Today we celebrate super talented black Queen Trinidadian-born singer, songwriter, television personality Onika Tanya Maraj aka Nicki Minaj!
From her drug related tumultuous
childhood to world superstar, Nicki Minaj has warmed hearts with her catchy lyrics, daring personality and enviable style.
The multitalented act wrote her first rap song when she was 12 years old and pursued acting at New York City’s Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts.
Professionally, Minaj kicked off her music career as a backup singer for local aspiring rap singers in New York City. Thankfully along the line, she eventually came to the attention of rapper Lil Wayne, and the two worked on some mixtapes (recordings), the first of which, Playtime Is Over, appeared in 2007. With other mixtapes Minaj started gaining grounds and the next year she was named Female Artist of the Year at the Underground Music Awards.
In 2009 she officially signed with Young Money Entertainment, the label founded by Wayne. Her first album for Young Money, Pink Friday (2010), it was warmly received and there’s been no stopping her ever since.
In 2012 Minaj released her second album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, which featured a number of pop songs, notably the hit single “Starships.”
The rap star so far has released four studio albums one-hundred and fifteen singles (including seventy-seven as a featured artist), and fifteen promotional singles.
Minaj as an actress has featured in The Other Woman (2014) and Barbershop: The Next Cut (2016). She lent her voice to the animated comedies Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012) and The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019).
Happy Birthday Nicki!!
