80 Fun Facts About Nicki Minaj

What is Nicki Minaj's birth name?

She has performed under variations of the stage name since the mid-2000s and hyphenated her husband's surname onto her own after marrying in 2019.

She was born in the Saint James district of which Trinidad and Tobago city?

As a small child she lived there with her grandmother in a household with 11 cousins while her mother went ahead to New York.

At roughly what age was she brought to live with her parents in New York City?

Her mother had moved to the Bronx to attend Monroe College before sending for her, and the family settled in the South Jamaica neighborhood.

Which New York City borough did she grow up in after arriving from the Caribbean?

A planned ABC Family sitcom about her upbringing there, titled Nicki, shot a pilot in her old neighborhood in 2016 but never aired.

She successfully auditioned for which specialist New York City public high school?

The school focuses on visual and performing arts, and a week after graduating she was cast in an Off-Broadway play called In Case You Forget.

Before her music career took off, she waited tables at a Bronx branch of which restaurant chain?

She also worked in customer service and office management, and has said she was fired for being discourteous to customers.

What was the New York hip hop group Nicki Minaj rapped in from 2002 to 2004 called?

The group was recruited by Lou$tar, son of Full Force's Bowlegged Lou, who said she was already doing 'the crazy voices' back then.

In 2004 her early group recorded a WWE entrance theme, 'Don't Mess With', for which Diva?

The track landed on the compilation ThemeAddict: WWE The Music, Vol. 6, an unlikely first credit for a future Queen of Rap.

Who is credited with switching Nicki's stage name to 'Minaj' after signing her in 2006?

He reportedly changed it because of her 'nasty flow', and signed her to a 180-day contract after finding her on Myspace.

What was the title of her first mixtape, released in July 2007?

Its 'Click Clack' video appeared on the underground DVD The Come Up Vol. 11, which is where her future label boss first noticed her.

Her rap on The Come Up DVD caught which rapper's attention, leading to an invite to his Young Money imprint?

She turned down a Warner Brothers deal that would have required a ghostwriter, and eventually signed with Young Money in 2009 while keeping her 360 rights.

Which producer and label boss asked her to sign to Murder Inc. before she chose Young Money?

She countered by offering him a job as her manager, which he declined; a conversation with him later inspired the song 'Moment 4 Life'.

Her 2009 mixtape Beam Me Up Scotty was reissued in 2021 and debuted where on the Billboard 200?

That made it the highest-charting re-released mixtape by any rapper and the highest debut ever for a female rap mixtape.

Which 2010 Sean Garrett-featuring single was dropped as Pink Friday's lead single after underperforming?

Its replacement as lead single was a leaked, unmastered demo that only got an official release after radio picked it up.

Pink Friday's lead single 'Your Love' samples a 1995 cover of 'No More I Love You's' by whom?

Producer Pop Wansel attached the beat to an email by accident; she liked it, and the resulting demo sat unreleased for two years before it leaked.

Her 2010 single 'Check It Out' with will.i.am is built around the hook of which 1979 Buggles song?

The original was famously the first video ever played on MTV; her track peaked at number 24 on the Hot 100.

Which fellow Young Money artist is featured on the Pink Friday single 'Moment 4 Life'?

The song earned a Best Rap Performance Grammy nomination and grew out of advice she got to enjoy the moment of being a new star.

Pink Friday sold how many copies in its first week in the United States?

It was the second-biggest sales week ever for a female rap album, and the record went triple platinum by 2016.

Pink Friday's opening week was second all-time for a female rap album only to which 1998 album?

Pink Friday also became the first album by a solo female rapper to go platinum in seven years.

On 'Roman's Revenge', Nicki's alter ego trades verses with which rapper performing as his own alter ego?

The original hook borrowed from West Side Story's 'I Feel Pretty' but had to be replaced over copyright issues.

Where did Pink Friday place on Rolling Stone's 2022 list of the 200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums?

The magazine said the album proved an artist could own the charts without dialing back her individuality; Vibe later named it one of the 50 greatest Black albums of the modern era.

Which alter ego did she describe as a 'demon', a 'lunatic' and a gay boy who lives inside her?

The character had a whole 2012 album named for him and returned in a 2022 remix that added a third verse to 'Super Freaky Girl'.

Roman's proper British mother, heard screaming at the end of 'Roman's Revenge', is which alter ego?

In 2023 she answered a fan asking if the character would return by confirming she had died of old age.

As a child she escaped her parents' fighting by living through invented characters. What was her first identity called?

That persona gave way to Harajuku Barbie and, eventually, Nicki Minaj herself.

Her acclaimed 2010 guest verse on Kanye West's 'Monster' ran how many bars?

West admitted he considered cutting the verse because he worried it would outshine his own work on the album.

Which indie folk act's frontman, Justin Vernon, sings on 'Monster' with Kanye West, Jay-Z and Rick Ross?

