Nicki Minaj is widely called the Queen of Rap, the artist most credited with driving female rap back into the mainstream in the 2010s. Born Onika Tanya Maraj on December 8, 1982, in Trinidad and raised in Queens, New York, she built a following on mixtapes before signing to Lil Wayne’s Young Money label.
Pink Friday
Her 2010 debut Pink Friday opened with the biggest female rap sales week of the century and topped the chart, carried by “Super Bass”. She followed with the more pop-leaning Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2012) and its eurodance hit “Starships”.
The hits and verses
The Pinkprint (2014) brought “Anaconda”, and Queen (2018) followed. She is as known for scene-stealing guest verses, from Kanye West’s “Monster” to Ariana Grande‘s “Side to Side”, and shares Young Money roots with Drake, who appears across her catalogue.
Records and reinvention
Minaj scored number-one singles with “Super Freaky Girl” and a remix of Doja Cat‘s “Say So”. In 2023 she released Pink Friday 2, a sequel to her debut. She has 12 Grammy nominations and is one of the best-selling female rappers ever.
The persona
Her bold, costume-driven persona and rotating alter egos became a template for a generation of artists. With multiple billion-view videos, she remains one of rap’s most recognizable figures.
Most loved songs
A spread across the catalogue. Each title opens through the in-site player.
- Full nameOnika Tanya Maraj
- BornDecember 8, 1982, Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago
- GenresHip-hop, pop
- Also known forBeing called the “Queen of Rap”
From a quotable verse to a chart-topping hook, the odds are good a Nicki Minaj song lives in your memory. Type the line you remember into the search box above and you may find it leads back to her.