Nicki Minaj

Rapper, singer and actress Nicki Minaj became one of the most prolific chart stars of the 2010s thanks to her rapid-fire lyrical delivery, array of cartoonish alter-egos and ability to flit between hip-hop, pop and EDM. Born Onika Tanya Maraj in the Trinidad and Tobago district of Saint James in 1982, Nicki Minaj was initially raised by her grandmother before moving to New York with her mother and siblings aged five. After graduating from the city's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art, she made her off-Broadway debut and enjoyed a brief stint alongside long-term boyfriend Safaree Samuels in hip-hop quartet The Hoodstars. Minaj then adopted her more familiar moniker while building a loyal fanbase through MySpace and in 2008 scored her first Billboard hit with "I Get Crazy." In 2009, she signed a deal with Lil Wayne's Young Money Entertainment and subsequently became a regular collaborator with many of the label's major players. Her own solo breakthrough came in 2010 when first LP Pink Friday entered the Billboard 200 at No.2 and seven of its singles appeared simultaneously on the US Hot 100. The record eventually reached pole position in early 2011, the same year that Minaj joined Britney Spears on tour, picked up three Grammy nominations including Best New Artist and achieved her first Top 10 hit, "Super Bass." An expanded edition, subtitled Roman Reloaded, also topped the charts in 2012 as Minaj ventured further away from her underground hip-hop roots into EDM-tinged pop. After guesting on Madonna's "Give Me All Your Luvin," Minaj embarked on her first major world tour, provided the voice of Steffie in animated sequel "Ice Age: Continental Draft" and starred in her own reality series, "Nicki Minaj: My Truth" (E!, 2012). A turbulent judging stint on "American Idol" (Fox, 2002-2016) alongside rumored rival Mariah Carey was then followed by a live-action big screen debut as Cameron Diaz's assistant in rom-com "The Other Woman" (2014) and a hosting gig at the 2014 MTV Europe Music Awards. Preceded by the typically provocative Sir Mix-a-Lot-sampling "Anaconda," Minaj's 2014 third studio effort, The Pinkprint, peaked at No. 2 in the US, while "Bang," an all-star collab with Jessie J and Ariana Grande, added to her prolific tally of hits. Minaj returned to the film world when she played smart-mouthed hair stylist Draya in "Barbershop: The Next Cut" (2015), while guest spots on tracks by Katy Perry, Jason Derulo and Yo Gotti ensured she remained a chart presence, too. By the time she teamed up with Migos on Top 10 hit "Motorsport" she'd surpassed Aretha Franklin's record for the highest number of US Hot 100 entries ever by a solo female act. Minaj's fourth album, the more hip-hop-oriented Queen, became her fourth consecutive Top 2 entry on the Billboard 200 in 2018 before she added BTS, 6ix9ine and Megan Thee Stallion to her never-ending list of collaborators and lent her voice to Pinky in "The Angry Birds Movie 2" (2019).