Vernon watched her record her verse and admired it, though he later admitted he had no idea who she was at the time.

Performing 'Monster' in 2010, she became the first female rapper to perform at which venue?

Complex later ranked the verse the best rap verse of the previous five years, and the Los Angeles Times named it one of the 50 greatest moments in hip hop history.

Her first Grammy nomination, in 2010, was for a guest verse on which rapper's 'My Chick Bad'?

A year later she picked up three more nominations, including Best New Artist and Best Rap Album for Pink Friday.

How many Grammy nominations had Nicki Minaj received by the 2024 ceremony?

Her most recent pair at that point came for 'Barbie World' with Ice Spice, her first Grammy nods in seven years.

Which song did Nicki Minaj perform at the 2012 Grammys, in an exorcism-themed staging?

The performance drew a rebuke from the American Catholic League and its president.

In 2022 the MTV VMAs gave her which career-honoring prize, followed by a medley of her hits?

She co-emceed that ceremony with LL Cool J and Jack Harlow and came back to host the whole show solo the following year.

'Super Bass' became a sleeper hit in 2011 and peaked at what position on the Billboard Hot 100?

At the time it was the highest-charting solo single by a female rapper since Missy Elliott's 'Work It' in 2002.

By 2024, how many times platinum had the RIAA certified 'Super Bass'?

Billboard has ranked it the biggest Hot 100 hit of her career, and its video passed a billion YouTube views.

Which songwriter co-wrote 'Super Bass' and also provides its additional vocals?

The track was produced by Kane Beatz and JMIKE, and its bubblegum-pink video was directed by Sanaa Hamri.

In 2011 she was an opening act on which pop star's Femme Fatale Tour?

That same year she and Kesha joined the headliner on a remix of 'Till the World Ends' that reached number three in the US.

'Starships' was produced by which hitmaker, whose credits include Lady Gaga's early singles?

The demo was originally sung by Mohombi; she rewrote the verses to suit her style but kept the chorus, and later said she regretted releasing the song.

The 'Starships' music video was shot on which Hawaiian island?

Directed by Anthony Mandler, it won Best Female Video at the 2012 MTV VMAs.

'Starships' peaked at what position on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2012?

It spent 21 consecutive weeks in the top ten and was the fifth best-selling single of 2012 in the US.

At the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show she performed 'Give Me All Your Luvin'' with M.I.A. and which headliner?

Six days later she made history again as the first solo female rapper to perform at the Grammys.

Which New York radio station's 2012 Summer Jam did Nicki Minaj pull out of after a DJ dismissed 'Starships'?

She cancelled the day of the New Jersey show at the request of her Young Money label boss.

She voiced which character in the 2012 animated film Ice Age: Continental Drift?

Jennifer Lopez and a certain Canadian rapper joined the cast for the same film, which was the year's highest-grossing animated release.

In her live-action film debut, The Other Woman (2014), she played Carly's legal assistant, named what?

Time critic Richard Corliss found her more watchable and amusing than the film's three leads.

In Barbershop: The Next Cut (2016) she played a 'sassy' hairdresser with what name?

The role earned her a Teen Choice Award nomination for Choice Movie Actress: Comedy.

She judged American Idol season 12 alongside Keith Urban and which singer, with whom she feuded?

Both new judges left after a single season, and even President Obama weighed in, predicting the pair would 'sort it out'.

Who won the season of American Idol on which she served as a judge?

In a series first, the winner's debut album was available for pre-order immediately after the finale.

Which 2014 collaboration with Jessie J and Ariana Grande gave her a first number-one single in the UK?

It later became the first all-female collaboration to be certified diamond by the RIAA, and its video passed two billion YouTube views.

'Anaconda' prominently samples which 1992 hit?

Sir Mix-a-Lot, who also sings on the chorus, said the record gave him 'a whole new level of respect' for her.

'Anaconda' peaked at what position on the Billboard Hot 100, her highest as a lead artist at the time?

Madame Tussauds later unveiled a wax figure of her in a pose from the video, which drew both her approval and some criticism.

The 'Anaconda' video's 19.6 million first-day views broke a Vevo record previously held by which artist?

In 2021 it became the first solo female rap video to pass one billion views on YouTube.

Whose record for the most Billboard Hot 100 entries by a female artist did she break in March 2017?

She did it by releasing three songs at once, including 'No Frauds', her answer to Remy Ma's diss track 'Shether'.

In 2010 she became the first female solo artist with how many singles on the Billboard Hot 100 at once?

That flurry of features led The Washington Post to call her the go-to girl for artists wanting to spice up their tracks.

Which 2018 Tyga single made her the first woman ever to accumulate 100 entries on the Billboard Hot 100?

Billboard Women in Music handed her its Game Changer Award for the milestone.

