Nicki Minaj: Everything you need to know about the 'Queen of Rap' 👑
What an ICON
Nicki Minaj is one of the biggest rap superstars on the planet right now, with her recent album 'Pink Friday 2', and her song 'Barbie World' from the Barbie movie. Famed for HUGE tracks such as 'Super Bass', 'Starships' and 'Anaconda', it's no secret that the rapper has released some certified bangers throughout her career. From releasing her first track in 2010, Nicki has come a long way!
From her iconic 2010 debut studio album 'Pink Friday', to becoming the first female rapper to have a song debut at Number 1 in the Billboard Hot 100 in over two decades, get to know the legendary 'Pound The Alarm' rapper...
Who is Nicki Minaj?
Nicki Minaj is a Trinidadian-born rapper, singer, songwriter, and actress… In other words, she pretty much has it all. Hailed as one of the best selling and most influential females of all time, the ‘Queen of Rap’ has sold over 100 million records worldwide.
Nicki is responsible for smash hit tracks such as ‘Super Bass’ ‘Monster’ ‘Starships’, ‘Anaconda’ and her massive 2022 track 'Super Freaky Girl', from her latest album 'Pink Friday 2'.
What is Nicki Minaj’s real name?
Despite being known worldwide as Nicki Minaj, the rapper’s real name is in fact Onika Tanya Maraj. She hasn’t always liked her stage name, however, once saying: “One of the first production deals I signed, the guy wanted my name to be Minaj, and I fought him tooth and nail. But he convinced me.”
The ‘Super Bass’ star prefers her friends and family to call her Onika Tanya Maraj, saying: “I don't like it when my family or close friends call me Nicki Minaj. To me I'm not Nicki Minaj when I'm with them.”
How old is Nicki Minaj?
Nicki Minaj was born on 8th December 1982, making her currently 42-years-old.
Is she British?
She is not. Nicki was born in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago, and grew up there with her brother and grandmother. You might be thinking about Nicki's alter-ego Martha Zolanski, who famously has a British accent.
When Nicki was five-years-old, she moved to Queens, New York, to live with her mother.
Is she from Northern Ireland?
No, Nicki is not from Northern Ireland, however she has perfected a Northern Irish accent! Appearing on The Late Late Show with James Corden alongside Belfast writer/director Sir Kenneth Branagh, Nicki was asked by James: "Can you do an Irish accent? Kenneth Branagh's here tonight, he made that film Belfast. Let's see if you can say this: 'Get out now'."
The singer then attempted the accent, and she made such a good effort it's gone viral. She even gave an impression of Adele's accent a go!
Is she married?
She is! Nicki Minaj filed for a marriage licence with her childhood friend Kenneth ‘Zoo’ Petty in August 2019. It wasn’t until October of that year that Nicki announced that they had officially married!
Does Nicki have a child?
Yes! The ‘Starships’ rapper took to her Instagram in July 2020 to announce that she was expecting her first child.
Nicki later gave birth to her baby boy on 30th September 2020, and has remained very private about her son. In January 2021, the rapper finally shared with us all an image of her baby boy, revealing the adorable nickname ‘Papa Bear’.
Does she have a sister?
She does in fact have a sister… And three brothers! Her four siblings include sister Ming Maraj, and brothers Micaiah Maraj, Brandon Lamar, and Jelani Maraj.
Nicki wished her baby sis a happy birthday back in January, leaving fans shocked at the uncanny resemblance between the pair!
Nicki Minaj's 'Super Freaky Girl'
In August 2022, Nicki celebrated a MAJOR achievement following the release of her track 'Super Freaky Girl'. Thanks to the epic track, which was released on 12th August 2022 and went viral on TikTok, Nicki became the first female rapper to have a song debut at Number 1 in the Billboard Hot 100 in over two decades!
The last female rapper to have a song hit the top spot was Lauryn Hill, back in 1998, with her hit 'Doo Wop (That Thing)'.
Not only that, but the track picked up multiple awards, including Best Song at the MTV EMAs 2022.
Nicki Minaj's other awards
Nominated for over 450 different awards and recognitions, Nicki has bagged herself more than 170 gongs during her career. Impressively, the rapper has received nominations for 26 Billboard Music Awards, 10 Grammy Awards and two BRIT Awards, amongst plenty of others.
Nicki's iconic collab with Little Mix on 'Woman Like Me' bagged her a Golden Globe, whilst picking up an incredible 47 BMI Awards.
The 42-year-old even cruised into the The Guinness Book of Records in 2017 as she set the world record for most Billboard Hot 100 entries by a solo artist (female). Celebrating the news on Instagram, the rapper wrote within her caption: 'Walked off stage to find out history was made yet again today.'
