Discover the career path of Nicki Minaj, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.
Nicki Minaj, born Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty, is a highly influential Trinidadian-American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Widely recognized as the "Queen of Rap," she's celebrated for her unique rap flow, clever lyrics, and musical versatility. Minaj is also known for her use of alter egos and is credited with revitalizing female rap in the mainstream during the 2010s. She remains a prominent figure in contemporary music and pop culture.
Nicki Minaj's album Pink Friday achieved the second-largest album sales week of all time by a female rapper, after Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill released in 1998.
Reference to Lauryn Hill being the last female rapper to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 since 1998 with her song "Doo Wop (That Thing)"
In 2001, a week after graduating, Nicki Minaj was cast in the Off-Broadway play In Case You Forget.
From 2002, Nicki Minaj rapped in a New York hip hop group called Hoodstars, which included rappers Lou$tar and 7even Up and hype man Safaree Samuels.
In 2002, Missy Elliot's song "Work It" was mentioned as the highest-charting solo single by a female rapper at the time, before "Super Bass" reached higher in 2011.
In 2004, the group Hoodstars recorded the entrance song for WWE Diva Victoria, "Don't Mess With", which was featured on the compilation album ThemeAddict: WWE The Music, Vol.6.
In 2006, Fendi signed Nicki Minaj to Dirty Money Entertainment under a 180-day contract after reaching out to her on Myspace.
On July 5, 2007, Nicki Minaj released her first mixtape, Playtime Is Over.
From 2007, Nicki Minaj began to gain recognition with her three mixtapes.
On April 12, 2008, Nicki Minaj released her second mixtape, Sucka Free.
On April 18, 2009, Nicki Minaj released her third mixtape, Beam Me Up Scotty, which received favorable coverage. The track "I Get Crazy" reached number 20 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart and number 37 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
In October 2009, Nicki Minaj performed a freestyle at the 2009 BET Hip Hop Awards cypher.
In 2009, Nicki Minaj appeared on "BedRock" and "Roger That" on the compilation album, We Are Young Money. The singles peaked at numbers two and 56, respectively, in the U.S.
In 2009, Nicki Minaj gained recognition with her three mixtapes.
In 2009, Nicki Minaj released the mixtape Beam Me Up Scotty.
In early February 2010, Nicki Minaj made her first two appearances on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart with her features on "Knockout" and "Up Out My Face" by Lil Wayne and Mariah Carey respectively. She also appeared on "BedRock" and "Roger That" on the compilation album, We Are Young Money (2009).
On March 29, 2010, Nicki Minaj released "Massive Attack" featuring Sean Garrett. The song was dropped from her album due to poor performance.
In November 2010, Nicki Minaj collaborated with MAC Cosmetics to launch the "Pink 4 Friday" lipstick, which was sold for four consecutive Fridays to promote her debut studio album, Pink Friday.
In November 2010, Nicki Minaj received her first Grammy Award nomination for her guest verse on Ludacris' song "My Chick Bad".
On November 19, 2010, Nicki Minaj released her debut album, Pink Friday, which debuted at number two and later reached number one on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 375,000 copies in its first week. It had the largest sales week for a female rap album in the 21st century.
On December 7, 2010, "Moment 4 Life" featuring Drake was released as the fourth single from Pink Friday, reaching number 13 on the Hot 100 chart.
In December 2010, Pink Friday was certified platinum by the RIAA for selling a million units in the United States, marking the first album by a solo female rapper to achieve platinum status in seven years.
In 2010, Nicki Minaj became the first female solo artist to simultaneously have seven songs on the Billboard Hot 100, marking a significant achievement in her career.
In 2010, Nicki Minaj performed a cover of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", alongside Katy Perry, for service members during the VH1 Divas Salute the Troops concert.
In 2010, Nicki Minaj released her debut studio album, Pink Friday, which topped the US Billboard 200 and achieved the largest female rap album sales week of the 21st century. The album spawned the global hit single "Super Bass".
In 2010, Nicki Minaj stated that she aimed to be a "balanced artist" and that animation and performance came naturally to her artistry.
In 2020, on the 10th anniversary of her album Pink Friday released in 2010, Minaj announced a six-part docuseries.
On January 29, 2011, Nicki Minaj performed "Right Thru Me" and "Moment 4 Life" as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live.
In March 2011, Billboard listed Nicki Minaj as the fourth-most-active musician on social media on its Social 50 chart, recognizing her strong online presence.
In April 2011, "Super Bass" was released as the fifth single from Pink Friday. It became a commercially successful sleeper hit, peaking at number three on the Hot 100.
