Celebrity Info
Let’s talk about Nicki Minaj—because honestly, you can’t discuss 2010s pop culture without mentioning her. Nicki Minaj, the multi-talented rapper, singer, and actress, absolutely dominated the charts throughout the decade. Known for her lightning-fast flow, bold personality, and a whole cast of wild alter egos, Nicki Minaj effortlessly bounced between hip-hop, pop, and EDM like no one else. Born Onika Tanya Maraj in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago back in 1982, she spent her early years with her grandmother before relocating to New York at just five years old, where she grew up with her mom and siblings.
Nicki Minaj’s journey into entertainment started strong—after finishing high school at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art, she made her off-Broadway debut and even performed with the hip-hop group The Hoodstars alongside her then-boyfriend Safaree Samuels. But things really began to take off when she embraced the name Nicki Minaj and built a massive online following through MySpace. That digital buzz paid off when “I Get Crazy” landed on the Billboard charts in 2008—her first major hit.
Then came the big break: in 2009, Nicki Minaj signed with Lil Wayne’s Young Money Entertainment. From there, she became a go-to collaborator for some of the biggest names in the game. Her solo career exploded in 2010 with the release of Pink Friday, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. And get this—seven of its singles were on the US Hot 100 at the same time. By early 2011, the album had climbed to No. 1, cementing Nicki Minaj as a superstar. That year alone, she toured with Britney Spears, scored three Grammy nods—including Best New Artist—and delivered her first Top 10 smash, “Super Bass.”
The momentum didn’t stop. In 2012, an expanded version titled Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded topped the charts, showing how Nicki Minaj was evolving from her underground roots into a full-blown pop and EDM force. She guested on Madonna’s “Give Me All Your Luvin’,” kicked off her first world tour, voiced Steffie in Ice Age: Continental Drift, and even starred in her own reality series, Nicki Minaj: My Truth on E!.
Now, not every chapter was smooth sailing. Her time as a judge on American Idol—alongside rumored rival Mariah Carey—was, well, let’s say dramatic. But Nicki Minaj kept moving forward. She made her live-action film debut as Cameron Diaz’s sassy assistant in The Other Woman (2014) and hosted the 2014 MTV Europe Music Awards with her signature flair.
That same year, her third album, The Pinkprint, dropped. Fueled by the daring, Sir Mix-a-Lot-sampling hit “Anaconda,” it peaked at No. 2 in the US. Plus, her collaboration with Jessie J and Ariana Grande on “Bang” added another major win to her already impressive list. Nicki Minaj continued to shine on screen too, playing the sharp-tongued Draya in Barbershop: The Next Cut (2015), all while staying relevant with features on tracks by Katy Perry, Jason Derulo, and Yo Gotti.
By the time she joined Migos on the Top 10 hit “Motorsport,” Nicki Minaj had done something historic—she surpassed Aretha Franklin for the most US Hot 100 entries by a solo female artist. Talk about legacy. Her fourth studio album, Queen (2018), leaned back into hip-hop and marked her fourth straight Top 2 debut on the Billboard 200. Never one to slow down, she went on to collaborate with BTS, 6ix9ine, and Megan Thee Stallion, proving her reach spans genres and generations. Oh, and she also voiced Pinky in The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019)—because why not?
Yeah, Nicki Minaj isn’t just a musician—she’s a movement. And whether you’re talking about records, reinvention, or raw talent, Nicki Minaj continues to set the bar.
Nicki Minaj has been part of several movies, but her most praised work is probably Barbershop: The Next Cut from 2016. On the flip side, one of her least favored projects was The Other Woman, which came out in 2014. While she’s known for her music, her appearances in films have had mixed reactions, with these two standing out on either end of the spectrum.
27
Philippines
