Photos: Nicki In NME Magazine

Nicki In More Magazine

The star has been riding the success of her debut album Pink Friday recently, following its release in the US last year. The 26-year-old is currently one of the most sought after artists in hip-hop with a string of standout displays which has garnered her instant fame.

Despite her fame, the most important thing in Nicki’s life is her family, who she wishes she saw more of.

“It’s weird. I’m around so many people but I’m not around the people I love. That’s why I put their names in my songs, because that’s who I do all this for. My family are not the type to be star-struck though,” she told more! magazine. “I love my family, I’d freaking jump under a bus for them.”

Nicki – real name Onika Maraj - was born in the Caribbean island of Trinidad but moved to the Queens borough of New York when she was five years old to live with her mother. The rapper believes fame doesn’t affect her due to the presence of her immediate family and in particular her young brother, who isn’t fazed by the new celebrity in their midst.

“My little brother is 12 and acts like he doesn’t know or care about me. All his friends are obsessing over me and he’s like, ‘Whatever Onika!’” she added.

Photos: Nicki On King Magazine (Updated)

While she reigns supreme as H.B.I.C. over the hip-hop landscape, Nicki Minaj grants us permission to enter her sexy kingdom. Yes, it’s the Harajuku Barbie’s world, and we’re just tickled pink to be living in it.

History has shown that acting is the likeliest transition for rappers. Considering your background, do you want to dabble in Hollywood?

Of course.

What would be your dream role?

I’d like to play someone in a Tim Burton movie, where I get dressed up and painted and crazy.

You kind of do that now.

Then I want to be able to do some action stuff, like Angelina Jolie.

Nicki In Clash Magazine

Taking on Jay-Z and Kanye West implies you’re either stupid or have big balls. Nicki Minaj ain’t and don’t. But what she does have is a vocal style that opts for the confrontational rather than all-out aggressive, delivering her batshit rhymes with a roving economy many of her male counterparts would do well to adopt. “Yeah I’m in that Tonka, colour of Willy Wonka / You could be the King but watch the Queen conquer,” Minaj roars during her jaw-to-the-floor guest appearance on Kanye’s ‘Monster’.

But Onika Tanya Maraj (AKA Nicki Minaj) is far more than a gob-for-hire and whilst ‘Monster’ will act as 101 to many, the coming twelve months look certain to see the hip-hop hive fall to the beat of a new queen bee.

Nicki Is Spin's Rookie Of The Year

Spin Magazine has deemed Nicki the best new artist this year... duh- of course she is! Check out the article here!

"I represent my entire generation," a female vocal careens from Studio A at Daddy's House, the dingy midtown Manhattan recording mecca owned by Sean "Diddy" Combs. When the studio door opens, there is Nicki Minaj, wearing a cotton-candy-colored fright wig. She is surprisingly short -- Kewpie-ish, even -- in jeans, a T-shirt, and brown riding boots, mouthing along to every word of her new song, "Fly." Two cameramen, a boom operator, a recording engineer, her publicist, and her hype man and closest confidant, simply known as S.B., surround her. She is smiling, but not happy.

MySpace Artist Of The Year

If you want to know how in demand Nicki Minaj was in 2010, try naming her your Artist Of The Year.

Earlier this month I was set to catch up with Minaj at a People magazine shoot in a spacious studio in Los Angeles’ Culver City neighborhood. Things were running behind—as they often do when you are on the set of a photo shoot for a colossal national magazine—and soon Minaj was jumping into an idling Escalade for the quick drive over to a Westside soundstage, where she was due to film an episode of Chelsea Lately.

No problem, I thought—I’ll just sit down with her in her dressing room backstage. But moments after discussing such pressing matters as gender roles and the size of her booty with host Chelsea Handler, Minaj was back in the Escalade, high-tailing it to the airport in order to catch a red-eye back to New York. And just like that, my interview was over before it had started.

Photo/Video: Nicki Minaj: Styled To A 'T'

The Girl

Nicki Minaj, the first female rapper to top the Billboard rap chart since Missy Elliott.

The Trend

Swim cocktail! Doing laps in the resort collections at Lanvin, Marc Jacobs and Chanel.

The Look

Yves Saint Laurent bandeau and skirt in water’s-edge-friendly toile.

