Nicki Minaj
Acting • Born 1982-12-08
Biography
Onika Tanya Maraj (born December 8, 1982) is a Trinidadian-born American rapper, singer and songwriter, as well as an actress and voice actress. Known professionally as Nicki Minaj, she is hailed as the most famous female rapper in the planet, notably acclaimed for her versatility as an artist, her sharp lyrics and animated flow in her rapping, including alter egos and hyper accents. As a small child, Minaj lived with her grandmother in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobego until moving to New York City to live with her parents when she was five years old. Her father, Robert Maraj, a financial executive and part-time gospel singer, is of Indo-Trinidadian and Afro-Trinidadian descent, while her mother, Carol Maraj, also a gospel singer, is of Afro-Trinidadian ancestry. Minaj graduated from the LaGuardia High School in Manhattan, which focuses on visual and performing arts with the intention to become an actress, and in 2001 was cast in the Off-Broadway play 'In Case You Forget'. Nicki Minaj earned public attention after releasing three mixtapes between 2007 and 2009, signing to Young Money Entertainment and outshining other artists in her infamous features all before the release of her first studio album 'Pink Friday' in 2010, which skyrocketed her into a global and cultural icon, her influence, popularity and acclaim only growing to cement her as an icon of over the course of the decade. She is the most followed rapper of all time on the social media platform, Instagram. Nicki Minaj made her film debut in a voice acting role for the 2012 animated film 'Ice Age: Continental Drift', followed by supporting roles in 'The Other Woman' (2014) and a voice acting role in 'Angry Birds Movie 2' (2019). She has appeared as self-archive footage in multiple films and documentaries, and stated in early 2022 her intention to return her focus to acting with her biggest role to date.
Filmography
58 credits
Nicki Minaj - Road to Success
Movie • 2018
Self
Justin Bieber's Believe
Movie • 2013
Self
Dave Skylark's Very Special VMA Special
Movie • 2014
Nicki Minaj
Madonna: MDNA World Tour
Movie • 2013
Self - Vocals
Ice Age: Continental Drift
Movie • 2012
Steffie (voice)
Madonna: Rebel Heart Tour
Movie • 2016
Self - Vocals
The Other Woman
Movie • 2014
Lydia
Nicki Minaj: Queen of Rap
Movie
Self (archive footage)
On the Run Tour: Beyoncé and Jay-Z
Movie • 2014
Self - Performer
Barbershop: The Next Cut
Movie • 2016
Draya
The Carter
Movie • 2009
Britney Spears Live - The Femme Fatale Tour
Movie • 2011
Self
Playtime Is Over
Movie • 2011
Self
The Come Up: The Strip Club Edition
Movie • 2007
Herself
Charli XCX: The F-Word and Me
Movie • 2015
Self (archive footage)
Nicki Minaj: The Pinkprint Tour
Movie • 2016
Nicki Minaj
Double Dutchess: Seeing Double
Movie • 2017
My Mic Sounds Nice: A Truth About Women and Hip Hop
Movie • 2010
Self (archive footage)
The Angry Birds Movie 2
Movie • 2019
Pinky (voice)
Matangi / Maya / M.I.A.
Movie • 2018
Self (archive footage)
Nicki Minaj: My Time Again
Movie • 2015
Self
Nicki Minaj: My Time Now
Movie • 2010
Herself
Nicki Minaj: Pink Planet
Movie • 2013
Self (archive footage)
Feels Good Man
Movie • 2020
Self (archive footage)
Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music
Movie • 2025
Self (archive footage)
The Re-Up
Movie • 2012
Self
Ariana Grande: Live at Coachella 2019
Movie • 2019
self
Runaway
Movie • 2010
Narrator (voice)
The Pinkprint Movie
Movie • 2015
The Come Up: Volume 15 Gangsta Grillz Edition
Movie • 2008
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
TV • 1992
Herself
American Music Awards
TV • 1974
Self - Musical Guest
MTV Video Music Awards
TV • 1984
Self - Performer
Victoria's Secret Fashion Show
TV • 1995
Self
Radio Disney Music Awards
TV • 2013
Self
MTV Movie & TV Awards
TV • 1992
Self / Presenter
MTV Video Music Awards
TV • 1984
Self - Host
MTV Video Music Awards
TV • 1984
Self
America's Next Top Model
TV • 2003
Self - Guest
Nicki Minaj: My Truth
TV • 2012
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
TV • 2015
Self
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
TV • 2009
Self - Guest
Saturday Night Live
TV • 1975
Self - Musical Guest
American Idol
TV • 2002
Self - Judge
History 101
TV • 2020
Self (archive footage)
Steven Universe
TV • 2013
Sugilite (voice)
RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked
TV • 2010
Self - Guest Judge
MTV Europe Music Awards
TV • 1994
Self - Host
MTV Europe Music Awards
TV • 1994
Self - Performer
Entertainment Tonight
TV • 1981
Self
RuPaul's Drag Race
TV • 2009
Self - Guest Judge
The Graham Norton Show
TV • 2007
Self
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
TV • 2014
Self
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
TV • 2003
Self
Keeping Up with the Kardashians
TV • 2007
Self
Steven Universe
TV • 2013
Sugilite (voice) (archive footage)
People's Choice Awards
TV • 1975
Self - Performer
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
TV • 2003
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)