How Nicki Minaj Shaped the Future: A Legacy Timeline
A closer look at the lasting mark left by Nicki Minaj—a timeline of influence.
Nicki Minaj, born Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty, is a highly influential Trinidadian-born rapper, singer, and songwriter. Often hailed as the "Queen of Rap", she rose to prominence in the late 2000s with a series of mixtapes and is recognized for her unique flow, lyrical wit, versatility, and use of alter egos. Minaj is widely credited with spearheading the resurgence of female rap into the mainstream during the early 2010s, solidifying her position as a major force in contemporary music and pop culture.
1981: "Super Freak" Sampled
In 1981, Rick James released "Super Freak". This song was sampled by Nicki Minaj in August 2023 for her song, "Super Freaky Girl".
1998: Compared to Lauryn Hill's Album Sales
In 1998, Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill had higher sales than Nicki Minaj's Pink Friday, the latter having the largest sales week for a female rap album in the 21st century.
2010: Subduing Sexuality in Career
In 2010, Nicki Minaj said that she intended to subdue her sexuality because she "[wants] people—especially young girls—to know that in life, nothing is going to be based on sex appeal. You've got to have something else to go with that."
2010: Minaj Aims to Be a Balanced Artist
In 2010, Nicki Minaj stated her aim to be a "balanced artist", emphasizing her focus on learning her style and doing something different to capture attention.
2011: Revealed Early Career Stifling
In a 2011 interview, Nicki Minaj said that before she met Lil Wayne, she had stifled a lot of her playfulness due to career advice.
2012: Most Influential Female Rapper
In 2012, Jon Caramanica of The New York Times called Nicki Minaj "the most influential female rapper of all time".
2014: Exception to the Unwritten Rule
In 2014, Erik Nielson of NPR said that Nicki Minaj's success over the last decade has stood as an exception to the unwritten rule that women rappers no longer have a place among elite artists.
August 2015: Madame Tussauds Wax Figure Unveiled
In August 2015, Madame Tussauds unveiled a wax figure of Nicki Minaj, depicting a pose from the "Anaconda" music video.
2015: Feminism Views
In 2015, Nicki Minaj spoke about feminism in an interview with Vogue, saying "There are things that I do that feminists don't like, and there are things that I do that they do like. I don't label myself. I just say the truth about what I feel. I feel like women can do anything that they put their minds to."
2015: World's Biggest Female Rap Superstar
In 2015, Vanessa Grigoriadis from The New York Times Magazine called Nicki Minaj "the world's biggest female rap superstar".
2016: Named One of Time's 100 Most Influential People
In 2016, Time named Nicki Minaj one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
2017: "Super Bass" Ranked by Billboard
In 2017, Billboard ranked "Super Bass" as the second-biggest US Hot 100 hit by a female rapper of all time.
2019: Most Important Female Rapper of the Decade
In 2019, Complex ranked Nicki Minaj eighth on their list of best rappers of the 2010s, calling her "the most important female rapper of this decade—and quite possibly of all time".
2020: Best Rapper of the Past Ten Years
In 2020, Nick Soulsby of PopMatters called Nicki Minaj the "best female rapper and the best rapper of the past ten years – no gender preposition required."
2021: Best-Selling Female Rapper
As of 2021, Nicki Minaj has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making her the best-selling female rapper and one of the best-selling music artists globally in 2021.
2022: Pink Friday on Rolling Stone's List
In 2022, the album Pink Friday was included in Rolling Stone's list of "200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time" at number 31.
December 2023: Martha's Death Confirmed
In December 2023, Nicki Minaj confirmed that Martha, the mother of her alter ego Roman Zolanski, had died of old age.
2023: Ranked Greatest Female Rapper
In 2023, Billboard and Vibe ranked Nicki Minaj as the greatest female rapper of all time.
2023: Tenth-Greatest Rapper of All Time
In 2023, Nicki Minaj was ranked as the tenth-greatest rapper and greatest female rapper of all time on Billboard and Vibe's list of the 50 greatest rappers.
October 2024: "Super Bass" Views on YouTube
As of October 2024, the music video for "Super Bass" has over 1 billion views on YouTube and Billboard ranked it as the biggest Hot 100 hit of Minaj's career.
2024: Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century
In 2024, Billboard ranked Nicki Minaj at number 13 on its "Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century" list.
2024: Apex of Rap Mountain
In 2024, Billboard stated that Nicki Minaj "remains at the apex of the rap mountain 15 years after the release of her breakout mixtape, Beam Me Up Scotty".
2024: Pink Friday named as one of the "50 Greatest Black Albums of the Modern Era"
In 2024, Vibe named Pink Friday as one of the "50 Greatest Black Albums of the Modern Era".