Nicki Talks To Elle Magazine

When you hear the 5’2’’ neon-wig-wearing Nicki Minaj spitting out growls, cartoon voices, and tightly wound lyrics on verses for Mariah Carey, Usher, Kanye West, Ludacris, Drake, and Lil Wayne, it’s obvious why the critical masses have dubbed her Lil’ Kim 2.0. (Not that Kim’s too pleased with the comparison—this past summer, she accused Minaj of cribbing her style.) But the 25-year-old Queens native, who grew up listening to Salt-N-Pepa and Lauryn Hill, is more concerned about keeping up with the boys. “When I write, I don’t try to compete with any other female rapper,” she says. “The only way you’re going to push your pen is to think, I’ve got to shut these dudes down.” And that’s coming from the only female rapper signed to Cash Money Records, which released Pink Friday last week, a debut ­album filled with boombastic club anthems sung by her alter ego, “Roman Zolanski,” ­collaborations with Will.I.Am and Drake, and so-bizarre-they-work hooks (she samples Annie Lennox in the slow-jam single “Your Love,” check it out below).

Preview: 'Nicki Minaj: My Time Now'

Rap-Up.com got a peek at Nicki's upcoming documentary with MTV and posted this today:

Nicki Minaj’s Barbz will have to wait until November 28 to watch her MTV documentary “Nicki Minaj: My Time Now,” however, Rap-Up.com scored a front row seat to view several segments of the hour-long production in advance.

Produced by Radical Media and executive produced by MTV’s Dave Sirulnick, the doc provides an intimate look at the person behind the pink lipstick and elaborate wigs. “‘My Time Now’ really allows viewers to see part of [Nicki's] world that she hasn’t given people access to,” Sirulnick reveals inside a conference room at MTV’s headquarters in New York City.

The feature presentation showcases the Queens rapper traveling to her native Trinidad, which she hasn’t visited since the death of her grandmother seven years ago. Hugging cousins upon her arrival, the 25-year-old star lets down her guard. “I don’t want to act like Nicki in front of you guys,” she says, before cameras catch her purchasing $12,000 worth of merchandise for the family she’s just reunited with.

“Everything in Trinidad reminds me of family that’s no longer here,” Nicki tells director Michael John Warren during an intimate sit-down. After Warren asks the solemn-faced artist if her deceased grandmother would be proud of all she’s accomplished, the unthinkable happens: Nicki Minaj cries. But not for long. As tears stream down her face, the rapper quickly reaches for a pink mirror to look into, and hide behind, to prevent her mascara from running.

The production moves forward as the Pink Friday creator admits her father fell victim to crack and stole from the family, including the video games her younger brother owned. On the other hand, she praises her mother, a woman who “kept us together even when she was embarrassed.” As a sign of appreciation, Nicki signs the dotted line on a stack of papers and hands over the keys to a new home to her mother.

Fans of the Young Money collective may question why the entire team is absent from the doc, but Warren felt the extra additions weren’t necessary. “Nicki was like, ‘Why aren’t you bringing anyone else into [the documentary]?’” he states. “I only bring people in when I feel like the artist hasn’t given me enough. She gave me so much material to work with.”

Before the 20-minute preview ends, the animated lyricist explains exactly where her alter-ego Roman Zolanski comes from (“Roman is a crazy boy who lives in me. He was born out of rage. People have conjured him up. Now he won’t leave”), erupts into a rant after another artist seemingly acts lackadaisical in returning a favor (“When men are assertive, they’re bossed up. When I’m assertive, I’m a bitch. You have to be a beast to get respect”), and discloses the real reason behind her crazy smile (“My happiness comes from seeing life without struggle”).

Nicki Minaj: My Time Now airs Sunday, November 28, at 10 p.m. on MTV.

Nicki In Billboard Magazine

On the surface, Nicki Minaj is a cartoon: a vivacious, va-va-va-voom 26-year-old girly girl with a fondness for silly voices, hip-hugging Barbie-doll costumes, anime facial expressions and day-glo accessories.

But three years ago, Minaj, born Onika Maraj and raised in Jamaica, Queens, was just another tough, street-wise, potty-mouthed chick who couldn't keep a job.