Her 2018 single 'Chun-Li' takes its title from a character in which fighting game series?

It was released on the tenth anniversary of her mixtape Sucka Free and won Best Hip-Hop Video at the 2018 VMAs.

Which Travis Scott album kept Nicki Minaj's Queen (2018) off the number one spot?

She publicly accused him of inflating his numbers with merchandise and tour-pass bundles.

Her radio show Queen Radio launched in 2018 on which platform?

It became the most-listened-to show on Apple Music in 2019 and was later revived on Amazon's short-lived Amp service.

Her first Billboard Hot 100 number one came in 2020 via a remix of 'Say So' by which artist?

It was the first collaboration between two female rappers ever to top the chart.

'Trollz', which debuted at number one in June 2020, was her collaboration with which rapper?

It was the pair's third team-up after 'Fefe' and 'Mama', and the first indie-label song to top the chart since XXXTentacion's 'Sad!'.

'Super Freaky Girl', her first solo Hot 100 number one, samples a 1981 hit by which funk artist?

She argued publicly that the Recording Academy wrongly shifted the song from the rap field to pop for the 2023 Grammys.

'Barbie World' (2023) with Ice Spice heavily samples a 1997 hit by which Danish-Norwegian Europop band?

The band are credited as performers and co-writers, and the song earned two Grammy nominations from the Barbie soundtrack.

After several delays, Pink Friday 2 was released on December 8, 2023. What made that date special?

The album had originally been slated for October 20, then November 17, before landing on the date she turned 41.

Pink Friday 2 topping the Billboard 200 made her the first female rapper with how many number-one albums?

It also set the record for the highest first-week vinyl sales ever by a female rap album.

Pink Friday 2 was the first album she released solely through which label?

Her own imprint, launched the same year, sits under the same major label.

'Gag City' from the Pink Friday 2 era launched as a virtual world on which gaming platform?

The name stuck so firmly that the album's world tour was also billed as the Gag City World Tour and its deluxe editions carried the label too.

The Pink Friday 2 World Tour, the top-grossing ever by a female rapper, made roughly how much from its first 70 shows?

That total made it the first tour by a female rapper to clear $100 million and one of the top five hip hop tours of all time.

The Pink Friday 2 World Tour opened on March 1, 2024, in which city?

It ran 79 shows across three continents before wrapping in Elmont, New York, that October.

Which R&B singer opened the first North American leg of the Pink Friday 2 World Tour?

The second US leg, subtitled Gag City Reloaded, instead brought along Bia, Tyga and Skillibeng.

Nicki Minaj was briefly detained at which city's airport in May 2024 after marijuana was found in her luggage?

She was fined and released the same day, but the Manchester show she was flying to had to be rescheduled.

What is her 2023 record label imprint, whose first release was the 'Princess Diana' remix with Ice Spice, called?

That remix became the first collaboration between two women to top the Hot Rap Songs chart.

What are her fans collectively known as?

The name comes from her habit of calling herself Barbie; male fans are dubbed 'Ken Barbz'.

Kenneth Petty, whom she married in 2019, was described as what kind of acquaintance?

She announced the marriage in October 2019 and added his surname to hers with a hyphen.

She refers to her son, born September 30, 2020, publicly by what nickname?

She announced the pregnancy in July 2020 and later skipped public events for a while to protect him during the pandemic.

In March 2015 she was announced as a co-owner of which music streaming service, alongside Jay-Z?

She has also been credited with pushing for streams to count toward sales and certifications industry-wide.

In July 2023 a playable model of her became the first female 'operator' in which video game franchise?

The character arrived as downloadable content for Modern Warfare II.

Which company sued over Nicki Minaj's 'Barbie-Que' Rap Snacks flavour, forcing a rename to 'Bar-B-Quin'?

The same toymaker had happily made a doll in her likeness for charity back in 2011.

From 2013 to 2015 she released seasonal clothing collections for which US retailer?

The same period brought her 'Pink Pill' speaker with Beats Electronics and a Pepsi ad campaign.

Her 2016 role-playing game Nicki Minaj: The Empire, for iOS and Android, was made with which developer?

It launched for iOS and Android in December 2016.

Where did she rank as top woman on Billboard and Vibe's 2023 list of the 50 greatest rappers?

Complex had earlier ranked her eighth among rappers of the 2010s, the only woman on that list.

What was the name of the lipstick Nicki Minaj launched with MAC Cosmetics in November 2010?

It promoted her debut album Pink Friday; she later released lip products for MAC's Viva Glam line and two more lipsticks in 2017.

Nicki Minaj was the first woman to appear on which Forbes list, making four straight appearances from 2011?

The list had run since 2007 without a single woman before her.

How many first-week equivalent units did The Pinkprint sell on its December 2014 release?

It debuted at number two in the US, with 198,000 in pure album sales and the rest in streaming and track equivalents.