In December 2011, Nicki Minaj was nominated for three Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist and Best Rap Album for Pink Friday.
In 2011, Nicki Minaj released the single Super Bass from her album Pink Friday.
In a 2011 interview, Nicki Minaj discussed how she stifled her playful and kooky side early in her career due to advice from someone spearheading her career, before deciding to just be herself after they parted ways.
On February 6, 2012, Nicki Minaj, along with M.I.A., joined Madonna to perform the single, "Give Me All Your Luvin" during the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show.
In February 2012, "Starships" was released as the lead single from Nicki Minaj's second album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded. The song reached number five on the US Billboard Hot 100.
In February 2012, Nicki Minaj launched her own range of lip products for MAC Cosmetics' Viva Glam.
On April 2, 2012, Nicki Minaj's second album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, was released. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 253,000 copies in its first week.
In April 2012, Nicki Minaj helped launch the Nokia Lumia 900 in Times Square.
On May 16, 2012, Nicki Minaj began her headlining Pink Friday Tour.
In September 2012, Nicki Minaj partnered with 'Give Back Brands' to launch her first fragrance "Pink Friday", which received three FiFi Awards nominations.
On October 14, 2012, Nicki Minaj began her Pink Friday: Reloaded Tour.
On November 19, 2012, an expanded version of Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, titled The Re-Up, was released, featuring seven new songs.
Before Pink Friday 2 in 2023, the last time Nicki Minaj had an album top the Billboard 200 was in 2012.
In 2012, Nicki Minaj explored dance-pop on her second US number-one album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, which produced the top-five single, "Starships".
In 2012, Nicki Minaj made her voice acting debut in the animated film Ice Age: Continental Drift.
In 2012, following Hurricane Sandy, Nicki Minaj donated $15,000 to the Food Bank For New York City and held a turkey drive at her alma mater, PS 45, to support those affected by the disaster.
In February 2013, Nicki Minaj starred in Bluewater Comics' Fame biographical-comic series, with her comic book, titled Fame: Nicki Minaj.
In April 2013, Nicki Minaj partnered with Beats Electronics to introduce her "Pink Pill" speakers, appearing in a commercial with DeRay Davis. She also introduced her lifestyle product line, "The Nicki Minaj Collection" for Kmart, featuring clothing, accessories, and houseware.
In June 2013, Nicki Minaj and Mona Scott-Young launched MYX Fusions, a line of fruit-infused moscato wine beverages, with Minaj as a co-owner, creative director, and ambassador.
In September 2013, Nicki Minaj's fourth fragrance "Minajesty" was launched.
In December 2013, Nicki Minaj released "Pink Friday: Deluxe Edition", a flanker edition of her "Pink Friday" fragrance.
In 2013, Nicki Minaj became the most-charted female rapper on the Billboard Hot 100 at the time, with 44 entries, and tied with Mariah Carey as seventh among all female artists.
In 2013, Nicki Minaj served as a judge on the twelfth season of American Idol.
In early 2013, Nicki Minaj fronted the Viva Glam spring campaign by herself, which introduced her limited-edition lip product collection, "Nicki 2".
In spring 2013, Nicki Minaj filmed her first live-action theatrical film, The Other Woman.
Nicki Minaj's first live-action theatrical film, The Other Woman, premiered on April 25, 2014.
In May 2014, "Pills n Potions" was released as the lead single from The Pinkprint album.
In June 2014, Nicki Minaj released "Minajesty: Exotic Edition" exclusively to the Home Shopping Network.
In September 2014, Nicki Minaj launched her sixth fragrance "Onika".
On November 9, 2014, Nicki Minaj hosted the 2014 MTV Europe Music Awards in Glasgow, Scotland and won the Best Hip-Hop Award for a second time.
On December 15, 2014, Nicki Minaj's album The Pinkprint was officially released and debuted at number two in the U.S.
In 2014, NPR's Erik Nielson recognized Nicki Minaj's success as an exception to the perceived decline of women in elite rap, highlighting her impact on the music industry.
In 2014, Nicki Minaj acted in the comedy film The Other Woman.
In 2014, Nicki Minaj returned to her hip-hop roots with her third album, The Pinkprint, which yielded the hit single "Anaconda".
In 2014, Nicki Minaj's song 'Bang Bang' reached the sixth position.
Reference to Iggy Azalea being the last female rapper with a collaboration that had reached number one in the U.S. since 2014 with her song "Fancy" featuring Charli XCX.
Throughout 2014, Nicki Minaj released spring, summer, and fall-themed clothing collections for Kmart.
