Nicki Minaj

Sassy, loud, energetic,

Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (née Maraj; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj (/ˈnɪki mɪˈnɑːʒ/ NIK-ee min-AHZH), is a Trinidadian-born[a] rapper and singer based in the United States. Often referred to as the "Queen of Rap", she is known for her musical versatility, animated rap flow, and alter egos. She first gained recognition after releasing three mixtapes between 2007 and 2009.

Minaj's debut album, Pink Friday (2010), topped the US Billboard 200 chart. Its single "Super Bass" reached number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and was certified 12-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Her follow-up album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2012), explored dance-pop, debuted at number one in both the UK and US, and yielded the international top-ten single "Starships". Minaj's collaboration "Bang Bang" (2014) with Jessie J and Ariana Grande became the first female collaboration to be certified diamond in the US. Her third album, The Pinkprint (2014), marked a return to her hip hop roots. Its second single, "Anaconda", peaked at number two on the Hot 100. Minaj followed it up with Queen (2018), which yielded the US top-ten single "Chun-Li". She achieved her first two US number-one singles in 2020 with the collaborations "Say So" with Doja Cat and "Trollz" with 6ix9ine. In 2022, she earned her first solo number-one on the Hot 100 with "Super Freaky Girl", the lead single from her fifth studio album, Pink Friday 2 (2023), which also debuted atop the Billboard 200. To promote the album, Minaj embarked on the Pink Friday 2 World Tour in 2024, which became the highest-grossing concert tour by a female rapper.

Outside of music, her other ventures have included voice roles in the animated films Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012) and The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019), and supporting roles in the films The Other Woman (2014) and Barbershop: The Next Cut (2016). On television, she served as a judge on the twelfth season of American Idol (2013).

Minaj is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with over 100 million records sold.[7] Billboard ranked her as the top-selling female rapper of the 2010s and one of the greatest rappers of all time.[8][9] She has the most number-one albums (3) and top-ten songs (23) in the US for a female rapper. Her various accolades include a Brit Award, five Billboard Music Awards, nine American Music Awards, eight MTV Video Music Awards (including the 2022 Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award), 12 BET Awards, and three Guinness World Records; she has received 12 Grammy Award nominations. In 2016, Time included her on their annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Throughout her career, Minaj's outspoken views, feuds with several rappers, her personal life, and her fanbase have received significant controversy.[1