Bio
Nicki Minaj is a Trinidadian-born American recording artist signed to Young Money Entertainment. She was born in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago, but moved to the Queens borough of New York City at age five.
Minaj began her music career in 2007 after she released her first mixtape Playtime Is Over. The mixtape was followed by the mixtapes Sucka Free and Beam Me Up Scotty which were released in 2008 and 2009, respectively.
Minaj had her first label success after fellow American rapper, Lil Wayne discovered and secured a record deal with her with Young Money Entertainment with distribution from Universal Motown Records In August 2009.
Her 2010 debut album, Pink Friday, quickly became a commercial success, peaking at the top of the U.S. Billboard 200 and being certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) a month after its release.
She became the first artist ever to have seven singles on the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time.
Her second single, "Your Love", reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart, making Minaj the first female artist to top the chart unaccompanied since Missy Elliott accomplished it with Work It in 2002.
She also became the first female artist to be included on MTV's Annual Hottest MC List. In 2011 she co-hosted the 39th Annual American Music Awards.
In 2013 she joined the reality singing competition television series American Idol as a judge.