Nicki Minaj | Biography, Music & News | Billboard (original) (raw)

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Nicki Minaj (real name Onika Maraj) was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, and raised in Jamaica, Queens, N.Y. Her birthday is Dec. 8, 1982, and she stands at 5'3". She was noticed by Lil Wayne, who invited her to become the first woman on his Young Money imprint. Minaj made her Billboard chart debut with "I Get Crazy" featuring Weezy, which launched at No. 92 on the Sept. 5, 2009-dated Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Her debut studio album, 'Pink Friday,' was released on Nov. 23, 2010, and debuted at No. 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Billboard 200 charts, and went on to top both tallies. "Say So," her collab with Doja Cat, became her first Hot 100 No. 1, peaking on the May 16, 2020, chart. She has received multiple Grammy nominations, including rap album ('Pink Friday'), best new artist and best rap song ("Anaconda"). Minaj has collaborated with a wide range of musicians, from pop (Britney Spears and Justin Bieber) to R&B/hip-hop (Ludacris and Drake) to Latin (Karol G) and beyond.