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NIcki Minaj (born)
Born Onika Tonya Maraj, in St. James, trinidad and tobago, and moved with her family to queens, -
Childhood
when she was 5 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. -
childhood-(continued)
At the age of 12, she authored her first rap, then went on to delve into acting at La Guardia High School of Music and Art, the school that inspired the movie Fame -
start of career
Determined to make it in the music business, Minaj took on backup singing roles for local New York City rappers. Soon, she began writing her own material. She was eventually discovered by Dirty Money CEO Fendi, who came across Minaj's MySpace page, loved what he heard, and immediately signed her to his label. -
A Hit
By early 2010, considerable anticipation had built up around Minaj's much discussed, much covered debut album, which was scheduled for release that fall. In April of that year, she released her first single, "Massive Attack." Two months later she won Best Hip-Hop Female at the annual BET Awards. She dedicated the award to Lil Wayne. -
new platforms
In March 2012, Minaj made a guest appearance on the popular television competition American Idol. The singer signed on as part of the show's judging panel. It didn't take long before the fireworks began between her and fellow judge Mariah Carey. The pair seemed to take an instant dislike to each other, and openly feuded during the show's early auditions. -
new platforms
In 2012, she provided the voice for the character Steffie in the film Ice Age: Continental Drift and in 2014, she played a supporting role in the romantic comedy The Other Woman. -
prospering career
she set two career records during 2013: most-charted female rapper in the history of Billboard's singles chart, and the first person to win Best Female Hip-Hop Artist at the BET Awards four times in a row. -
new platforms
n May 2015, it was announced that Minaj would feature in the third installment of the Barbershop film series, alongside Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, Eve, and other original cast members.Titled Barbershop: The Next Cut, the film was released on April 15, 2016 and received critical acclaim, earning an average score of 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. Minaj's character in the film is a "sassy" hairdresser named Draya. -
today
Nicki Minaj is working on her currently untitled fourth studio album, but has released the singles "Regret in Your Tears" "No Frauds" and "Changed It". In February 2017 she featured and co-wrote the Jason Derulo "Swalla" that reached the UK singles chart.
