Onika Tanya Maraj (born December 8, 1982) is a Trinidadian-born American rapper, singer and songwriter, as well as an actress and voice actress. Known professionally as Nicki Minaj, she is hailed as the most famous female rapper in the planet, notably acclaimed for her versatility as an artist, her sharp lyrics and animated flow in her rapping, including alter egos and hyper accents. As a small child, Minaj lived with her grandmother in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobego until moving to New York City to live with her parents when she was five years old. Her father, Robert Maraj, a financial executive and part-time gospel singer, is of Indo-Trinidadian and Afro-Trinidadian descent, while her mother, Carol Maraj, also a gospel singer, is of Afro-Trinidadian ancestry. Minaj graduated from the LaGuardia High School in Manhattan, which focuses on visual and performing arts with the intention to become an actress, and in 2001 was cast in the Off-Broadway play 'In Case You Forget'. Nicki Minaj earned public attention after releasing three mixtapes between 2007 and 2009, signing to Young Money Entertainment and outshining other artists in her infamous features all before the release of her first studio album 'Pink Friday' in 2010, which skyrocketed her into a global and cultural icon, her influence, popularity and acclaim only growing to cement her as an icon of over the course of the decade. She is the most followed rapper of all time on the social media platform, Instagram. Nicki Minaj made her film debut in a voice acting role for the 2012 animated film 'Ice Age: Continental Drift', followed by supporting roles in 'The Other Woman' (2014) and a voice acting role in 'Angry Birds Movie 2' (2019). She has appeared as self-archive footage in multiple films and documentaries, and stated in early 2022 her intention to return her focus to acting with her biggest role to date.
Nicki Minaj - Road To Success
Justin Bieber's Believe
(Self)
Dave Skylark's Very Special VMA Special
(Nicki Minaj)
Madonna: MDNA World Tour
(Self - Vocals)
Ice Age: Continental Drift
(Steffie (voice))
Madonna: Rebel Heart Tour
(Self - Vocals)
The Other Woman
(Lydia)
Nicki Minaj: Queen of Rap
(Self (archive footage))
On the Run Tour: Beyoncé and Jay-Z
(Self - Performer)
Barbershop: The Next Cut
(Draya)
The Carter
Britney Spears Live The Femme Fatale Tour
(Self)
Playtime Is Over
(Self)
The Come Up: The Strip Club Edition
(Herself)
New World Order: Communism by the Backdoor
(Self (archive footage))
Charli XCX: The F-Word and Me
(Self (archive footage))
Nicki Minaj: The Pinkprint Tour
(Nicki Minaj)
Double Dutchess: Seeing Double
My Mic Sounds Nice: A Truth About Women and Hip Hop
(Self (archive footage))
The Angry Birds Movie 2
(Pinky (voice))
Matangi / Maya / M.I.A.
(Self (archive footage))
Nicki Minaj: My Time Again
(Self)
Nicki Minaj: My Time Now
(Herself)
Nicki Minaj: Pink Planet
(Self (archive footage))
Feels Good Man
(Self (archive footage))
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
(Herself)
American Music Awards
(Self - Musical Guest)
MTV Video Music Awards
(Self - Performer)
Victoria's Secret Fashion Show
(Self)
Radio Disney Music Awards
(Self)
MTV Movie & TV Awards
(Self / Presenter)
MTV Video Music Awards
(Self - Host)
MTV Video Music Awards
(Self)
America's Next Top Model
(Guest)
Nicki Minaj: My Truth
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
(Self)
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
(Self - Guest)
Saturday Night Live
(Self - Musical Guest)
American Idol
(Self - Judge)
History 101
(Self (archive footage))
Steven Universe
(Sugilite (voice))
73 Questions
(Self)
RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked
(Self - Guest)
MTV Europe Music Awards
(Self - Performer)
MTV Europe Music Awards
(Self - Host)
Entertainment Tonight
(Self)
Saturday Night Live
RuPaul's Drag Race
(Self - Guest Judge)
The Graham Norton Show
(Self)
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
(Self)
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
(Self)
Keeping Up with the Kardashians
(Self)