On top of her own success, Minaj helped rap-and rap audiences-look past narratives of gritty realism for something fluid and playful, but no less genuine or powerful. Minaj’s electrifying presence has also made her a secret weapon in the pop world, where she's just as likely to share credits with David Guetta and Justin Bieber as Ludacris and Future. Her work-shapeshifting, ferocious, cartoonish, and often filled with oddball voices and alter egos-is as capable of breaking hearts (“Super Bass”) as it is detaching heads (her breakout verse on Kanye West’s 2010 “Monster,” in which she arguably outshined both West and fellow guest Jay-Z).

Turning to rap in her twenties, Minaj quickly became one of the brightest stars in Lil’ Wayne’s Young Money universe. Born Onika Tanya Maraj in Trinidad and Tobago in 1982 but raised mostly in Queens, Minaj attended Manhattan’s prestigious LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts (the inspiration for the movie Fame) before trying to make it as an actor- a past evidenced by the deep performative streak that runs through her music today. Few artists have impacted 21st century rap like Nicki Minaj.

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