the performing arts?

high school

...when she joined her mother, who had relocated to Queens, New York. In high school she discovered the performing arts, setting her sights on acting as ...
Onika Tanya Maraj was born on what date?

December 8, 1982

... HOMETOWN: QUEENS, NYC Onika Tanya Maraj (Nicki Minaj) was born on December 8, 1982 , and grew up in Queens, New York. She graduated from LaGuardia Hig...
What two subjects did Nicki study at LaGuardia High School in Manhattan?

singing and acting

...aduated from LaGuardia High School in Manhattan where she studied singing and acting . Nicki honed her innate ability and star potential at the renowne...
Nicki appeared on the Carter Edition of what?

Young Money's The Come Up DVD series

...nated by males. After appearing on The Carter Edition of Young Money's The Come Up DVD series , Minaj was contacted by Lil Wayne. The two collaborated ...
What doll did Minaj pose as on the cover of Playtime Is Over?

Barbie

... she released her first mixtape, Playtime Is Over, where she posed as a Barbie doll on the cover. Lil Wayne appeared on the track Can't Stop, Won't St...
What song did Lil Wayne appear on?

Can't Stop, Won't Stop

...e released her first mixtape, Playtime Is Over, where she posed as a Barbie doll on the cover. Lil Wayne appeared on the track Can't Stop, Won't Stop ....
What is Nicki Minaj's professional name?

Onika Tanya MarajPetty

... Young Money Cash Money Republic Website nickiminajofficial.com Onika Tanya MarajPetty (born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj (m...
How many mixtapes did Minaj release between 2007 and 2009?

three

...f alter egos and accents. Minaj first gained recognition after releasing three mixtapes between 2007 and 2009. She rose to fame with her debut album, ...
What year did Pink Friday top the U.S. charts?

2010

...tween 2007 and 2009. She rose to fame with her debut album, Pink Friday ( 2010 ), which topped the U.S. The album's fifth single, Super Bass, reached nu...
What was Pink Friday's fifth single?

Super Bass

..., Pink Friday (2010), which topped the U.S. The album's fifth single, Super Bass , reached number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming t...
What was the name of Minaj's follow-up album?

Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded

...ding Industry Association of America. Minaj's followup album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2012), explored a dancepop sound and reached number one in ...
What was the first female rap music video to reach one billion views on youtube?

Anaconda

... and marked a return to her hip hop roots. The former's second single, Anaconda , reached number two on the Hot 100 chart and became the first solo fem...
What was Minaj's father addicted to?

alcohol and other drugs

...epartments during Minaj's youth. Minaj's father was addicted to alcohol and other drugs , and had a violent temper, burning down their house in Decembe...
How many siblings does Minaj have?

two

... had a violent temper, burning down their house in December 1987. She has two siblings. As a small child, Minaj and a sibling lived with her grandmoth...
Minaj said she didn't think she had a lot of what in her household?

discipline

...a house on 147th Street. Minaj recalled, I don't think I had a lot of discipline in my household. My mom motivated me, but it wasn't a strict househol...
Who first spotted her talent?

Young Money CEO Fendi

...king vocalist for other artists. Her talent was first spotted by Young Money CEO Fendi on MySpace and later was recruited for The Carter Edition of Yo...
What was the name of Young Money's DVD series?

The Come Up

...Space and later was recruited for The Carter Edition of Young Money's The Come Up DVD series. Her rapping skill caught the attention of Lil Wayne who ...
Who tagged her for a number of collaborations?

Lil Wayne

...ey's The Come Up DVD series. Her rapping skill caught the attention of Lil Wayne who later on tagged her for a number of collaborations in his mixtape...
Who lent his vocal on one of Nicki's songs?

Weezy

...tapes. In April 2007, Nicki released her first mixtape Playtime Is Over. Weezy lent his vocal on one of the songs. A year later, she dropped another m...
What was Nicki named as a female artist of the year?

Underground Music Awards

...ucka Free which landed her as Female Artist of the Year at the Underground Music Awards . After the arrival of her third mixtape Beam Me Up Scotty whic...
What award did Free win at the Underground Music Awards?

Female Artist of the Year

...er, she dropped another mixtape Sucka Free which landed her as Female Artist of the Year at the Underground Music Awards. After the arrival of her thi...
What was Free's third mixtape called?

Beam Me Up Scotty

...e Underground Music Awards. After the arrival of her third mixtape Beam Me Up Scotty which received positive reviews from BET and MTV, she appeared in...
What chart did Pink Friday rank on?

Billboard 200

...eck It Out then preceded the release of her official debut album, Pink Friday, which was released later in 2010. 2 on Billboard 200 and went platinum....
What is the original name of Nicki Minaj?

Onika Tanya Maraj

...Nicki Minaj, original name Onika Tanya Maraj , (born December 8, 1982, St. James, Trinidad and Tobago), Trinidadianborn singer, songwriter, television ...
What drugaddicted father dominated Minaj's childhood?

violent

...s, New York, from Trinidad and Tobago. Her childhood was dominated by a violent drugaddicted father, and she spent time creating fantasies for herself...
What was the name of the school Minaj attended?

Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts

...ld and pursuing acting at New York Citys Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts . Minaj entered the music business as a b...
Minaj was seen by a local record label?

Myspace page

...rap singers in New York City. She included videos of her work on her Myspace page , which was seen by a local record label. Minaj eventually came to th...
When did Nicki move to New York?

5yearold

...Born in the Caribbean, Nicki Minaj moved to New York as a 5yearold and has overcome a difficult childhood to become a successful hiphop artist. Her la...
Nicki's labelmate, Lil Wayne, calls her what?

an icon

...to become a successful hiphop artist. Her labelmate Lil Wayne calls her an icon who has reached far beyond anything I would have imagined. At one poin...
What city did Nicky Minaj move to when she was 5?

New York

...Born in the Caribbean, Nicki Minaj moved to New York as a 5yearold and has overcome a difficult childhood to become a successful hiphop artist. Her la...
What was an early incarnation of Minaj?

Cookie

...self that would allow her to reinvent herself. An early incarnation was Cookie , then came Harajuku Barbie before finally settling on Nicki Minaj. Fant...
Minaj clearly had a knack for what?

performance

...ie, then came Harajuku Barbie before finally settling on Nicki Minaj. Fantasy was my reality, she has said. Minaj clearly had a knack for performance ....