Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj is a rapper, singer and songwriter born in Trinidad and Tobago but raised in Queens, New York City, USA. She launched her musical career during the second half of the 2000s with her mixtapes Playtime is over (2007), Sucka Free (2008) and Beam Me Up Scotty (2009).

Her first studio album, Pink Friday, was released in 2009, after she had signed with the record label Young Money Entertainment.

Nicki Minaj is known for her fast-flow rapping and her playful use of accents, including British cockney. In her lyrics, she frequently includes metaphors, word play, unexpected turns, punch lines and comedy.

Minaj is not afraid to play with other musical genres than traditional hip-hop. With tracks such as Super Bass, Whip It, Come on Cone and Automatic she has ventured into electropop territory, while the song Starships has been described as eurodance.

In 2012, Minaj became the first solo female rapper ever to perform at the Grammy Awards, as she premiered her “Roman Holiday” song at the ceremony with a controversial exorcism-themed performance.

In 2016, she was included in the annual Time 100 list of the world’s most influential people.

Awards and other achievements

Throughout her career so far, Minaj have won numerous awards, including:

  • 11 BET Awards
  • 7 BET Hip Hop Awards
  • 6 American Music Awards
  • 4 Billboad Music Awards
  • 4 Teen Choice Awards
  • 3 MTV Video Music Awards
  • 3 MTV Europe Music Awards
  • 2 People’s Choice Awards
  • 1 Soul Train Music Award
  • 1 Billboard Women in Music Rising Star Award

Notable achievements

  • Minaj is the first artist ever to win the BET Award for Best Female Hip-Hop Artist for five consecutive years.
  • Minaj was the first female artist included in MTV’s annual Hottest MC List.
  • Minaj was included in the 2016 Time 100 list of the world’s most influential people.
  • Minaj has the most Billboard Hot 100 entries among women of all genres in the chart’s history.

Who?

Name: Onika Tanya Maraj

Born: 8 December, 1982, in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago

Stage name: Nicki Minaj

When?

Years active: 2004 – present

Labels

  • Young Money
  • Cash Money
  • Republic

First solo single

The first version of “Your Love” appeared on Minaj’s unofficial mixtape Barbie World (2010). After undergoing several changes, it was eventually sent to mainstream radio as the first official single from Minaj’s debut solo album Pink Friday (2010).

The track relies heavily on samplings of Annie Lennox cover version of the song No More I Love You’s from 1995. (This song was created in 1986 by the duo The Lover Speaks.) Annie Lennox’s performance is utilized as a background, upon which vocals, bass, drum loops and hip-hop backbeats are added.

The single peaked at #14 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached #4 at the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

Data from June 2016 show that the single has sold 1.5 million digital downloads.

Released June 1, 2010
Format Digital download
Genre Hip hop
Length 4:04
Label
  • Young Money
  • Cash Money
  • Universal Motown
Songwriters
  • Onika Maraj (Niki Minaj)
  • David Freeman
  • Joseph Hughes
  • Andrew “Pop” Wansel
Producers
  • Pop & Oak

First studio album

Nicki Minaj debut studio album Pink Friday was relased on 22 November, 2010 by Young Money, Cash Money and Universal Motown.

Released November 22, 2010
Recorded 2009–2010
Genre
  • Hip hop
  • pop
  • R&B
Length 50:46
Labels
  • Young Money
  • Cash Money
  • Universal Motown
Producers
  • Bangladesh
  • Blackout Movement
  • Drew Money
  • J.R. Rotem
  • Kane Beatz
  • Oak
  • Papa Justifi
  • Skyz Muzik
  • Swizz Beatz
  • T-Minus
  • will.i.am

Working with several different producers, Minaj created an album that was mostly hip-hop, but also had strong influences from genres such as pop and R&B. Vocal artists featured at the album are Kanye West, Natasha Bedingfield, Rihanna, Drake, Eminem and will.i.am.

Pink Friday debuted at #2 on the US Billboard 200 by selling 375,000 copies in the U.S. during its first week. As of February 2018, the album has sold 2 million copies in the U.S, plus impressive sales in countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia.

Eight of the album tracks were released as singles, of which the commercially most successful one was Super Bass.

Discography

  • Pink Friday (2010)
  • Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2012)
  • The Pinkprint (2014)
  • Queen (2018)

Tours

Headlining tours

  • Pink Friday Tour (2012)
  • Pink Friday: Reloaded Tour (2012)
  • The Pinkprint Tour (2015-2016)

Co-headlining tours

  • NickiHndrxx Tour (with Future) (2018-2019)