"The last job I had was as an office manager in a little, tiny room where I literally wanted to strangle this guy because he was so loud and obnoxious," Minaj recalls. "I would go home with stress pains in my neck and my back. That's when I went to my mother and said, 'Look, I'm not going back to work.' I'd been fired like 15 times because I had a horrible attitude. I worked at Red Lobster before that and I chased a customer out of the restaurant once so I could stick my middle finger up at her and demand that she give me my pen back. I swear to God I was bad."

Nicki Minaj Is No Lady Gaga

This article from AfterElton.com is anti-Nicki, but raises some valid points as to why the author is against her. Check it out and let me know what you think in the comments.

Last September, Out Magazine did a cover story on up-and-coming rapper Nicki Minaj who seems to be poised to follow in the steps of Lady Gaga as the next big female music sensation. With her oversized personality, outrageous costumes, and openly embracing her queer fans, Minaj has won the sort of gay following that tends to help many new stars make it to the next level.

But should gay fans be quite so quick to embrace Minaj? Maybe not.

The Problem (Or Not) With Nicki Minaj

Check out Essence Magazine's response to the the Nicki-hating poet that went viral recently (see the dumb hoe here).

Over the weekend, a spoken-word performance of "The Miss-Education of a Barbie" went viral, and added to a growing anti-Nicki Minaj sentiment in the blogosphere. Jasmine Mans, the poetess behind the three-minute "dare" challenged Minaj to step her game up. "You turned your g-spot into a land mine," Mans' accuses to the only mainstream female MC. "There is nothing pedal bike pretty about being broken."

Nicki In YRB Magazine

Once a foul-mouthed tough chick with a chip on her shoulder, Nicki Minaj has blossomed into one of rap’s most arresting emcees. Now, she’s ready to prove herself with the release of her highly anticipated debut, Pink Friday.


Three years ago, Nicki Minaj sat hunched on a cramped staircase in her native Queens, her crispy black hair tucked behind a pair of chunky gold doorknockers. “Y’all bitches better sharpen ya mothafuckin’ No. 2 pencil – ‘cause I stay on point!” she shouts, waving a brick of Benjamins on reserve for a manicure. The tirade, capped by a pointy acapella freestyle, landed on 2007’s The Come Up DVD, introducing a hardened urbanite with raw, unmined talent.

Nicki Talks To Time Out New York

As Nicki Minaj notes in her cameo on Kanye West’s recent “Monster,” she currently commands “50K for a verse” with “no album out.” That last part is about to change: Capping a year spent chart-surfing with Drake, Lil Wayne and other high-rollers, the 25-year-old MC releases her debut LP, Pink Friday, on November 22. TONY recently caught up with Minaj in a midtown studio.

"Right Thru Me" Producer Talks Nicki

From MTV Rap Fix...

“She was working in L.A. and I work in Miami, with our busy schedules it’s kinda hard to be in the studio together,” admitted Drew Money [the producer behind her hit single, “Right Thru Me”.] as he explained that the track came together via email. “Basically, I just wanted to make something for her that was pop but still rap and a fusion of everything. That’s kinda how my sound is, it’s a fusion of rock and pop, with the guitars, and with the synthesizers and the 808s, that’s a good sound for her.”

Drew, who also worked on “Hello Brooklyn” for Jay-Z, says that he wasn’t a huge Barbie fan before “Right Thru Me” but game recognizes game.

Women Nicki Should Work With

MTV.com posted this article about the best potential collabos they could come up with. Share your ideas in the comments section!

Nicki Minaj's buzz can't get much bigger than it is right now.

Like Drake in the months leading up to the release of his debut, Thank Me Later, Miss Minaj is everywhere and she's not the only one benefiting from it. To capitalize on her buzz, there have been a number of artists, including Usher, Ludacris, Trey Songz, Jay Sean, Sean Garrett and Sean Kingston, who have turned to her to give their singles an extra boost.

But there's another trend going on as well: Female artists asking Nicki for a little girl power on their power ballads. Mariah Carey did it first on "Up Out My Face," then Christina Aguilera reached out for "Woohoo" and, most recently, Keyshia Cole made her long-awaited return to the R&B game by asking Nicki to jump on her new single, "I Ain't Thru."