In March 2015, Nicki Minaj became a co-owner of the music streaming service Tidal, alongside other artists like Beyoncé, Madonna, and Rihanna.
In March 2015, Nicki Minaj embarked on her third world tour entitled The Pinkprint Tour and also became the first female artist to chart four songs simultaneously in the top 10 of Billboard's Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop airplay chart.
In May 2015, it was announced that Nicki Minaj would feature in the third installment of the Barbershop film series, titled Barbershop: The Next Cut.
In September 2015, it was announced that Nicki Minaj would executive produce and appear in a scripted single-camera comedy series for ABC Family (now Freeform) based on her life growing up in Queens, New York City, titled Nicki.
In November 2015, Nicki Minaj released a holiday capsule clothing collection for Kmart and its affiliated e-commerce platform, ShopYourWay, along with a limited-edition couture collection.
In 2015, Nicki Minaj released her seventh fragrance, "The Pinkprint", named after her third studio album.
In 2015, Nicki Minaj spoke about feminism in an interview with Vogue, expressing that she does not label herself but believes women can achieve anything they set their minds to.
In January 2016, the pilot episode of the TV series Nicki was filmed in Minaj's hometown.
As of March 2016, Pink Friday has been certified triple-platinum by the RIAA.
On April 15, 2016, the film Barbershop: The Next Cut, featuring Nicki Minaj, was released.
In October 2016, Nicki Minaj stated that the filming of the TV series Nicki was postponed for undisclosed reasons.
In December 2016, Nicki Minaj and Glu Mobile released Nicki Minaj: The Empire, a role-playing mobile game for IOS and Android, featuring an exclusive song "Ain't Gone Do It".
In 2016, Nicki Minaj acted in the comedy film Barbershop: The Next Cut.
In 2016, Nicki Minaj released her eighth fragrance, "Trini Girl".
In 2016, the RIAA announced that it would modernize the certification process for albums, including on-demand audio and video streams, following Nicki Minaj's vocal advocacy for streams counting towards sales and RIAA certifications.
In February 2017, Nicki Minaj was featured on Gucci Mane's song "Make Love" and Jason Derulo's single "Swalla" alongside Ty Dolla Sign. Also in February 2017, rapper Remy Ma released the diss track "Shether", alleging that Minaj used a ghostwriter and was in a 360-record deal.
On March 20, 2017, Nicki Minaj broke the record for the most Billboard Hot 100 entries for a female artist, previously held by Aretha Franklin, with the release of three songs.
In May 2017, Nicki Minaj offered to pay college tuition fees and student loans for 30 of her fans via Twitter, providing financial assistance and promising to launch an official charity for student loans and tuition payments in the future.
In May 2017, Nicki Minaj opened the 2017 Billboard Music Awards with a medley performance.
In August 2017, Nicki Minaj donated $25,000 to the Red Cross after Hurricane Harvey hit Houston, Texas, answering a social media challenge by Kevin Hart and expressing her prayers for the city.
In September 2017, Nicki Minaj released two lipsticks called "Nicki's Nude" and "The Pinkprint" (named after her third studio album) in collaboration with MAC Cosmetics.
In November 2017, Nicki Minaj starred in H&M's holiday campaign along with Anna Ewers, Mariacarla Boscono, Jesse Williams, Charlee Fraser, and Elibeidy Dani.
In 2017, Billboard ranked "Super Bass" as the second-biggest US Hot 100 hit by a female rapper of all time, behind Iggy Azalea's Fancy.
In 2017, Nicki Minaj surpassed Aretha Franklin to hold the record for the most Hot 100 entries by a female artist, solidifying her presence in the music charts.
In March 2018, Nicki Minaj appeared in a commercial for the Mercedes-Benz A-Class car.
On April 12, 2018, Nicki Minaj simultaneously released "Chun-Li" and "Barbie Tingz" from her fourth studio album Queen.
On June 11, 2018, Nicki Minaj released "Rich Sex" featuring Lil Wayne as the first promotional single from Queen.
On June 14, 2018, Nicki Minaj released "Bed" featuring Ariana Grande alongside the album pre-order.
On August 10, 2018, Nicki Minaj's album Queen was released after multiple delays and debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200.
In August 2018, Nicki Minaj starred in the trailer for EA Sports' Madden NFL 19 video game alongside Lil Dicky, Quavo and other celebrities.
On September 4, 2018, Nicki Minaj appeared as a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, performing several songs and participating in giving out over $150,000 in donations to fans with Ellen Degeneres and Walmart.
On October 12, 2018, Nicki Minaj featured on the song "Woman Like Me" by British girl group Little Mix.
