Nicki Minaj was born Onika Tanya Maraj on December 8, 1982, and was raised in Queens, New York. She is of Indo-Asian, Trinidadian, and African ancestry. She completed her studies in acting and singing at Manhattan’s LaGuardia High School. Nicki honed her natural talent and star potential at the renowned performing arts school FAME, which was featured in the film and television series FAME. It didn’t take long for her to catch the attention of local producers and hip-hop artists in the rap genre. She was initially hesitant to cast herself as a rapper because she was afraid that the industry would try to limit her to one thing when she knew she was so much more. Nicki decidedly accepted the challenge and embarked on the journey of a female emcee in a male-dominated hip-hop world.
Queens native Nicki Minaj was discovered on MySpace by Dirty Money CEO Fendi, who signed her to his Dirty Money label after being influenced by Missy Elliott’s unpredictable rhymes as well as the sexually charged attitudes of Lil’ Kim and Foxy Brown. Lil Wayne contacted Minaj after she appeared on The Carter Edition of Young Money’s The Come Up DVD series. The two worked together on a number of mixtape tracks. She released her first mixtape, Playtime Is Over, in April 2007, and posed as a Barbie doll on the cover. Lil Wayne made an appearance on the song “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop.”
It wasn’t long before her lyrical abilities were sought after by artists such as Lil’ Wayne. Nicki was determined to avoid the fate that had befallen so many other talented female rappers. Instead, she chose to hone her lyrical abilities by climbing the ranks of the underground mix tape circuit. With her, critically acclaimed performance credit on the DVD “The Come Up” and mixtapes like Playtime is Over and the infamous Sucka Free, success was unavoidable. Nicki’s role as a featured artist and female persona of Lil Wayne’s record label Young Money Entertainment has grown in popularity. She has also collaborated with well-known recording artists Bobby Valentino and Jadakiss. Nicki has also worked with Atlantic Records recording artist Gucci Mane. Debra Antney of Mizay Entertainment manages both Gucci and Nicki.
Kenny Petty house: Where does Kenny Petty live with Nicki Minaj?
Nicki Minaj currently resides in the Flats neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, as of 2022. The home has 7,000 square feet of living space, six bedrooms, and eight bathrooms. Minaj and her husband, Kenneth Petty, as well as her son, moved into the house in 2019.
