Nicki Minaj (Onika Tanya Maraj) was born on December 8, 1982, in Queens, New York. She has African, Trinidadian, and Indo-Asian ancestors. She attended LaGuardia High School in Manhattan and studied singing and theater.
Nicki polished her natural talent and star potential at the famed 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 characterize herself as a rapper because she was afraid that the industry would try to confine her to one thing when she knew she was so much more. Nicki decidedly embraced the challenge and went on the adventure of a female rapper in a male-dominated hip-hop culture.
Queens native Nicki Minaj was found on MySpace by Dirty Money CEO Fendi, who signed her to his Dirty Money label after being influenced by Missy Elliott’s unexpected lyrics as well as the sexually charged attitudes of Lil’ Kim and Foxy Brown. Lil Wayne called Minaj when she appeared on The Carter Edition of Young Money’s The Come Up DVD series.
Ming Maraj is Nicki’s father’s half-sister. Ming first came to the attention of fans in 2013, when Nicki posted photos of her younger sister.
Fans believe Ming is now 15 years old, based on comments on Nicki Minaj’s birthday tribute to her sister on January 7th.
Brandon Lamar
Brandon, Nicki’s half-brother, is quite the polar opposite. Brandon is well-known in the music industry and raps and sings similarly to Nicki Minaj. He rose to prominence in 2007 and has had several chart-topping singles, including “Control” and “Raw.” Brandon also has a YouTube channel called ‘BrandonLamarMusic.’
Jelani Maraj
The sentence for Jelani Maraj ranges from 15 years to life. Rapper Nicki Minaj’s brother Jelani Maraj was found guilty of predatory sexual assault after being accused of regularly raping his stepdaughter, age 11, at their Long Island home.
Micaiah Maraj
He was born in March of 1998, and his parents and he are now residents of Baldwin, New York. Ilissa Kemper and Micaiah are a couple. Nicki Minaj’s younger brother is Micaiah.