In November 2018, Nicki Minaj co-starred with Quavo and Saturday Night Live member Chris Redd in the holiday campaign for Madden NFL 19.
In 2018, Nicki Minaj became the first woman to accumulate 100 entries on the Billboard Hot 100, setting a new milestone for female artists in the music industry.
In 2018, Nicki Minaj launched the radio show Queen Radio.
In 2018, Nicki Minaj references a lyric that would become a clothing line with Fendi in her single "Chun-Li".
In 2018, Nicki Minaj released her fourth album, Queen, which yielded the hit single "Chun-Li".
In a 2018 interview, Nicki Minaj revealed that she wrote the song "Roman's Revenge" after a veteran artist criticized her, leading to her response with the song.
In January 2019, Nicki Minaj's album Queen was certified Platinum by the RIAA.
In April 2019, Nicki Minaj made a surprise guest appearance at the 2019 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival during Ariana Grande's set, and she parted ways with her longtime management team.
In June 2019, Nicki Minaj released a standalone single titled "Megatron" along with an accompanying music video.
In August 2019, Nicki Minaj featured on the song "Hot Girl Summer" alongside Megan Thee Stallion, and had a voice role as Pinky in The Angry Birds Movie 2.
On October 14, 2019, Nicki Minaj's capsule collection with Fendi, titled "Fendi Prints On", was released.
In 2019, Nicki Minaj became the first female rapper to achieve 100 million certified units by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) across her albums and songs, marking a significant milestone in her career.
In 2019, Nicki Minaj cancelled her headlining performance in Saudi Arabia following criticism due to the detainment and arrest of women's rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul. She stated that it was important for her to make clear her support for the rights of women, the LGBTQ community, and freedom of expression.
In 2019, Nicki Minaj voice acted in the animated film The Angry Birds Movie 2.
In 2019, Nicki Minaj's collaboration with Karol G, "Tusa", became the first song by two lead female artists to debut at the top of the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart, highlighting her crossover appeal.
In 2019, the Queen Radio show on Apple Music became the most listened to radio show on the platform.
In January 2020, Nicki Minaj was featured on "Nice to Meet Ya" by Meghan Trainor.
Queen Radio, Nicki Minaj's Beats 1 radio show, ran for 17 episodes until February 2020.
In August 2020, Nicki Minaj was featured on Ty Dolla Sign's track "Expensive".
As of December 2020, Nicki Minaj previously broke the record for the most Hot 100 entries by a female artist.
In 2020, Nicki Minaj achieved her first two Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles with the duets "Say So" and "Trollz"; the former was the first female rap collaboration to top the chart.
In 2020, Nicki Minaj donated $25,000 to St. Jude's Home for Girls in Trinidad. Following the release of "Trollz", a collaboration with 6ix9ine, Nicki Minaj announced that a portion of the song's proceeds, along with profits from all merchandise, would go towards the Bail Project amid the Black Lives Matter protests.
In May 2021, Nicki Minaj released a reissue of her mixtape Beam Me Up Scotty (2009), which debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200.
In October 2021, Nicki Minaj appeared as a surprise host for the season six reunion of the reality television show The Real Housewives of Potomac.
In November 2021, Nicki Minaj's 2011 Pink Friday single "Super Bass" received a Diamond certification by the RIAA, and she won the Best Hip Hop award in the MTV Europe Music Awards 2021.
In 2021, Zoe Johnson of XXL, stated that in recent years Minaj's "beat selection has moved to refined production full of grit and hip-hop flare".
In 2021, the music video for Nicki Minaj's "Anaconda" became the first female rap solo song to surpass one billion views on YouTube, setting a new record in the music industry.
On February 4, 2022, Nicki Minaj released a song collaboration with Lil Baby titled "Do We Have a Problem?", which debuted at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100.
In March 2022, Nicki Minaj fronted the campaign for the "Heaven" spring 2022 collection by Marc Jacobs.
In July 2022, Nicki Minaj collaborated with Rap Snacks and released her own potato chip flavor, "Barbie-Que Honey Truffle".
In December 2022, MaximBet, a sports betting brand for which Nicki Minaj served as creative director, global ambassador, and advisor, was shut down.
In 2022, Nicki Minaj had her first solo US number-one song with "Super Freaky Girl", the lead single from her fifth studio album.
In 2022, Nicki Minaj released her first greatest hits album, "Queen Radio: Volume 1", which included a new track, "Likkle Miss (Remix)" with Skeng. She also collaborated on "Love in the Way", "The Fine Nine Remix", "I Admit", and "Tukoh Taka", the official 2022 FIFA Fan Festival anthem with Myriam Fares and Maluma.
