She may be diminutive, but Nicki Minaj
packs a lot of talent into her 5-foot 2-
inch frame. Born in the Caribbean, she
moved to New York as a five-year-old
and has overcome a difficult childhood
to become one of themost successful
rap artists of this or any other
generation. Minaj has also branched out
into television and film, in demand for
her colorful bubblegum persona and
image. She's active on social media and
in fashion and has launched several
fragrances. Her label-mate Lil Wayne
calls her "an icon" who has "reached far
beyond anything I would have imagined.
Nicki will go down as one of the best to
do it in the history of music."
Tough Childhood in
Queens, NY
The rapper and singer Nicki Minaj was
born Onika Tanya Maraj on December 8,
1982, in Saint James, Trinidad and
Tobago, and moved with her family to
Queens, New York, when she was five
years old. Minaj's father was a severe
drug addict with a long history of
violence. At one point, he set fire to the
family's home in a failed attempt to kill
Minaj's mother. Those early struggles,
Minaj has said, helped fuel her drive to
rise above the life her parents knew.
do it in the history of music."
Tough Childhood in
Queens, NY
The rapper and singer Nicki Minaj was
born Onika Tanya Maraj on December 8,
1982, in Saint James, Trinidad and
Tobago, and moved with her family to
Queens, New York, when she was five
years old. Minaj's father was a severe
drug addict with a long history of
violence. At one point, he set fire to the
family's home in a failed attempt to kill
Minaj's mother. Those early struggles,
Minaj has said, helped fuel her drive to
rise above the life her parents knew.
"Ive always had this female-
empowerment thing in the back of my
mind,' she told Details magazine,
"because I wanted my mother to be
stronger, and she couldn't be. I thought,
'If I'm successful, I can change her life."
To reach that point, the young Minaj
developed personas for herself that
would allow her to reinvent herself. An
early incarnation was "Cookie," then
came "Harajuku Barbie" before finally
settling on Nicki Minaj. "Fantasy was
my reality, she has said. Minaj clearly
had a knack for performance. At the
age of 12, she authored her first rap,
then went on to delve into acting at
empowerment thing in the back of my
mind,' she told Details magazine,
"because I wanted my mother to be
stronger, and she couldn't be. I thought,
'If I'm successful, I can change her life."
To reach that point, the young Minaj
developed personas for herself that
would allow her to reinvent herself. An
early incarnation was "Cookie," then
came "Harajuku Barbie" before finally
settling on Nicki Minaj. "Fantasy was
my reality, she has said. Minaj clearly
had a knack for performance. At the
age of 12, she authored her first rap,
then went on to delve into acting at
LaGuardia High School of Music and
Art, the school that inspired the movie
Fame. But her acting career didn't take
off, and she took up a range of steady
jobs, including waitressing at Red
Lobster, where she was fired for being
rude to customers.
Mixtapes Make Way for
Young Money Deal
Determined to make it in the music
business, Minaj took on backup singing
roles for local New York City rappers,
including Full Force. Soon, she began
writing her own material. She was
eventually discovered by the Dirty
Money CEO Fendi, who came across
Art, the school that inspired the movie
Fame. But her acting career didn't take
off, and she took up a range of steady
jobs, including waitressing at Red
Lobster, where she was fired for being
rude to customers.
Mixtapes Make Way for
Young Money Deal
Determined to make it in the music
business, Minaj took on backup singing
roles for local New York City rappers,
including Full Force. Soon, she began
writing her own material. She was
eventually discovered by the Dirty
Money CEO Fendi, who came across
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