At the end of 2022, Nicki picked up two more awards at the MTV EMAs - Best Song (for 'Super Freaky Girl') and Best Hip Hop Artist.
Nicki Minaj's latest tour?
Nicki embarked on her 'Pink Friday 2' world tour in May 2024 which included dates in the UK.
Nicki visited Manchester, Birmingham, London and Glasgow, with extra dates added due to phenomenal demand.
Nicki Minaj and Cardi B feud
Are the pair friends? Ah... The age old question. As it stands, the pair are thought to be friends. But let's recap...
Taking it back to 2017, when it was first rumoured that Cardi B and Nicki Minaj disliked each other, Cardi said at the MTV VMAs: "I don’t want problems with anybody. I just want to make music and make money. I don’t have time to look at other women and what they’re doing. I don’t have to do that whole industry beef, you know? I get it poppin’ with these hands."
Fans were then left scratching their heads when Nicki tweeted her congratulations to Cardi when her track 'Bodak Yellow' went to Number 1. Nicki wrote: 'Congratulations to a fellow NEW YAWKA on a RECORD BREAKING achievement. Bardi, this is the only thing that matters!!! Enjoy it.' The pair also appeared to be all chummy at the 2018 Met Gala.
The niceties didn't seem to last long, however, with Cardi and Nicki reportedly having a 'disagreement' at the Harper's Bazaar ICONS party in New York, which took place during New York Fashion Week. Cardi B left with a pretty large bump to the head, before taking to Instagram to reveal what happened.
Things were later made worse when Cardi claimed that Little Mix had offered her 'Woman Like Me' before Nicki came into the picture. Little Mix soon denied the claim on Instagram.
The feud between the rap icons seemed to come to an end in October 2018, when Nicki tweeted: 'Ok you guys, let's focus on positive things only from here on out. We're all so blessed. I know this stuff is entertaining & funny to a lot of people but I won't be discussing this nonsense anymore. Thank you for the support & encouragement year after year.'
Cardi shared a screenshot of the Tweet to her Instagram page, writing: '@Nickiminaj alright then! Let’s keep it positive and keep it pushing!'
Nicki Minaj songs
Releasing well over 100 singles throughout her fruitful career, it's no secret that Nicki has some certified BANGERS under her belt. In more recent years, the rapper has released tracks such as 'TROLLZ', 'Fractions' and her 'Say So' remix with Doja Cat. In 2023 she released 'Alone' with Kim Petras, and 'Barbie World' from the Barbie film, following her 2022 success with her huge track 'Super Freaky Girl', but she's got some huge bops dating back to 2010...
'Super Bass'
No matter how big of a Nicki Minaj fan you are, there's no way you haven't heard the iconic track that is 'Super Bass'. The upbeat, quirky song was released back in 2011, and featured on Nicki's 2010 album 'Pink Friday'. Storming the charts, it's safe to say that this is one of Nicki's most catchy bops.
WATCH: Nicki Minaj 'Super Bass' official music video
🚨WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE 🚨
'Starships'
Another bop to add to the list, this one is sure to give you some serious summer vibes. Released in 2012 by Young Money, the track flew to the Number 1 spot on the UK R&B Chart and the Number 2 spot in the UK Singles Chart.
Bagging eight different awards to date, the song is thought to be one of Nicki's most successful.
WATCH: Nicki Minaj 'Starships' official music video
🚨WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE 🚨
'Moment 4 Life'
An iconic collab with none other than rap superstar Drake, we were all graced with the melodic 'Moment 4 Life' back in December 2010. In an interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Nicki revealed that Roman Zolanski's mother, Martha, was to make her physical debut in the tracks fairytale-esque music video. Roman is another alter-ego of Nicki's.
With rumours already rife that Nicki and Drake were becoming romantically involved, fans couldn't help but pick up on his lyric "Me and Nicki Nicki gettin' married today", raising suspicions even further...
WATCH: Nicki Minaj 'Moment 4 Life' official music video
🚨WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE 🚨
'Roman's Revenge'
Featuring the legendary rapper Eminem, 'Roman's Revenge' was released in October 2010. The track marked the debut of Nicki's alter-ego Martha Zolanski, who can be heard at the end of the bop speaking in a British accent.
LISTEN: Nicki Minaj 'Roman's Revenge'
🚨WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE 🚨
What is Nicki Minaj's latest song?
Nicki released three new tracks in 2024; 'Everybody', 'FTCU' and 'Big Foot'.
In 2023, she started to tease her song 'Last Time I Saw You'. The singer posted a photo and video on Instagram along with a screenshot from her phone, where someone asked if she wrote it, to which she replied: 'The. Entire' Fkng. Thing. Sir.'
