Officio Birthday Star : Nicki Minaj

 

Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (born December 8, 1982), also known as Nicki Minaj, is a US-based Trinidadian-born rapper, singer & songwriter often referred to as "Queen of Rap". Her first three mixtapes Playtime Is Over (2007), Sucka Free (2008) and Beam Me Up Scotty (2009), the latter was re-released May 14, 2021 and went on to peak at No.2 on the Billboard 200 list. Her various accolades include eight American Music Awards, five MTV Video Music Awards (including the 2022 Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award), twelve BET Awards, four Billboard Music Awards, a Brit Award, three Guinness World Records and twelve Grammy nominations.

   Her debut studio album, Pink Friday, was released November 22, 2010 via Young Money, Cash Money and Universal Motown, with guest vocals from Eminem, Rihanna, Drake, will.i.am, Kanye West and Natasha Bedingfield. The album made its debut at No.2 on the Billboard 200 chart, earning 375,000 units first week, behind Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. In its 11th week, Pink Friday jumped from No.3 to the top of the US chart, earning the rapper her very first US number one entry thereon (for the week ending Feb. 19, 2011), staying atop for a week before dropping to No.4 the week after. At the 54th Annual Grammy Awards, the album was nominated for Best Rap Album. It won the American Music Award for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album. The set reached No.5 on the Australian Urban Albums (ARIA), No.8 on the Canadian Albums, No.17 on the Irish Albums, No.22 on the Scottish Albums (OCC), No.16 on the UK Albums (OCC), while topping the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard). Billboard ranked it at No.7 at the 2011 year end charts. The lead single "Your Love" was released June 1, 2010, reaching No.14 on the Billboard Hot 100, while sampling  Annie Lennox's 1995 cover version of the song "No More I Love You's" (1986). "Check It Out" followed as a collaboration with will.i.am, peaking at No.24 on the Hot 100. "Right Thru Me" was released as the second official single off the album, reaching No.26 on the Hot 100 and No.3 on the US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard). "Moment 4 Life" (a feature with rapper Drake) was released as the 4th single off the record, peaking at No.13 on the Hot 100, and receiving a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Performance in 2012. The song topped the US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard). "Super Bass" was such a career landmark for Minaj, released in 2011 for Pink Friday (Deluxe), peaking at No.3 on the Hot 10, and reaching No.6 in Australia, and Canada, and No.8 in Scotland as well as the UK. At the end of 2011, Billboard ranked it No.8. Follow-up singles were "Did It On'em", "Girls Fall Like Dominoes", as well as the Rihanna assisted "Fly" which reached No.19 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

   Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, her second album was released on April 2, 2012. The album debuted atop the Billboard 200, marking the rapper's first to set in at number-one and second number-one on the list. The lead single "Starships" peaked at No.5 on the Hot 100, No.4 in Canada, No.2 in Australia, Ireland and the UK while topping the Scottish Singles chart. Billboard ranked it at No.9 at the 2012 year end chart. "Right by My Side" (featuring Chris Brown) peaked at No.51 on the Hot 100. "Beez in the Trap" reached No.48 in the US, "Pound the Alarm" peaked at #15 in the US and #8 in the UK. "Va Va Voom" reached No.22 on the Hot 100 list. "Automatic" was released as the album's final single, but did not chart on the US chart. A re-issue of the album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded – The Re-Up, was released November 19, 2012, eventually peaking at #27 on the Billboard 200, while featuring the new singles "The Boys", "Freedom" and "High School" (with Lil Wayne), with the latter peaking at #64 in the US. The original set debuted atop the UK Albums Chart, marking the first album by a female rap artist to top the chart. It also went number one on Australia while peaking at No.5 on the ARIA Albums list. 

   The Pinkprint (2014), was out December 12, 2014 and went on to debut at No.2 in the US, behind Swift's 1989. Billboard ranked the set at No.7 at the end of 2015. It spawned the singles "Pills n Potions" (US #24, UK #31, AUS #14), "Anaconda" (US #2, AUS #8, CAN #3, SCO #2, IRE #10, UK #3), "Only" (featuring Drake, Lil Wayne and Chris Brown) (US #12), "Bed of Lies" (featuring Skylar Grey) (US #62, AUS #7), "Truffle Butter" (featuring Drake and Lil Wayne) (US #14), "The Night Is Still Young" (US #31) and "Trini Dem Girls". 

   Her 4th album titled Queen, arrived August 10, 2018, while also debuting at number two on the US Billboard 200. It featured the singles "Chun-Li" (US #10), "Bed" (featuring Ariana Grande) (US #42), "Barbie Dreams" (US #18), and "Good Form". Queen peaked at No.4 in Australia, No.2 in Canada, No.15 in Scotland, No.5 in Ireland as well as the UK. 

  Minaj's first greatest hits album, Queen Radio: Volume 1, was released August 26, 2022, surprise-released through Young Money Entertainment and Republic Records. The peaked at #10 on the Billboard 200, marking her 6th top-10 effort therein. 

  Pink Friday 2, the fifth album, was released on 8 December 2023, through Young Money Entertainment and Republic Records, a sequel to her debut album. The album features the single "Super Freaky Girl" which was a Billboard Hot 100 number-one success, earning her a first solo #1 on the chart, having debuted there. The follow-up single "Last Time I Saw You" peaked at #23 on the US Hot 100 after its release. 

    Minaj has been featured on Jessie J's "Bang Bang" (with Ariana Grande), reaching the top of the UK Singles Chart and peaking at No.3 on the Hot 100, also featured on Migos' (with Cardi B) peaking at No.6 on the Hot 100; "Tusa" (with Karol G) (US #42), Trollz" (with 6ix9ine) (US Hot 100 number one); "Do We Have a Problem?" (with Lil Baby) (US #2), "Bussin" (with Lil Baby) (US #20); "My Chick Bad" (Ludacris featuring Nicki Minaj) (US #11); "Bottoms Up" (Trey Songz) (US #6); "Where Them Girls At" (David Guetta featuring Flo Rida) (US #14)....