Nicki Minaj
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.
Photos
Films (34)
Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music
2025 · Self (archive footage)
Barbie
2023 · Songs
Feels Good Man
2020 · Self (archive footage)
Charlie's Angels
2019 · Songs
Hottieween
2019 · Songs
The Angry Birds Movie 2
2019 · Pinky (voice)
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
2018 · Songs
Matangi / Maya / M.I.A.
2018 · Self (archive footage)
Nicki Minaj - Road to Success
2018 · Self
Double Dutchess: Seeing Double
2017
Fifty Shades Darker
2017 · Songs
Nicki Minaj: The Pinkprint Tour
2016 · Nicki Minaj
Madonna: Rebel Heart Tour
2016 · Self - Vocals
Barbershop: The Next Cut
2016 · Draya
Charli XCX: The F-Word and Me
2015 · Self (archive footage)
The Pinkprint Movie
2015
Nicki Minaj: My Time Again
2015 · Self
iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2014
2014 · Self
On the Run Tour: Beyoncé and Jay-Z
2014 · Self - Performer
Dave Skylark's Very Special VMA Special
2014 · Nicki Minaj
The Other Woman
2014 · Lydia
Justin Bieber's Believe
2013 · Self
Nicki Minaj: Pink Planet
2013 · Self (archive footage)
The Re-Up
2012 · Self, Music
Ice Age: Continental Drift
2012 · Steffie (voice), Songs
Britney Spears Live - The Femme Fatale Tour
2011 · Self
Playtime Is Over
2011 · Self
Nicki Minaj: My Time Now
2010 · Herself, Songs
Runaway
2010 · Narrator (voice)
My Mic Sounds Nice: A Truth About Women and Hip Hop
2010 · Self (archive footage)
The Carter
2009
The Come Up: Volume 15 Gangsta Grillz Edition
2008
The Come Up: The Strip Club Edition
2007 · Herself
Nicki Minaj: Queen of Rap
· Self (archive footage)
Séries (26)
History 101
2020 · Self (archive footage)
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015 · Self - Guest
Le Tonight Show
2014 · Self - Musical Guest, Self - Guest
Steven Universe
2013 · Sugilite (voice), Sugilite (voice) (archive sound)
Radio Disney Music Awards
2013 · Self
Nicki Minaj: My Truth
2012
RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked
2010 · Self - Guest Judge
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
2009 · Self - Guest
Parks and Recreation
2009 · Songs
RuPaul's Drag Race
2009 · Self - Guest Judge
Keeping Up with the Kardashians
2007 · Self
The Graham Norton Show
2007 · Self
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
2003 · Self
America's Next Top Model
2003 · Self - Guest
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
2003 · Self - Musical Guest, Self - Guest/Musical Guest
American Idol
2002 · Self - Judge, Self - Performer
Victoria's Secret Fashion Show
1995 · Self
MTV Europe Music Awards
1994 · Self - Performer, Self - Host
Late Show with David Letterman
1993 · Self - Musical Guest
MTV Movie & TV Awards
1992 · Self / Presenter
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1992 · Self, Self - Musical Guest, Self - Guest
MTV Video Music Awards
1984 · Self - Performer, Self - Host, Self
Entertainment Tonight
1981 · Self
Saturday Night Live
1975 · Self - Musical Guest
People's Choice Awards
1975 · Self - Performer
American Music Awards
1974 · Self - Musical Guest