Nicki Minaj collaborations
Nicki has an impressive list of collaborations, having worked with some HUGE names over the years, from Young Money artists like Drake and Lil Wayne, to pop icons Ariana Grande and Little Mix.
Nicki has also worked with the likes of David Guetta, Rihanna and Justin Bieber, bringing us iconic tracks such as 'Fly', 'Turn Me On' and 'Beauty And A Beat'.
Most recently she has released a collab with Kim Petras, called 'Alone' and 'Barbie World', with Ice Spice and Aqua, for the Barbie movie. She's also released her fifth album 'Pink Friday 2', which is full of collaborations, much to her fans' delight.
Check out Nicki Minaj's biggest collaborations to date:
'Moment 4 Life' with Drake (2010)
After both featuring on the iconic 'Bed Rock' back in 2009, Drake and Nicki joined forces with one another again in 2010 to bring us the hit single 'Moment 4 Life'.
'Fly' with Rihanna (2011)
A somewhat iconic duo, who can forget Nicki's huge collabs with pop superstar Rihanna?! 2010 brought us the incredibly catchy 'Raining Men', with the pair teaming up again in 2011 with 'Fly'.
'Turn Me On' with David Guetta (2011)
Over the years, Nicki has featured on a number of massive David Guetta tracks. But their 2011 single 'Turn Me On' is an absolute classic!
'Beauty and the Beat' with Justin Bieber (2012)
Nicki featured on Justin Bieber's 2012 hit 'Beauty and the Beat', a song which delivered one of the best music videos ever!
'Give Me All Your Luvin'' with Madonna and M.I.A. (2012)
A collab we never saw coming, but what a collab it was! When Nicki, M.I.A. and Madonna got together in 2012, 'Give Me All Your Luvin'' was a huge hit.
'Bang Bang' with Jessie J and Ariana Grande
Nicki teamed up with British artist Jessie J and American sweetheart Ariana Grande in 2014. The trio released the hit single 'Bang Bang', with fans loving the collab as it peaked at Number 1 in the UK and has also been certified 3x Platinum by the BPI!
'Side To Side' with Ariana Grande (2016)
Following the success of 'Bang Bang', Nicki and Ariana Grande teamed up once again in 2016, with Nicki providing vocals on Ari's hit single 'Side To Side'.
'Swish Swish' with Katy Perry (2017)
The pair teamed up back in 2017 on Katy Perry's iconic track 'Swish Swish', which featured on her fifth studio album 'Witness'.
'The Light Is Coming' with Ariana Grande (2018)
After previous success working together, it seems anything Nicki and Ariana work on together turns to gold. The pair teamed up yet again in 2018 on the single 'Bed' and 'The Light Is Coming' - the latter of which appeared on Ari's 2018 album 'Sweetener'.
'Woman Like Me' with Little Mix (2018)
In 2018, Nicki only went and joined forces with Little Mix! The girls released 'Woman Like Me' as the lead single from their fifth studio album 'LM5'.
'Say So' with Doja Cat (2020)
After the viral success of Doja Cat's 'Say So' in 2020, thanks to the mighty powers of TikTok, fans were overjoyed when the singer teamed up with Nicki to release a new remix of the popular track.
'Boyz' with Jesy Nelson (2021)
After Jesy Nelson officially left Little Mix in December 2020, she began to tease fans with upcoming solo music. Fans were thrilled when the singer dropped her first solo single on 8th October 2021, and the track, 'Boyz', features none other than Nicki herself!
'Alone' with Kim Petras (2023)
In April 2023, Kim Petras and Nicki Minaj released their song 'Alone', which samples a 90s dance classic by Alice Deejay called 'Better Off Alone'.
'Barbie World' with Ice Spice (2023)
Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj teamed up for their song 'Barbie World', featured in the Barbie movie which is out in July. The song features the 1997 hit 'Barbie Girl' by Aqua.
'Everybody' with Lil Uzi Vert (2024)
Nicki worked with fellow US rapper Lil Uzi Vert on 'Everybody', which samples 2002 classic 'Move Your Feet' by Junior Senior. The track appeared on her 2023 album 'Pink Friday 2', but was released as a single in January 2024. Nicki said of writing the track on X (formerly Twitter): 'This is mad funny b/c that was the song I wrote in 5 mins one day for "Call Of Duty" 🤣😂. Once I kept it for my album, I still didn't even rlly know if it made sense on PF2. I didn't wanna send it to Uzi b/c I thought he'd be over it. Instead he was like this hard af! Uzicito 🥹.' (sic)
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