Nicki Becoming One Of This Generation's Most Fascinating Musical Figures

Here's what the New York Daily News published yesterday about Miss Minaj.

Nicki Minaj has created an incredible amount of buzz as an emcee — and she hasn't even released an album.

Already a winner of seven music accolades (three from the BET Hip Hop Awards last week), the 25-year-old, Queens-bred artist has collaborated with Mariah Carey, Will.i.am and Rihanna. With an alter ego that she calls Barbie and outlandish outfits, Minaj is quickly becoming one of this generation's most fascinating musical figures.

- On gay rappers: "I think the world is getting more gay-friendly, so hip hop is, too. But it's harder to imagine an openly gay male rapper being embraced. People view gay men as having no street credibility. But I think we'll see one in my lifetime." (Details)

- On her public persona: "Every woman is a character — but people need to see I'm a regular human. It's like you wear a pink wig and you're no longer human all of a sudden. You're a thing." (Complex)

- On rapping about sex: "When I grew up, I saw females doing certain things, and I thought I had to do that exactly. The female rappers of my day spoke about sex a lot and I thought that to have the success they got, I would have to represent the same thing. When in fact I didn't have to represent the same thing." (Vibe)

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Is Nicki The Already The Most Successful Female Rapper?

Check out what Much Music published lately about our HB,

Although she’s still relatively new to the game, Nicki Minaj is set to become the most successful female rapper of all-time.

Minaj is already the record holder for most entries on the Billboard Hot 100, chalking up seven in 2010 alone, not to mention download sales of $4,298,000 so far this year.

This, of course, has a lot to do with guest appearances on high profile tracks like Ludacris’ “My Chick Bad”, Usher’s “Lil Freak” and Lil’ Wayne’s “Knockout.” But the rapper’s own material is definitely making an impact, especially [her] single, “Your Love,” which is the first song by a female rapper to hit number one on the Hot 100 since Missy Elliott’s “Work It” in 2002.

What’s most impressive though is how quickly Minaj has tasted this success. Her debut album, Pink Friday is still more than a month away from its release (November 23rd). Who knows what records she’ll rack up with that one?

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Nicki Sets New Billboard Record

Nicki Minaj made an undeniable splash on the Billboard charts this year, becoming the first female to top the Rap Songs list with her hit 'Your Love' since Missy Elliott held the same position in November 2002. But that was only the tip of the iceberg for the Young Money raptress breaking records on the Billboard charts.

According to the numbers, Nicki has become the first female rapper to have the most entries lodged on the Billboard Hot 100, with seven entries listed on Nielsen Soundscan's 200 best-selling songs of 2010. The Harajuku Barbie has sold a total of 4,298,000 in sales, including her own solo records as well as joints on which she's been featured.

The highest-selling track of the bunch is Ludacris' "My Chick Bad", which sold 1,246,000 copies. Her breakout single "Your Love" came in a distant second with 755,000 units sold, followed by Lil Wayne's "Knockout" (519,000), Trey Songz's "Bottoms Up" (518,000), Usher's "Lil Freak" (508,000), Sean Kingston's "Letting Go (Dutty Love)" (377,000) and Jay Sean's "2012" (355,000).

Despite the number of hits, Nicki still has to tackle releasing her debut. The album, Pink Friday, is set to hit stores November 23.

Nicki In Rolling Stone

If you're going to blow away Kanye West, Rick Ross, and Jay-Z on the same song, you'd better bring your big guns. That's exactly what Nicki Minaj did on Kanye's "Monster" this fall, delivering a breathlessly careening, 32-bar verse abut brain-eating and money-making. "I pictured a little movie," she recalls. "What would this monster sound like? What if she transforms into a kid, then the Bride of Chucky, then a rapper from New York, and then someone with Tourette's?" Minaj's schizoid gifts (on display on her her debut album Pink Friday, out next month) have propelled the Queens native, 25, to the top of the hip-hop heap. After making her mixtape bow as no-nonsense tough [girl], she came under Lil Wayne's warped tutelage and uncorked her inner drama brat (she studied theater in high school), feigning accents, switching personae, upping the thrills. Asked about her status as a sex symbol, she balks: "I don't want to symbolize sex. I don't want to be sexy to boys. But if it's sexy to the girls, it's cute."