In 2022, Nicki Minaj's single "Super Freaky Girl" debuted at number one on the Hot 100, making her the first solo female rapper to achieve this since Lauryn Hill in 1998 and the first female rapper to debut a solo song at number one in the 21st century.
In 2022, it was confirmed that HBO Max dropped the unreleased Pink Friday docuseries.
On March 3, 2023, Nicki Minaj announced the launch of her record label imprint on her radio show, "Queen Radio", with Patty "Patty Duke" Lauren as the label's A&R, and unveiled her starting roster: Nana Fofie, Tate Kobang, Rico Danna, and London Hill.
On March 5, 2023, Nicki Minaj made a surprise appearance during Lil Wayne's set at the Rolling Loud California festival.
On March 13, 2023, Nicki Minaj revealed the name of her record label imprint as "Heavy On It Records", which has a venture with Republic Records.
In March 2023, inspired by her 2023 single, "Red Ruby Da Sleeze", Nicki Minaj released a "Nocho Nachos" nachos flavor with Rap Snacks.
In July 2023, A playable character model of Nicki Minaj in her "Red Ruby" persona was released as downloadable content for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II to commemorate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop music's origin.
In August 2023, "Super Freaky Girl", the lead single from Pink Friday 2 which samples Rick James's 1981 song, "Super Freak", was released. It debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100, marking Minaj's third US number-one and her first solo chart-topper.
In September 2023, "Last Time I Saw You" was released as the third single from the album Pink Friday 2.
Nicki Minaj's radio show Queen Radio was revived on Amp, but was discontinued in October 2023 due to the closure of Amp.
On December 8, 2023, Nicki Minaj's birthday, her fifth studio album, Pink Friday 2, was released. The album debuted atop the Billboard 200 with 228,000 album-equivalent units.
In December 2023, Nicki Minaj and Roblox introduced the virtual world Gag City on the game platform to promote her fifth album, Pink Friday 2 (2023).
In December 2023, Nicki Minaj's tenth fragrance "Pink Friday 2" was released to JCPenney and Amazon, in support of her fifth album of the same name.
In 2023, Nicki Minaj became the first female rapper to earn three number-one albums on the Billboard 200 chart, further establishing her dominance in the music industry.
In 2023, Nicki Minaj founded the record label imprint Heavy On It.
In 2023, Nicki Minaj hosted the MTV Video Music Awards ceremony. At the previous ceremony in 2022, she received the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award and performed a medley of her hits.
In 2023, Nicki Minaj's album Pink Friday 2, debuted at number one in the US, making her the female rapper with the most US number-one albums (three) in history. Its concert tour became the fourth-highest grossing tour for a rapper and highest-grossing tour for a female rapper in history.
In January 2024, Nicki Minaj released "Everybody" and "FTCU" as singles.
On January 26, 2024, Megan Thee Stallion released the song "Hiss", which was believed to include jabs at Minaj and her husband, starting a feud between the two artists.
In March 2024, Nicki Minaj launched her press-on nails line, Pink Friday Nails, and released a sneaker collection with Loci, where she is an investor and co-owner.
In March 2024, Nicki Minaj's album, Pink Friday 2, was certified platinum by the RIAA.
In April 2024, Nicki Minaj joined over 200 artists in signing an open letter advocating for safety from the "predatory use of AI" within the music industry.
In May 2024, "Bang Bang" was certified diamond by the RIAA, recognizing sales of 10 million units, becoming the first all-female collaboration to achieve the certification.
In September 2024, Nicki Minaj announced that she had scrapped the deluxe version of the album, titled Gag City Reloaded, in favor of making her sixth studio album.
As of October 2024, the music video for "Super Bass" has surpassed 1 billion views on YouTube. Billboard also ranked it as the biggest Hot 100 hit of Minaj's career.
In October 2024, Nicki Minaj concluded the Pink Friday 2 World Tour, which was her most extensive tour yet. The tour included her headlining slots at ten festivals.
In November 2024, "Starships" was certified diamond by the RIAA, for moving over ten million units in the US.
In November 2024, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded was certified four-times platinum by the RIAA, becoming Minaj's highest-certified album yet.
In 2024, Nicki Minaj became the first female rapper with multiple diamond-certified solo songs by the RIAA.
In 2024, Nicki Minaj's Pink Friday 2 World Tour grossed over US$108 million, marking it as the fourth-highest-grossing tour by a rap or hip hop artist of all time, the highest-grossing tour by a female rapper, and the first among female rappers to surpass US$100 million in revenue.
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