Onika Tanya Maraj, popularly known as Nicki Minaj, was born in St. Trinidad and Tobago in 1982. During her childhood, her parents often argued loudly, prompting Minaj to use her imagination and music as means of escape. Her affinity for music stayed with her even after her family moved to New York City. While she was still in school, she played the clarinet and pursued an early start in acting, landing her a spot in the cast for the off-Broadway play In Case You Forgot. These early forays into music and acting sealed her determination to make a legitimate career in entertainment.
By 2004, she was signed with a quartet called The Hoodstars. She recorded the song “Don’t Mess With”, which became the entrance anthem for WWE female wrestler Victoria. Shortly after, she signed with Dirty Money Entertainment and released her mixtape Playtime is Over, which was met with critical and commercial success. In 2009, rapper Lil Wayne signed her to his own record label, Young Money Entertainment. After signing with Lil Wayne’s label, she collaborated with notable artists like Jay-Z, Yo Gotti, and Mariah Carey.
Her debut album was entitled Pink Friday and released to much acclaim in 2011. In its first week, the album climbed to the number two spot on the Billboard 200 and sold more than 300,000 copies. Songs like “Super Bass”, “Moment 4 Life”, and “Till the World Ends” received considerable airtime play across the country. She has since released four more albums, all of which have been commercially successful. For all of her recent success, she has a Nicki Minaj net worth of $50 million. This figure is impressive given the fact that she has been a mainstream presence for less than a decade. She also routinely collaborates with fellow musical acts like Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Jesse J, and Jeffree Star.
How Much Is Nicki Minaj Worth Today?
With a Nicki Minaj net worth of $50 million, it may be easy for people to assume that most of her money comes from her musical endeavors. It is true that she has met with her greatest success as a recording artist. However, she also has expanded her resume to include several notable acting roles. In fact, she most recently appeared in the film The Other Woman as the character Lydia. She also has done voiceover work for the animated film Ice Age: Continental Drift. She voiced the character Steffie in this 2012 animated hit. Her TV roles include appearing in the TV series Steven Universe, as well as Dave Skylark’s Very Special VMA Special, a TV movie that aired in 2014. She also appeared in one of Chris Brown’s video shorts as herself.
When she is not acting, Minaj contributes to the soundtracks and music for various films and TV shows. In fact, her resume includes her performances on shows like Strictly Come Dancing and Revenge. She likewise routinely appears on the late night TV show circuit, performing on Jimmy Kimmel’s show, as well as the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Minaj is frequently invited to awards shows as either a presenter or musical act, if not both. She recently performed at the 2014 AMA Awards, singing “Bed of Lies” during that program.
With her unique style and obvious physical beauty, Minaj adds to her net worth with a variety of fashion and cosmetic endorsements. In fact, she is the face of MAC Cosmetics and also has an endorsement deal with OPI Products. Mattel created a Nicki Minaj-inspired Barbie doll in her likeness. This doll sold at auction for $15,000.