Nicki Minaj Through the Years: Photos of the Rapper (2024)

Her Minajesty! Nicki Minaj made a splash in the music industry with the launch of her rap career — and she has been taking the world by storm ever since.Born Onika Tanya Maraj in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Minaj moved to Queens, New York, at the age of 5 with her family. She went on to graduate from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School in Manhattan, where she developed a love for performing arts.After rapping in a New York-based quartet called The Hoodstars, Minaj decided to make a name for herself, and she did just that with the release of her first mixtape, Playtime Is Over, in July 2007. She dropped two more tapes in April 2008 and April 2009, Sucka Free and Beam Me Up Scotty, the latter of which caught the attention of Lil Wayne. The “Lollipop” rapper quickly signed her to his record label, Young Money Entertainment, and the rest was history.As Young Money’s latest recruit, Minaj was tapped as a featured artist on songs including Ludacris’ “My Chick Bad” and Kanye West’s “Monster” before releasing her debut album, Pink Friday, in November 2010. Her career immediately took off as she toured with Britney Spears, performed at the 2011 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show and won countless awards.[sendtonews type="float" key="RFij0Ih5G4-3110971-14453"]In April 2012, Minaj released her sophom*ore album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, which mixed rap and pop music and only made her an even bigger mainstream star. To promote the record, she launched her first headlining tour, performed at the Grammy Awards (making her the first solo female rapper to do so) and rapped alongside Madonna during the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show. In the midst of the Roman Reloaded era, Minaj also ventured into the movie and TV worlds, voicing a character in 2012’s Ice Age: Continental Drift, becoming a judge on season 12 of American Idol and starring in 2014’s The Other Woman.The Grammy nominee dropped her third album, The Pinkprint, in December 2014 and starred in another film, Barbershop: The Next Cut, the following year. Her fourth record, Queen, came out in August 2018. It was not until May 2020 that she got her first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, thanks to her remix of Doja Cat’s “Say So.” Her second chart-topper, “Trollz” with 6ix9ine, came just one month later.Through the years, Minaj has also made headlines for her personal life. She dated fellow rappers Safaree Samuels, Meek Mill and Nas before marrying her childhood friend Kenneth “Zoo” Petty in October 2019. The couple welcomed a son the following September.Scroll down to see Minaj’s evolution![podcast_block]

Minaj, who has two brothers and two sisters, once said that she did not have “a lot of discipline” growing up in New York.

The rapper released her debut mixtape, Playtime Is Over, in July 2007. It included songs like “Can’t Stop Won’t Stop” featuring Wayne and “Jump Off ’07.”

Minaj’s first album, Pink Friday, debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 after its November 2010 release. Its singles included “Your Love,” “Check It Out” featuring will.i.am, “Right Thru Me,” “Moment 4 Life” featuring Drake, “Super Bass” and “Fly” featuring Rihanna. Pink Friday was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2012 Grammys.

The MC was a special guest during Madonna’s Super Bowl halftime show in February 2012. Together, they performed the Queen of Pop’s song “Give Me All Your Luvin’” with M.I.A.

Minaj’s second album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 in April 2012. It included the singles “Starships,” “Right by My Side” featuring Chris Brown, “Beez in the Trap” featuring 2 Chainz and “Pound the Alarm.” A reissued version of the album, titled The Re-Up, came out that November with seven bonus tracks.

The hip-hop star made her debut as an American Idol judge in January 2013 alongside Randy Jackson, Mariah Carey and Keith Urban. She infamously argued with Carey in several episodes, many times in front of contestants. They both eventually left the show after just one season.

Minaj starred opposite Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann and Kate Upton in the comedy The Other Woman, which hit theaters in April 2014. She played Lydia, the assistant to Diaz’s character, Carly.

The MTV Video Music Award winner broke up with Samuels around October 2014 after 12 years together.

Minaj detailed her split from Samuels on her third album, The Pinkprint, which was released in December 2014 to critical acclaim. The record included singles such as “Anaconda,” “Only” featuring Drake, Wayne and Brown, “Truffle Butter” featuring Drake and Wayne and “The Night Is Still Young.” It was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2016 Grammys.

The actress starred alongside Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, Regina Hall and Eve in the third movie in the Barbershop franchise, The Next Cut, which premiered in April 2016.

Minaj announced her breakup with Mill in January 2017 after nearly two years of dating.

After a fun-filled fling, the “Massive Attack” rapper and Nas went their separate ways in January 2018.

In August 2018, Minaj released her fourth album, Queen, which included songs like “Barbie Dreams,” “Chun-Li” and “Good Form.”

The BET Award winner married Petty in October 2019 in Los Angeles with just a minister present. Their low-key wedding took place nearly one year after the New Yorkers rekindled their flame.

Doja Cat helped Minaj get her first No. 1 single in May 2020 with their collaboration, “Say So.”

After announcing her pregnancy in July 2020, Minaj gave birth to her and Petty’s son that September.

Minaj got real about balancing her career with motherhood in a July 2021 Instagram Live. “To the women that have to get up and go to work every day and leave the baby in daycare, God bless you,” she said. “Like, I know that’s not easy. Like, I can do a photoshoot for two hours and when I see my baby, I feel guilty. I feel like, ‘Oh, my God.’”

The “Super Bass” artist opened up about how motherhood has been the “biggest freaking blessing” during a conversation with Jada Pinkett Smith for Interview magazine published in October 2022.

“I’m so happy that God allowed me to experience this,” Minaj gushed. “I’ve always loved children and I’ve always been great with children, but in the last few years I started thinking, I know it’s going to be a huge shift for me because I’m used to going wherever I want, whenever I want, and I knew having a baby was going to change all that. But I absolutely love it.”

Despite the rapper saying she had “real bad separation anxiety” while being away from her son, Minaj got back to work by cohosting the 2022 MTV VMAs and accepted the coveted Video Vanguard Award while performing a medley of her top hits.

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