Nicki Minaj, Keith Urban Complete ‘American Idol’ Judges Panel : September 17, 2012

After months of speculation, the final judges lineup for the upcoming 12th season of “American Idol” has finally been confirmed. Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban were the final a ...

Nicki Minaj May Join Mariah on ‘American Idol’ Judges Panel : August 21, 2012

In the latest American Idol news, it looks like Nicki Minaj may be the newest star to join Mariah Carey at the judges table for the upcoming season of the reality singing series. ...

Strained Vocal Cords Cause Cancelled Nicki Minaj V Fest Appearance : August 20, 2012

Nicki Minaj cancelled her appearances at England’s V Festival over the weekend due to damage to her vocal cords. In a statement to the Hollywood Reporter, Minaj’s publicist ...

Nicki Minaj Pushs Back Australia, New Zealand Tour Dates : August 06, 2012

Last week, Nicki Minaj announced that she would postpone her upcoming Australia and New Zealand dates on her current “Pink Friday Reloaded Tour,” and now new dates have been re ...

Jay-Z, Beyonce, Nicki Minaj Reel in Hardware at BET Awards : July 02, 2012

Jay-Z, Beyonce and Nicki Minaj were among the big winners at last night’s 2012 BET Awards. Jay-Z shared the honor of Best Group with his Watch the Throne collaborator Kanye We ...

Nicki Minaj Launches First Headlining Tour in July : May 02, 2012

Nicki Minaj recently announced that she will embark on a relatively short North American tour to celebrate the recent release of her sophomore album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded. T ...

Nicki Minaj Takes Over Times Square for Surprise Concert : April 10, 2012

Just a week after the release of her sophomore album, Nicki Minaj performed a surprise set in the heart of Times Square in New York City yesterday. The short three-song set was pre ...

nicki minaj Biography

The singer-songwriter and rapper Nicki Minaj was born on December 8, 1984 in Trinidad and Tobaga and raised in Queens, New York. In 2007 she released Playtime Is Over, her first mixtape. In 2008, she released her second mixtape Sucka Free and in 2009 her third called Beam Me Up Scotty. In 2008, Minaj was named Female Artist of the Year by the Underground Music Awards. Lil Wayne, a fellow American rapper, discovered Minaj. In August 2009 she signed with Young Money Entertainment that includes distribution via Universal Motown.

Pink Friday, her debut album, was released in 2010. It was a commercial success and peaked in the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 chart in the U.S. A month following the set's release, the RIAA certified it platinum. Minaj became the first ever artist to have seven songs simultaneously on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. Your Love, her second single, made it to the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Hot Rap Songs chart. It was the first time since 2002 that a female singer had topped the chart unaccompanied. She also was the first female singer to make the MTV Annual Hottest MC List.